Wedding Ring Inscriptions – To inscribe or inscribe not?
How better to tell someone you love them than to carve it onto a piece of metal, present it to them at this grand ceremony where they put it on and wear it forever and ever until the end of time? Sounds great, but what exactly should a person inscribe on such an important gift?
Wedding ring inscriptions can be as controversial, personal and permanent as deciding to get a tattoo. Like a tattoo, inscriptions are most often in a place hidden from view which can afford the wearer some latitude as to how personal a statement they want to make. Fortunately, unlike some tattoos, inscriptions take time and planning so don’t worry about making a rash decision on what you want the inscription to say like you did on that “best friends 4 evah!” heart tattoo you got when you were in college about some girl you can’t even remember, let alone plan to be best friends forever with.
To avoid turning you and your spouse’s wedded words and loving legacy into a bad spring break tattoo, here are some tips on when deciding what to say:
1. Do not get a phrase inscribed in a foreign language unless you speak that language, fluently (…and no, two years of high-school French doesn’t count). You might think that you are professing a lifetime of loving one another when you are in reality, asking where the library is in Mandarin Chinese.
2. Try to avoid modern slang. Remember “rad” and “groovy” were once popular words to say. If you plan on wearing these rings in fifty years, you don’t want to cringe every time you read “lol, u r my bff” on the inside of your wedding band.
3. Unless you are a baby, in which case you are way too young to be getting married, don’t talk like a baby. “I wuv you, schnookums” is a very weird and vomit-inducing thing to inscribe on an expensive piece of jewelry.
4. Take the time to find a phrase that is truly something personal between you and your intended spouse. It can be silly, sweet or even sexy as long as it truly is between you as a couple, the inscription will only become more special over time.
5. Plagiarize. Poets are poets because they can write words and phrases better than we can even dream to invent. I don’t think Shakespeare will sue if you want to “borrow” a line or two.
6. Write each other’s name in the inscription, if you have room. This is a personal choice but I think there is something very sweet and eternal about using someone’s name.
For those that do decide to be creative and add this personal touch to their wedding bands, good luck! And remember, “I’ll love you forever” always looks better written in gold so no matter what you say, you can’t go wrong.
