Rendered almost exclusively on the left ring finger of the hand, tattoos of wedding bands are true symbols of love and eternal devotion. While that is also true of physical wedding rings, the tattoo versions of the rings give people a new way to show that they are in love and that they are not afraid to show it with some ink.

Because of the particular finger’s direct connection to the heart, it has been labelled as the universal signifier of marriage. Therefore, an image or design placed on this finger is incredibly personal and symbolizes lifelong partnership with another. If you see someone with a wedding band tattoo, you can be pretty sure that there is someone else out there with a similar design on their finger.

While anyone can get wedding band tattoos, most of the time it is people who are either married or plan to be married in the future. However, before countries and states started to legalize gay marriage, gay partners would sometimes get their wedding band tattoos to show that they planned to be together forever. The fact is that absolutely anyone can get a wedding band tat with the person they love even if they are not married yet.

People who get wedding ring tattoos of any kind often get them to add in an extra level of permanence. Physical rings can be lost, but inked-on rings are going to still be there regardless of what you do. In fact, some people don’t like the fact that they have to spend so much on rings to show their love for one another so they instead opt for just the wedding ring tattoos. Either way, if you and your partner get a wedding band tattoo, you are showing that you are confident that your relationship will last for the rest of your lives.

A stronger bond between the partners comes with that extra level of permanence. Even when people are together for years, there is often an underlying fear that it will someday end. Wedding band tattoos have the tendency to wipe away some of those fears since both people recognize that they are willing to permanently alter themselves in the name of love. In fact, even people who have been married for a while will often get wedding band tattoos to strengthen their bond with one another.