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DeLuna Fest are rockin' some serious body art this weekend – and each tattoo has a different story behind it.
Inspired by songs, lost loved ones and even a first-date fortune cookie, tattoos are getting their moment in the sun this weekend as folks show 'em off in muscle tees, bikinis and shorts
MaKenzie Kennedy, 22, of Pensacola, showed off her love of astrology and photography with her Scorpio tattoo, which reads reads “Capture the beauty in the unnoticed.”
“I have a Scorpio on my side, because I’m very big into the whole astrology thing,” Kennedy said. “And I love photography. I think people should capture beauty in things that they don’t look at or notice every day.”
Rufus Ducote, 31, of Daphne, Ala., got a sleeve on his left arm of a potted plant growing different musicians out of flowers.
“I’m a musician and I love nature, so I decided to combine the two,” Ducote said.
Ducote, who has 10 tattoos and counting, said that this complex tattoo is one of his favorites.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on, so I love for people to give it a good study,” Ducote said.
Other tattoos were steeped in sentimental value.
Kara Love, 37, of Pensacola, got a tattoo on her arm that reads “Stop searching forever, happiness is right next to you,” which is from a fortune cookie she had on her first date with her husband.
“I couldn’t have planned it any better,” her husband, James Love, joked.
Love also incorporated her wedding bouquet into the tattoo rather than saving the actual flowers.
“This is my way to keep that memory and honor it,” she said.
James Love also sported a colorful half-sleeve on his left arm, which he said was originally a black tribal design that he had a local tattoo artist fill with color and different designs, including octopus tentacles.
“It was actually a poor decision that luckily (tattoo artist) Gabe Smith was able to fix,” James Love said. “I’m very happy with it.”
Many people use tattoos as a way to honor family members, or to remember those that have passed away.
Bre Tabor, 35, of Washington, D.C., has a tattoo on her shoulders that’s a work in progress, honoring her family members.
“I’m doing a tribute piece,” Tabor said. “We’re from Texas, so I chose roses – one for my dad, mom and sister.”
Tabor said that being from a military family, they all live in different places and don’t get to see much of each other.
“It was just a way to kind of have them with me,” she said.
Raymond “Ray Ray” Fernandez, 33, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, has a tattoo on his left leg that reads “Better to burn out than to rust,” in memory of his Uncle Raymond.
“Instead of growing old and being crippled, it’s better to just burn out,” Fernandez said.
He was named after his uncle, who Fernandez said always knew how to have a good time.
“You think I’m crazy, but that guy was insane,” Fernandez said. “I loved the man. He was awesome.”
Kyley Dalby, 30, of Mobile, Ala., has a tattoo of an angel from her father’s grave on her left arm, along with the date Feb. 25, 2009, when he passed away.
“He doesn’t have a grave marker, so that’s how I find his grave,” Dalby said. “It’s an angel with a broken wing.”
Dalby said that she got the tattoo in memory of her dad because he was such a big part of her life.
“He helped me a lot in my life, and helped me become who I am,” she said.
For Dalby’s boyfriend, 31-year-old Jesse King, the date Feb. 25, 2009, also holds special significance. His brother died from a skateboarding accident that day, and King also got a tattoo on his side in his memory.
“It’s a collection of a lot of things,” King said. “The girl was part of a tattoo he got about two months before he passed away. My brother always had a Heineken in his hand, so it has the Heineken star.”
The tattoo also incorporated water because of his brother’s love of surfing, and CKY lyrics from one of his favorite songs.
“It kind of lets his legacy live on, at least for as long as I’m here,” King said. “I don’t need it to remember him, but it makes for a good story.”
