Fresh ink is the best bridal accessory, according to Braunwyn Windham-Burke and her new “wife,” Jennifer Spinner.
After exchanging vows on Valentine’s Day in a ceremony that wasn’t legally binding, the couple explains the meaning behind their matching “wedding” tattoos in an exclusive joint interview with Page Six Style.
“We love to road-trip, we love to wander, we love to travel, so she was like, ‘Why don’t we get the mountains and sort of our journey together?’” Windham-Burke, 45, says. “And there you have it.”
The “Real Housewives of Orange County” alum — who came out as a lesbian in 2020 and is in the process of divorcing her estranged husband, Sean Burke — says that body art felt like the “perfect” way for her and Spinner, 38, to commemorate their commitment.
“I think we’re both at a point in our life where we’re like, ‘Do you want to do this?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah,’” Windham-Burke says.
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“Because I’m 45, she’s 38. It took us a long time to find each other, so let’s do all the things.”
Spinner adds, “And not worry about how ridiculous … it is.”
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The nonprofit exec, who began dating Windham-Burke in the summer of 2022, says their tattoos are specifically inspired by the scenic drive they enjoyed while heading to Palm Springs, Calif., to Sin City ahead of their faux nuptials.
“We happened to end up going a back way from Palm Springs to Vegas and we ended up on this literally deserted desert highway, we were the only car, no gas stations,” Spinner recounts.
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“We went to a town that had one motel from the ‘30s and … the thing that we loved about that experience outside of being alone was the mountains. We had never seen mountains like that.”
Windham-Burke’s mountains are on the back of her left wrist, while Spinner’s are on the front of hers. Both women love their tattoos, but they admit that the former Bravolebrity’s seven kids aren’t fans.
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“Oh, I got a text from her daughter immediately: ‘You guys are posers,’” Spinner says.
Meanwhile, Windham-Burke — who shares Bella, 22, Rowan, 20, Jacob, 17, twins Caden and Curren, 9, Koa, 8, and Hazel, 5, with Burke — is laughing off her brood’s opinions.
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“Cringe, as my kids call it,” she acknowledges. “Cringe.”
In addition to their tats, Spinner and Windham-Burke — who now affectionately refer to each other as “my wife” — wear simple gold bands to signify their dedication to one another.
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However, the latter plans to get down on one knee with a real engagement ring once she finalizes her divorce from Burke and can make things official with Spinner.
“There will be a time where I do the getting down on one knee … It’s not even a possibility,” says Windham-Burke. “We are going to actually get married. We talk about it all the time.”