Various multiplayer games introduce them for gameplay variety. Such weddings are held more for entertainment inside the game, and not to demonstrate the couple’s serious relationship. This is why most people do not take virtual marriage seriously.
But coronavirus restrictions have forced people to look for a way out of the ban on events around the world. Many couples have realized that digital weddings can be a real alternative to traditional ceremonies. Below, we’ll talk about the benefits of metaverse weddings and give real examples of such ceremonies.
How and Who Holds Weddings in the Metaverses
To hold a wedding ceremony in the metaverse, people turn to agencies with developers and 3D designers. If the metaverse is located in the blockchain network, then a special NFT is developed for it, in which information about the ceremony and the prenuptial agreement are recorded.
Designers and developers learn the preferences of newlyweds and create a custom-made personalized virtual space with 3D avatars of the bride, the groom and the guests. Also, some metaverses have ready-made functionality for weddings. The creation of such ready-made ceremonies is limited by the capabilities of the platform, so they are cheaper.
Virtual weddings suit different audiences:
- people who don’t want to formalize relationships and hold official wedding ceremonies;
- teenagers who cannot get married because of their age;
- people with a large number of friends from different countries;
- those who want to celebrate their wedding anniversary or have another wedding ceremony;
- minorities who are unable to hold a formal ceremony;
- those who want to add some variety to their wedding ceremony;
- gamers, IT workers, virtual platform users and people using modern tech.
Why Virtual Weddings are So Popular
In the US and Asia, online weddings and streaming of wedding ceremonies have become especially popular. They are held in Zoom, on VR platforms or online games. Some US states already legally allow video marriages, such as Florida, Colorado, Texas, and Washington. Therefore, with the advent of coronavirus restrictions, there has been a great demand for virtual weddings among ordinary people.
In October 2020, the major wedding portal Zola.com conducted a survey among 12,000 couples. According to its results, 37% of respondents said that they are seriously considering a virtual wedding as an alternative to a traditional ceremony. And the introduction of restrictions due to the pandemic is not the only reason for their popularity.
Variety of locations. Any space for a wedding ceremony can be created in the metaverse at the request of the newlyweds. It can be space, a fantasy land, the world of the future or the Middle Ages.
Access from anywhere in the world. In today’s world, people can keep in touch with a person from any country. But not all friends and relatives have the opportunity to come to the newlyweds for the wedding. Metaverses help everyone to meet in one virtual space.
Unlimited number of guests. Not every location for wedding ceremonies can accommodate several hundred people at once. And the metaverses are even suitable for weddings with thousands of guests.
Gamification of the wedding. The virtual space becomes not just a wedding ceremony decoration, but also a platform for entertainment. Guests can not only watch the wedding from the outside, but also participate in various quests.
NFT of the metaverse as a gift. Not all guests have the opportunity to make a gift to the newlyweds in person. It is easier for people from other countries to make a money transfer, but it can take a long time or incur a high fee. And not everyone knows what gift is best suited for newlyweds. Therefore, gaming NFTs of the metaverse can become an alternative to traditional gifts.
No discrimination. Virtual weddings can be held between people of any gender, age, nationality and sexual orientation.
Low cost. For traditional weddings, cars and locations are rented, a large number of drinks and dishes are purchased, a host, a photographer are hired, and fresh flowers are prepared. Also, an expensive bride’s dress is bought, which can be up to half of the cost of a wedding. In the metaverse, all expenses are spent on creating a virtual space to suit the tastes of the customer, which comes out much cheaper. For example, the average bill in the United States for a Zoom wedding is $2,000, and for a classic wedding is $23,000.
Fast wedding arrangement. To celebrate a traditional wedding, all the necessary locations must be booked in advance. Due to high demand, people are on waiting lists of locations for months. And a virtual wedding can be arranged in just a week.
If you need custom location, you can contact our specialists from BeFuture Studio. They will create the design of the location, develop interactives and help to promote your event.
Examples of Weddings in the Metaverses
Wedding ceremonies have been held in the gaming metaverses for a long time. But the arrangement of personalized weddings is very different in its scope and capabilities. Below we will show them with two specific examples.
Combined wedding ceremony. In December 2021, American couple Traci and Dave Gagnon celebrated their wedding in the Virbela metaverse. The couple’s first meeting also took place in the virtual space, and later they met in the real world.
To create a virtual wedding, the couple turned to the developers of the metaverse. Especially for the ceremony, they created 3D avatars, which looked like real newlyweds and their guests.
Traci and Dave decided to hold their wedding in the metaverse so that those who couldn’t attend live, could be there virtually. The actual ceremony was held in Manchester, New Hampshire, and was attended by 100 guests. At the same time, the event was held on a virtual platform.
The first wedding on Decentraland. In February 2022, Ryan and Candice Hutley got married on the Decentraland metaverse, which is based on the blockchain. The wedding was organized by a team of designers and programmers who created an estate for the ceremony based on Decentraland. Also, an NFT with a prenuptial agreement was developed for the couple, which was recorded on the blockchain.
Ryan and Candice’s wedding took place entirely in the metaverse. 2,000 people were invited to the ceremony, each of whom was given a unique token as a keepsake. All the guests were present in their usual avatars.
Although the couple had already gotten married in 2008, they wanted to repeat the ceremony in the metaverse. So they invited Supreme Court Justice officiant Clint Bolick to officiate the ceremony. And the legal aspects were handled by a law firm that developed a special Metaverse Marriage License. To do this, lawyers have prepared a virtual premarital agreement with personal identifiers and a meta-marriage framework in the form of NFT. Thanks to this, the couple formalized the marriage not only in the real world, but also in the metaverse.
Recommended material
For those who want to learn about creating virtual spaces in the metaverses. In the article, we talk about the companies that come to Decentraland and the studios that help them.
Conclusion
Holding a wedding in the metaverse can be an alternative or addition to traditional ceremonies. They are suitable for people who want to celebrate an anniversary, enter into an informal marriage, minorities, gamers and IT workers.
Such weddings are not limited in the number of guests; they can be visited from anywhere in the world. They are also faster and less expensive to arrange than traditional ceremonies.
Editor:
James Armstrong
Cover and illustrations:
Delilah Jones
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