Do you feel the earth is too small for the immensity of your love? Do you dream of celebrating your union in a place where no one has ever set foot ? Do you want a huge ceremony, thousands of guests, a famous DJ, a set up from a great decorator, a dress and an outfit from a great designer, a procession and floral arrangements like never before? The metaverse has it all and more, provided you don’t stare at the sideboard.
Our computers and smartphones are equipped with cameras and GPS, and anything we do connects us to other humans. And, basically, what is the metaverse if not a stage in the natural evolution of digital communication and social networks? This virtual universe, through platforms with names straight out of science fiction is only the latest, 3D, version of the digital world, it takes place through avatars, or videoconferences which, from the 2010s, already made it possible to remotely attend a family event or a business meeting. The pandemic has simply accelerated the phenomenon. Thanks to confinement, entire territories have been developed on sites such as Decentraland, The Sandbox, Cryptovoxels or Somnium Space, to name only the best known. The early birds who embarked on the purchase of plots or buildings in these new “countries” had only to exploit them.
Decorate your chapel
This is how a company came up with the idea of building, on a plot of Decentraland, a universal, minimalist chapel without religious signs, which can hold 30 people and that is available for rent at USD 98 an hour. The “Chapel of the Metaverse”, whose logo resembles that of Chanel, recommends renting the place for at least 3 hours, “as most people like to have some margin for their marriage reception in case of technical inconvenience and to hang out with wedding guests after the ceremony”. The message is followed by a calendar where you can set your dates.
“The wedding chapel is located in a tranquil area, away from the hustle and the bustle,” the site’s statement adds, and this gives you an idea of the crowd that seems to be constantly jostling in Decentraland. Naturally, you will want to decorate your chapel. Don’t worry, the metaverse offers endless possibilities in the form of NFTs that you can buy and sell at will, whether it’s flowers, candles, benches, carpets, art works, items related to worship, or whatever you want. You can even call on a wedding planner familiar with the platform, whose avatar you can also count among your guests. Chapel of the Metaverse even provides marriage certificates in the form of blockchain-protected NFTs that the newlyweds can receive a copy of.
Shortly before D-Day, you will receive a link that you can share with your guests. Go there only at the time assigned to you, so as not to disturb another wedding in progress. Finally, don’t forget to record the ceremony live and take screenshots of your big moments, which, of course, you wouldn’t be doing if your wedding was happening in real life. Naturally, gifts and invitation cards are also NFTs. It’s important to note, though, that there will be nothing to drink or eat.
Three thousand guests, entry at €50
Among the first couples to marry in the metaverse, two expats from Dubai, Florian Ughetto and Liz Nunez, created a bit of a buzz. Founder of a wedding organization company, Easy Wedding, the couple, already married “in real life” since 2019, own a plot in the metaverse where they wished to renew their vow in May 2022. They had been preceded by Traci and Dave Gagnon, an American couple who seem to be the pioneers of virtual marriage. Their digital ceremony, celebrated in September 2021, was organized by the virtual environment builder Virbela. Then of course, there’s the 3,000 person event offered in the metaverse by the Indians Dinesh SP and Janaganandhini Ramaswamy who were making up for only having had 100 guests at their real wedding.
Don’t take off your Oculus augmented reality headset yet: last is not least. Football star Kevin-Prince Boateng was able to marry model, influencer and DJ Valentina Fradegrada in space! After a real-life ceremony in Tuscany on June 11, the couple tied the knot with their dogs on a metaverse “moon,” offering fans the chance to attend the wedding by purchasing a ticket for €50.
Cry with your eyes and laugh with your heart
Back to your desktop. Without being that popular yet, and requiring powerful computers and optimal connections, the metaverse is still reserved for a community of initiates who have in common the possession of cryptocurrency wallets with which they can buy virtual goods in the form of NFTs. Also, if you are not one of these happy few, move on, take your family and friends and get married in the real world. You can console yourself through good food and drink, hugging, smelling real flowers, crying with your own eyes and laughing heartily, and finally making your commitment, with a real pen, and with your own hand.
