Back in 2003, nobody expected social media would make a huge impact on our lives. Today, thanks to Facebook (now known as Meta), we’re talking about what to do in the Metaverse – a wedding, perhaps.
Is a wedding in Metaverse a possibility? Yes, it is! But you must be looking for a detailed answer, especially if you’re a future groom or bride.
So, let’s take a look at how Metaverse can make it unique and memorable for you.
Metaverse – Door to Possibilities
The idea was first coined in 1992 byNeal Stephenson in his book Snow Crash. Later the concept was teased and developed in many books and animated cartoons.
It is a level-up from the video meetings. For instance, in a video meeting, not all participants feel included. The participants are mere names on the video call list and aren’t physically or virtually present.
In contrast, Metaverse makes the communication experience immersive and interactive.
Since the participants are in the form of avatars, they can meet new people, make new connections, and explore new possibilities.
Some of the benefits of Metaverse are the following:
Making a world without limitations
Solve all remote challenges
Endless possibilities for communication
Meeting or interacting with people from any part of the world
Make many things possible that were otherwise impossible due to geographical constraints
In a couple of years, we will see how the Metaverse will change the way we live our lives. This technology doesn’t limit creativity and imagination.
It offers the opportunity to propose to your partner under the Eiffel Tower. And with an engagement ring bought in the Metaverse itself. Everything is possible!
Why Couples Prefer Wedding in Metaverse
With Metaverse, couples have found a new way to conduct wedding ceremonies. Weddings in Metaverse are simple and convenient as you hold the ceremony anywhere you want. Your friends and relatives from anywhere around the world can join you without the need to travel.
In the past, relatives and friends have attended weddings via Zoom and Skype. But the experience wasn’t immersive.
However, with Metaverse, all guests can interact with each other, experience the wedding as if they are physically in the venue. Guests can even buy NFTs for the bride and groom as a wedding gift.
So now having a destination wedding isn’t as tricky. With Metaverse, one can take as many guests as they want to join in on their big day.
Weddings That Happened in Metaverse
Have you seen anyone wed on Metaverse before? If not, here’s a case:
Traci and Dave Wedding
Traci and Dave met in the cloud. Naturally, they were inclined to tie the knot using technology. They planned an event with the help of a company that facilitates virtual environments for meetings and events.
Uniquely, creating an event in Metaverse costs way less than an actual wedding. It was virtual perfection. The avatars of Traci and Dave walked down the aisle, the virtual flower girls danced the night away.
When the couple kissed in real life, in the local country club, their avatars also kissed. Meanwhile, guests from many parts of the world joined in on their unique union and felt connected.
While preparing for the wedding, they had fun creating their avatars. The guests also made their avatars and sent them in before the wedding.
For Traci and Dave, the fun part was the seven-year-old twins, the ring-bearer and flower girl. These young girls particularly enjoyed making their avatars and took their sweet time settling with the final look.
J. Ramaswamy and Dinesh SP
The Metaverse is challenging the norms and bounds of reality. For example, at another wedding in India, the groom created his deceased father-in-law’s avatar.
In Indian tradition, fathers bless their daughters before giving them away. The idea was to make it complete for the bride. It was beautiful and gratifying in many ways.
Mostly the families are gloomy because they are missing the deceased. But not in the case of Janaganandhini Ramaswamy and Dinesh SP. Through the avatar, the deceased talked and walked among the family, making the day even more special.
Since it is Metaverse, they had a Harry Potter-themed wedding. They were real potter heads, and having a destination wedding in Hogwarts was a dream come true for them.
But Legality?
The lines between virtual reality and reality may be blurred; nonetheless, weddings in the Metaverse have no legal status.
Recently, many weddings happened at the peak of the pandemic via Zoom video call. But they did not receive recognition in many states.
It isn’t that simple. You cannot waltz down to city court to get a wedding registered because, according to law, it never transpired. But, besides the constraint of legal binding, everything else is possible.
We followed the case of two couples who successfully had their Metaverse wedding. They were also having a real-life wedding simultaneously for the fix of legal binding.
For now, weddings are legal, but governmental bodies wouldn’t attest to the union as legally binding.
Will Metaverse Be the End of Intimacy
There is good and evil in everything.
However, many experts believe Metaverse will make things easier, and the effort people make to see each other will gradually diminish.
Will the Metaverse be the end of real relationships? Traci and Dave Gagnon think otherwise. Humans cannot live without touch. Touch starvation is a real phenomenon.
When the human body doesn’t experience enough physical touch, the mind gets stressed. As a result, the body starts making the hormone cortisol—consequently, anxiety, depression, increased heart rate, and muscle tension well up.
Hence there is no way Metaverse can equate to intimacy and touch. And no chance of Metaverse affecting relationships in the future. Couples will make the effort to meet each other just like before.
But if you look at the positive side of it, couples in a long-distance relationship will find great comfort and solace in the immersive experience.
They would be able to see each other, watch movies together, and spend some quality time until they meet again.
Take Away
Technology is in a constant state of evolution. Metaverse will change things in the next ten years, but one thing is for sure – it will help people connect.
If there is anything the pandemic taught us, we need the connection to survive, and Metaverse will deliver that.
