Getting Married In the Metaverse

"One couple's recent nuptials in the virtual world known as the metaverse showcase the possibilities of having a wedding unfettered by the bounds of reality," writes Steven Kurutz via The New York Times. An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from the report: Traci and Dave Gagnon met in the cloud, so it only made sense that their wedding took place in it. On Labor Day weekend, the couple -- or rather, their digital avatars -- held a ceremony staged by Virbela, a company that builds virtual environments for work, learning and events. Ms. Gagnon's avatar was walked down the aisle by the avatar of her close friend. Mr. Gagnon's avatar watched as his buddy's avatar ambled up to the stage and delivered a toast. And 7-year-old twin avatars (the ring bearer and flower girl) danced at the reception. How the immersive virtual world known as the metaverse, which few of us understand, will change the traditional wedding is, at the moment, anyone's guess. But the possibilities of having an event unfettered by the bounds of reality are interesting enough to consider. Like a ceremony within a video game, though, it is important to note that any weddings that occur solely in the metaverse are currently not legal. (Even virtual weddings by videoconference, which many states allowed during the height of the pandemic shutdowns, have since been outlawed in New York State and elsewhere.) Still, the metaverse will take these virtual celebrations much, much further, experts say, and offer almost boundless possibilities to couples. The Gagnons had a hybrid wedding of sorts. The couple were married in person Sept. 4 at Atkinson Resort & Country Club in New Hampshire, where they live, in a ceremony officiated by David Oleary, a friend and colleague of theirs ordained by the Universal Life Church, while simultaneously hosting a virtual ceremony in Virbela. They live-streamed their nuptials for those who could not be there in person. Guests of the virtual ceremony attended via a computer, which required downloading software and then creating an avatar. The events team and software engineers at Virbela, which staged the Gagnons' wedding in the metaverse, incorporated personalized details and images of their in-person wedding venue into the virtual ceremony.

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