Destination weddings in paradisiac places are a thing of the past. Now, couples celebrate their love in virtual worlds, since Minecraft to Twitch.
Instead of traveling to the amalfitan coast or the Provence, Wired He recently interviewed a couple who decided to celebrate their wedding in the place where they met and fell in love: Minecraft.
Sarah Nguyen, 24 years old and resident of Portland, Oregon, and Jamie Patel, 25, and Resident of Leicester, England, met at age 13 on a role -playing server of Minecraft. “It’s the closest thing to a shared home we have,” Nguyen told Wired.
Most of their relationship was distance, lived in the virtual world (the couple now resides in Portland). Even Patel’s marriage proposal took place at the top of a picturesque mountain in Minecraftthrough a dialogue within the game.
Nguyen and Patel are not alone. Wired He informed that more and more couples opt for digital ceremonies held in virtual spaces where their relationships flourished.
Pandemia marked a turning point for the bridal industry. With many postponed or canceled weddings, frustrated couples turned to the only option available: online weddings. Digital ceremonies became a lifeguard for those who could not hold face -to -face meetings due to restrictions. Others turned fully to the virtual, including a wedding in Crossing animal in 2020 and a wedding in metaverso in 2021.
Now, even without restrictions, the demand for digital weddings has not decreased. In fact, an entire artisanal industry emerged to satisfy it. Companies such as Wedfully offer virtual wedding services from $ 800, which include equipment and a remote production equipment for the wedding day. Even traditional event planning companies are introducing digital packages.
The attractiveness is evident, especially since the national average cost of a wedding in the United States reaches $ 33,000, according to The Knot. The world wedding industry is valued at 89,640 million dollars, and the average cost of a wedding in the United States for a guest is 610 dollars, according to Bankrate.
Virtual weddings, on the other hand, allow family and friends to attend from the comfort of their homes. The celebration of Nguyen and Patel cost only $ 300 (including personalized aspects, server accommodation and a designer to program PNJ and Misiones) and received 50 guests from eight different countries.
Wired He also spoke with Jessica Hu, a married officiant and “teacher of digital ceremonies” based in Chicago. HU specializes in Twitch, Discord and Vrchat ceremonies, and already officiated more than 40 weddings in virtual spaces since it launched its services in 2020.
“It’s easy to rule it out as a novelty,” says Hu. “But these weddings are deeply sacred. I have seen couples exchange votes using reactions with emojis. I’ve seen Bots of discord putting the music of the procession. I also saw people on Twitch chats cry in real time. ”
Emojis of heart and crying appear.
