Decentraland Hosts First Metaverse Wedding In The US: Meta-Marriage

At least 2,000 guests attended virtual ceremony at Decentraland MANA/USD. However, the couple’s bells and whistles big day didn’t go strictly according to plan, meaning that the Metaverse still needs to develop further to host similar ceremonies reliably.   

Ryan and Candice Hurley from Phoenix became the first couple to tie the knot with their digital identities over the weekend in the first wedding in the Metaverse. The wedding ceremony at Decentraland was witnessed by Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick and a virtual crowd of 2,000 guests on February 5.

HOW HIGH CAN DECENTRALAND (MANA) GO?

Last month, Warner Music Group WMG announced that it had gone Metaverse with a Sandbox SAND/USD theme park. Following WMG’s entry into the Metaverse, U.S fast-food chain McDonalds MCD partnered with Humberto Leon to roll out a Zodiac collection within the Metaverse. The collaboration was in recognition of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Tiger. From 1st February to 15th February, fans can enter AltspaceVR and Spatial, virtual reality platforms. Here, fans can view the Zodiac collection and more. Humberto Leon is the co-founder of the fashion brand Opening Ceremony, with retail stores across the world.

As per the American Marriage Ministries (AMM), all states that allow virtual online weddings require officiants and couples to use video-conferencing technology that will enable them to see and hear each other in real-time, without anything that distorts their appearance. Therefore, Metaverse weddings won’t be legally binding until a law changes.

Describing the potential of the Metaverse, Jordan Rose explained that “Unlike the real world, the Metaverse isn’t limited by physical constraints that restrict your perfect wedding. She added in the event descriptions that only in the Metaverse could your wildest, most imaginative dream wedding become a reality.

Several unanticipated technical issues marred the event, such as Decentraland struggling to handle the number of attendees. Also, the NFT gifts for attendees were quickly claimed only about twenty minutes into the event. Shockingly, Ryan’s avatar was left at the aisle as Candice’s failed to make a digital appearance — but only for some guests. Depending on which server attendees had been split into, the bride was wearing a dress, a hoodie, or wasn’t there at all.

Since Facebook FB changed its name to Meta to concentrate on the Metaverse, several mainstream players have had plenty of interest. The Warner Music Group announced its entry into the Metaverse, joining pioneers like Nike NKE, Adidas ADDYY, and most recently Walmart WMT and McDonalds. All of them are interested in taking the front seat in the Metaverse.