Big fat digital wedding: Indian couple plan first Metaverse marriage

Web Desk:

According to CNN, as Covid-19 forces families across India to downsize or cancel their traditionally large-scale weddings, one couple has found a venue unaffected by restrictions: the Metaverse.

Dinesh Siva Kumar Padmavathi and Janaganandhini Ramaswamy from Tamil Nadu, where wedding gatherings are currently limited to 100 people, have invited 2,000 people to their virtual reception next month. And as self-professed Potter heads, or fans of Harry Potter, the pair have opted for a Hogwarts-themed party that guests can attend via their phones, tablets, or laptops.

“Because of the pandemic, a physical, real kind of reception is not possible with the huge number of people attending,” said Padmavathi, who goes by the name Dinesh SP, on the phone from the southern state’s capital of Chennai. “So, we decided: let’s make it in the Metaverse.”

The groom, a 24-year-old blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiast, worked with start-up platform TardiVerse to create a castle-like digital space inspired by Hogwarts.

The legal wedding ceremony will still take place physically in front of close friends and relatives in Ramaswamy’s village in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district, about 170 miles from Chennai.

But afterward, the couple will log on to join their reception, which is costing $2,016, approximately 150,000 Indian rupees to design, develop and host. The one-hour event will see the newlyweds virtually address their guests, who will be able to explore the castle and customize their avatars’ appearance and outfits.

As well as being able to invite guests who couldn’t otherwise attend, the couple said the digital celebration has another unique advantage: they can involve Ramaswamy’s late father in the proceedings.

“My father-in-law passed away last April,” Padmavathi said. “So, I’m creating a 3D avatar that looks similar to (him), and he will bless me and my fiancée. That’s something we can only do in the metaverse.”

Padmavathi believes that his reception in the Metaverse will be the first-ever of its kind to be held in the country.