Traci and Dave Gagnon have become the first couple to get married in the metaverse. The digital avatars of the couple held a ceremony staged by US-based company Virbela that builds virtual environments for work, learning and events. Their virtual ceremony featuring their digital avatars and guests took place at the same time as their physical wedding.
The couple had a hybrid wedding of sorts. The couple were married in person on September 4 at Atkinson Resort & Country Club in New Hampshire, US while simultaneously hosting a virtual ceremony in a metaverse created by Virbela, New York Times reported. Metaverse is a hypothesised iteration of the Internet that supports persistent online 3-D virtual environments.
The couple live-streamed their nuptials for those who could not attend their wedding ceremony in person. The guests who were invited to attend the virtual ceremony were asked to download software on their computers and then create an avatar.
Both Mr Gagnon (52) and Mrs Gagnon (60) work as agents at eXp Realty, which works in sectors related to virtual reality. They first met each other digitally. The couple did not meet in person but their avatars met at a company event in Las Vegas in 2015. They fell in love and were engaged in 2019.
When they decided to get married in September this year, they sent pictures of themselves to Virbela’s events team and software engineers who incorporated flowers and images of their in-person venue into the virtual ceremony.
“They were able to take my wedding dress and customise it, and take a little flower halo and put it on my hair,” Mrs. Gagnon told New York Times.
Patrick Perry, the director of event sales and partnerships for Virbela, has said the cost of holding an event in the metaverse range from a few thousand dollars to well over $10,000. The cost depends on what the client wants.
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