RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilians Rita Wu and André Mertens got married on March 19 in the metaverse, a collective and virtual shared space that brings together virtual reality, augmented reality, and the Internet. It was the first wedding performed on the platform by Brazilians, and the space chosen was the digital universe of Decentraland.
With a presentation by historian Leandro Karnal, the ceremony took place in a virtual church with details inspired by the Sé Cathedral and had guests, a digital wedding ring, and the union through a smart contract, according to the portal Cointelegraph. Guests received non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as a memento of the wedding.
In real life, Rita and Andre attended the wedding, each on their own computer, together, in the same house, but viewing different screens. Their avatars were wearing designer runway looks, specially customized for the Metaverse, UOL reported. The first wedding in the Metaverse was Ryan and Candice Hurley’s, also in Decentraland, on the Rose Law Group property.
After the ceremony in the church, the guests went to a nightclub. The party was the talk of Twitter and Instagram over the weekend and yielded memes, reviews, and comments. “Everyone wanted to dance on the dance floor with Leandro Karnal’s avatar; it was the best,” Rita told UOL.
“It was very much like a physical wedding, we walked on the dance floor, and everyone wanted to greet us, dance next to us, do stories with the bride and groom,” said André.
Decentraland sells land for up to US$2 million, but the couple spent nothing; the spaces were given away collaboratively. “Our wedding was collaborative; many people and institutions participated, so we spent almost nothing,” the bride and groom said.
“I was pirating in the metaverse. And many people were talking about it, but without ever having done anything. Many people were discussing, analyzing, and I was saying: ‘Let’s make things. Let’s experiment, and then we can debate,'” explains Rita. “Speaking after having done it and speaking from the inside is something that has always interested me in the universe of technology. Being able to analyze based on experience,” she added.
The guests had a little bit of work because you need a good computer to access the platform. Relatives gathered to watch from a single computer; there were game streamers live streaming the ceremony on Twitch, a barbecue among friends to accompany the wedding, and “sneaky” avatars that showed up at the party uninvited.
“Soon, much of the population will be at metaverses like Decentraland’s. Shows, religious ceremonies, and even shopping will be able to be done in digital universes. With the union of Rita Wu and André Mertens, Brazil had the first wedding in the metaverse, which can open portals for more such ceremonies, completely digital,” said Ricardo Azevedo, CEO of Stonoex, a business Hub that develops solutions for the digital economy, according to Cointelegraph.
Rita and André’s wedding smart contract was signed via blockchain, with digital wallets, and is valid before the user community of the technology, which works in an extensive network of blocks that authenticate every transaction made within it.
The couple’s honeymoon will be physical in the real world. The two are still choosing the destination.