Source: China Daily
At present, due to the limitations of the epidemic, Indian couples cannot hold traditional grand weddings. So a couple found a place that was not limited by the epidemic, the metaverse, and decided to hold a Hogwarts-themed wedding party in the metaverse, where the bride's deceased father would also "attend" the virtual party and send blessings.
Credit: Courtesy TardiVerse
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.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced couples across India to simplify or cancel traditional grand weddings, yet an Indian couple has found a venue that is not affected by anti-epidemic restrictions – the metacosm.
Dinesh Sivakumar 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 'Potterheads,' or fans of Harry Potter, the pair have opted for a Hogwarts-themed party that guests can attend via their phones, tablets or laptops.
Padmawati and Ramswami from Tamil Nadu invited 2,000 people to their virtual wedding party next month. In Tamil Nadu, the number of wedding parties cannot exceed 100 at present. The couple, who claim to be Harry Potter fans, will opt for a Hogwarts-themed wedding party that guests can attend via phone, tablet or laptop.
Credit: Courtesy SP Dinesh
'Because of the pandemic, a physical, real kind of reception is not possible with the huge number of people attending,' said Padmavathi, 'So, we decided: let's make it in the metaverse.'
Padmawati said: "Under the epidemic, it is impossible for us to hold a real offline wedding party with many people attending. So we decided to host it in the metaverse. ”
Metaverse is a term used to describe virtual 3D environments in which users can gather and interact. 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.
Metacosm refers to a 3D virtual environment where users can gather and interact. The 24-year-old groom, a blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiast, has teamed up with startup 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. But afterwards, the couple will log on to join their reception, which is costing 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 outfit.
Legal offline weddings will still be held in Ramaswami Village, Chris Henagiri, Tamil Nadu, witnessed by friends and family. But next, the couple will land in the meta-universe for a wedding party, which costs a total of 150,000 Indian rupees (about 13,000 yuan) to design, develop and host the party. During this hour-long wedding party, the couple will be able to address the guests virtually, who will be able to tour the castle and customize their avatars and costumes.
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.
The couple said the digital wedding party not only invited guests who would otherwise not be able to attend, but also had a unique advantage: they could have Ramswamy's deceased father to the wedding party.
'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.'
Padmawati said: "My father-in-law passed away last April. So I customized a 3D character similar to my father-in-law who would bless me and my fiancée. This can only be achieved in the metaverse. ”
There have been reports of other metaverse wedding events, including a US couple that held a physical ceremony alongside a digital one on the virtual platform, Virbela. But while Indian law requires witnesses to be present at marriage ceremonies, Padmavathi believes that his reception in the metaverse will be the first ever of its kind to be held in the country.
Other meta-universe weddings have also been reported before, including an American couple who held both offline weddings and digital weddings on the virtual platform Virbela. Although Indian law requires a witness at a wedding, Padmawati believes that his meta-cosmic wedding will be the first in India.
Having convinced his fiancée, an IT worker, of the idea, Padmavathi also has his parents' approval for the unconventional event, he said.
Padmawati said that before the unconventional wedding party, he persuaded his fiancée, who is an IT worker, and obtained permission from his parents.
'From childhood, I've been working with robotics ... and for the last year I've been working in blockchain and mining Ethereum,' he said, adding: 'So my family knows that I'm into tech.'
He said: "I've been dealing with robots since I was a kid... I've also been working on blockchain and 'mining' in Ethereum last year. So my family knows I'm interested in technology. ”
Source: CNN
Translator & Editor: Dani