Couple holds metaverse wedding in The Sandbox alongside real-life ceremony

The Sandbox, a decentralized gaming virtual world, has held its first ever wedding ceremony for a couple in the metaverse, alongside real-life celebrations. 

Singaporean couple Joanne Tham and Clarence Chan, chief executive of music company Bandwagon, tied their knot on September 17 in a “70s disco glam” wedding that took place at a digital rendition of The Alkalff Mansion in the metaverse.

As the couple held a real-life ceremony at a Singapore hotel venue, their avatars showed up in The Sandbox metaverse and received good wishes from their guests online. The virtual ceremony was officiated by The Sandbox’s chief operating officer and co-founder, Sebastian Borgier, in his digital avatar.

The couple sealed their love with a virtual kiss before exiting the metaverse to continue their offline celebrations. 

For the wedding, metaverse architecture and Web3 design agency Smobler Studios made assets through The Sandbox recreating The Alkaff Mansion, a tourist attraction in Singapore, and its distinctive features.

Elsewhere in the metaverse, Closeup, the oral care brand of Unilever, the British daily necessities giant, launched its own metaverse platform “Closeup City Hall of Love” in April, which allows users to obtain NFTs for marriage certificates on the VR platform Decentraland. People from around the world who wish to get married, regardless of gender, race, or class, can have their avatars marry each other and receive a certificate.