Unless you are an astronaut, getting married in space isn’t really an option. But a company is making it possible for a lucky few. For the right price, Space Perspective will fly guests to the edge of space and offer two hours of stunning views. This “quintessential astronaut experience” costs $125,000 per seat, according to the company’s website. So before booking a space wedding, consider carefully your priorities and how well they align with the venue you have in mind.
Using a virtual world like the metaverse is another way to connect people for a ceremony without them being physically present. This technology, which is only beginning to gain traction in the real world, could change how we celebrate big events, including weddings. This type of event requires more hands-on planning, though, and you may need to enlist the help of a wedding planner.
A couple held a wedding in the metaverse last month, with their avatars walking down the aisle and their 7-year-old twin avatars serving as ring bearers and flower girls. The event was hosted by Virbela, a company that creates environments for work, learning and events. The company’s CEO, Chris Perry, says that his company is starting to see requests for weddings in the metaverse. He says that as the platform gets built out, there will be “plug and play assets” for flowers, tablescapes, dresses, musical entertainment and other things that can be inserted into a wedding in the metaverse.
The first space wedding took place 16 years ago when Ekaterina Dmitriev married her new husband, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, while he was orbiting in the International Space Station. Dmitriev and Malenchenko were used to long-distance relationships, as they both lived in the United States while he trained for space flight in Russia. They were married by video link, with Dmitriev walking down the aisle to a David Bowie song as the ISS reemerged into sunlight. At the reception, a life-sized cutout of Malenchenko greeted guests.
You can host a virtual wedding in many ways, including hosting your ceremony on a home computer and connecting it to the Internet so everyone can watch remotely. This option is simpler than renting a space, but it doesn’t give you the freedom of the blank canvas of a physical venue. If you go this route, make sure to have an experienced videographer on hand to capture the event.
A more traditional method of holding a wedding in the metaverse is to use a virtual-reality headset, which is available for rent. These devices allow you to move around a blank space, and they are often cheaper than hiring an actual venue. But the immersive experience can be jarring for guests who aren’t used to it, and you need to ensure that seated guests have a clear line of sight so they can follow along in the ceremony. Also, if you’re trying to hold the ceremony in a space that you don’t own, you might have to pay for the use of a sound system.