Say 'I do' in Web 3.0 at Singapore’s first metaverse wedding

We’ve come a long way from the early days of so-called virtual weddings. These virtual weddings often only appear in video games like The Sims or Maplestory. After all, Singapore’s first metaverse wedding has just taken place. On September 17, CEO of music-focused media company Bandwagon Clarence Chan got hitched to his bride, public relations practitioner Joanne Tham, after —virtually — planting a kiss on her digital avatar, all done up in 70s-eque disco glam.

In virtual attendance solemnising the union was the avatar of Sebastien Borget, cofounder and COO of The Sandbox. The company, headquartered in Singapore, funds Web3 design agency Smobler Studios. Furthermore, Borget constructed the assets for the wedding, allowing the happy couple’s retro-themed metaverse wedding to take its place.

Recreating The Alkaff Mansion in the metaverse

Chief among these assets was a virtual rendition of The Alkaff Mansion. The heritage building in Telok Blangah Hill Park is popular as one of Singapore’s IT destinations for romantic weddings in lush greenery — presumably even in the digital world. So that explains why it was painstakingly recreated complete with its signature outdoor spaces, European-style fountains and broad balustrade stairway centrepiece.

Related: How Web3 is empowering the arts scene in Singapore

Are phygital weddings the next big thing?

Clarence Chan and Joanne Tham

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That’s not to say this is Singapore’s first virtual-only wedding though, as this digital affair was still complemented with a more traditional physical ceremony, attended by some 350 guests in Regent Singapore hotel, sitting on real chairs and sipping real wine while watching the virtual wedding unfold. 

But it’s still exciting news either way, and we’re not just talking about crypto bros. Aside from connecting friends and family from across the globe, metaversal weddings allow for more creative celebrations. Explains Loretta Chen, co-founder of Smobler Studios: “We are exploring merely the tip of the iceberg with this inaugural wedding. We cannot wait to see what other couples decide to create in time to come, be it a fairy tale, gravity defying bohemian, Star Wars-inspired or Bridgerton wedding.”

“Even the sky is no longer the limit with the open metaverse,” she concludes. 

If you too are looking to host a phygital — as in physical and digital — wedding, take note that 1-Group and Smobler Studios are planning to use this event as a foundation for future collaborations, including other weddings, business events or company functions.

Related: Elroy Cheo wants to develop a community of Web3 creators through an NFT platform