Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the first login, and my screen kept crashing. It was so boring that I had to give up trying to watch the ceremony within a few minutes. In fairness, that might just be me. Others in India, including Mohnot’s grandfather, were able to witness the entire experience.
Still, it makes me wonder: Why do people choose to have a sticky wedding? And will such rituals – especially sponsored ones – survive or disappear if the virtual reality does not match the narrative?
“It’s crazy and definitely not what we envisioned,” Mohnot said. But the couple said they wanted to do something different. And novelty aside, Mohnot and Godbole’s motivation was straightforward: They had a wedding that was free of compromise. Mohnot is a big fan of Taco Bell, so the company entered a competition to pay for the technical aspects of the virtual wedding — models, production and more. They won. In response, he plastered his brand everywhere.
For Taco Bell, it wasn’t just a marketing opportunity, it was growth that its fans wanted. The chapel at the company’s Taco Bell Cantina restaurant in Las Vegas has so far married 800 couples. There was also a copycat fantasy wedding. A spokesperson said: “Theaco Bell saw the brand’s fans interacting in the Metaverse and decided to meet them exactly where they were. That means dancing hot sauce packets, Taco Bell–themed dance floors, Mohnot turbans, and the famous bell symbol everywhere.
The Taco Bell Verdict
If you look past the blinkered sign that some couples are willing to help the organization build and customize a digital platform – virtual weddings allow you to do things you can’t in a traditional one. For example, Mohnot entered the ceremony sitting on an elephant for the model Bharat, a pre-wedding procession for the bride. It’s a nice touch that’s hard to make arrangements for in person, especially in San Francisco where you live.
Making it count was less straightforward. They had to simulcast their own live stream on YouTube to meet the legal requirement that their real faces be shown. That’s because some jurisdictions—including Utah, where their manager is based—legally recognize long-distance weddings only if the participants can be seen on video.
Many couples are reluctant to jump through that many hoops. The pandemic has created an urgent need for virtual weddings, but traditional in-person ceremonies have boomed in the past year. About 2.5 million weddings will take place in 2022, up from 1.3 million in 2020, according to the trade group Wedding Report.
So why marry in the metaverse? Some are drawn to the low cost, says Klaus Bandisch, who runs Just Maui Weddings in Hawaii. The company, which organizes real-world weddings, said it was caught up in Metavas ceremonies several months ago.
