It’s not just a futuristic fever dream, but the natural progression of online romance.
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The bride wore pink with white polka dots.
Candice, 42, stood at an altar surrounded by snow-peaked mountains and exchanged vows with Ryan, 45. The guests clapped and blew kisses at the happy couple, but they weren’t wearing typical wedding attire. One was a human–bear hybrid and some were floating in the air. Others were wearing crowns or brightly colored wigs, and one wore a bikini top with plaid pants. But the over-the-top apparel and man–animal hybrid didn’t bother Candice and Ryan, because the “anything goes” style of their guests fit perfectly with the couple’s location: Decentraland, an Ethereum-based virtual world where people can play games or buy land in the form of NFTs.
“What’s great about the metaverse is you can just do whatever you want,” Candice Hurley told Morning Brew, noting the avatar she used in the 3D, virtual world wasn’t a reflection of her real-life self. “I went with something a little different, a little more funky.” (The couple’s 11-year-old helped pick her attire.)
Candice and Ryan Hurley have been married for 14 years and their Decentraland wedding was a renewal of those vows. The IRL affair wasn’t quite as interesting. On February 4, the Phoenix couple and their son gathered at a law office, where the bride and groom sat at different laptops, controlling their own avatar. Guests logged on from around the globe. Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick officiated, but his presence was entirely symbolic, since Bolick’s authority doesn’t extend to Decentraland.
The absurdity of the ceremony went beyond the style choices. Like all weddings, Candice and Ryan’s had plenty of hiccups. But instead of cold feet or a missing caterer, the bride fell through the aisle and struggled to make it to the groom due to high attendance that overloaded the server. “I’m coming, I promise,” Candice jokingly assured Ryan, as someone helped her sort out the issue on the laptop. Ryan’s avatar danced as he waited at the altar. Then, they ran out of wedding favors. In keeping with the Web3 theme, the couple decided to give guests an NFT of their dog, Pepper, but had only minted 1,000 copies—not nearly enough for the roughly 3,200 people who signed up to attend, many of whom the Hurleys didn’t know. (The event was open to the public and advertised on social media and by a PR firm.)
