Welcome to Big Day VR
I will work with you on defining and designing your ideal event, handling logistics and technical considerations, and creating and customizing the environments and interactive elements. I am focused on weddings and similar unions, but open to other requests on a case-by-case basis.
Why a virtual reality (VR) wedding?
The answer is up to you! Maybe you want to…
include guests who can’t attend in-person
enact your most outlandish or opulent dreams in VR
replace a costly in-person event with a virtual celebration
define and design your union on your own terms
create a shared virtual space that lives on after the big day
host specific wedding events virtually to complement one in-person big day event
WHO I AM
I’ve been playing in virtual and augmented reality since around 2018. I’ve inexpertly illustrated and animated using in-VR software tools, created mini software projects for a VR animation community and acted as an affiliate and student research advisor for VR projects through the Center of Transformational Play at Carnegie Mellon University. I’ve also designed for SnapChat’s Spectacles augmented reality glasses through their Creators’ Program. I currently am a part-time adjunct faculty member for Chatham University’s Immersive Media program. Feel free to check out my personal website below.
How Big Day VR Began
When I got married in 2018, I found the whole process to be enormously stressful. Neither my spouse nor I relish being the center of attention, but we also wanted to show our families and friends how much they meant to us as we moved toward a new stage in our lives. It seemed like a traditional wedding, a “big day” was the way to do that.
While there were certainly many moments of joy and love and celebration, and we are so thankful everyone who spent time, energy and money to help us and celebrate with us, I wish we could have started our commitment to one another in a way less fraught with anxiety and performance.
Within a year after getting married, I tried Virtual Reality (VR) for the first time, and I’ve been hooked ever since. After test-running a small family wedding in 2024, I feel strongly that a VR wedding can be a beautiful, joyous, surreal bonding experience to celebrate relationships with people you care about. I’m excited to collaborate with you and join you on this journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we get started?
Reach out to me, and we will schedule an initial free consultation with you, your partner(s), and any other relevant stakeholders you want to be present to talk about your visions, desires, priorities, constraints, and questions. From there, I will get back to you with a tentative plan for your event based on what we discussed and you can decide if you would like to move forward.
What services does Big Day VR provide?
I will serve as a consultant, co-designer and developer for your big day. Together, we can work out the logistics, such as what platform makes most sense for you and how many guests you are inviting. We will also co-design the space and experience through conversation, brainstorming and visual aids. We’ll explore what you want it to look and sound like, what experiences you want to include for you and your guests, what wedding traditions you want to retain and what new traditions you want to introduce.
Will you custom create every aspect of my VR wedding?
No, but I will design customized environments and experiences, and am always open to tinkering and creating.
While I have a lot of fun creating amateur art and animation in VR (see my portfolio here), I realize that my “style” is likely not going to fit most people’s aesthetics. Likewise, I have dabbled a very little bit in 3D modeling and would enjoy dabbling more if it’s of interest to the clients, but I will assume that we’ll use other people’s 3D models and environments for these projects so as to best fulfill clients’ needs. I can design bespoke spaces using preexisting models and create interactive elements (using simple code, Unity components or visual code, depending on the platform). I will keep clients informed throughout the process and offer opportunities to test, prototype, and give feedback throughout.
Clients may at times make requests that go far beyond my skill level. When possible, I will still give things a go, but will also let clients know in a timely and honest manner when I’m simply out of my wheelhouse and cannot accommodate a certain request.
Do you provide support or training for guests?
I can provide some limited support for guests– particularly those who are less familiar with VR and/or social technologies. This can be in the form of compiling existing resources for creating accounts, avatars, and joining spaces, creating new written or video resources when needed, and a group Zoom call to help get everyone oriented. I will need to impose limits on how much individual help I can offer.
I will also work with the clients to test and troubleshoot aspects of the event before the big day.
How much will this cost me?
Short answer: A flat fee of $400.
Longer answer: This is a new, exploratory venture. As such, I am temporarily charging a low courtesy fee as I build a wedding-specific VR portfolio, increase my understanding of the needs and desires of clients better, and track my hours on different projects so I can decide how to establish fee structures, boundaries, and working schedules in the future.
Note that I cannot cover the costs of headsets or other equipment, or any premium services or content you may choose to buy online or from VR platforms. You can rest assured that in turn, I will not make any purchases of custom assets, interactions or 3D models that I will expect you to reimburse; there will be no hidden fees on either end.
The initial consultation is free, and you are not committing to the process or the fee in our first meeting. If at any point you decide the services I provide exceed the $400 pricepoint and you have the funds to do so, I will happily accept further donations. On the flip side, if $400 is unaffordable for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I can likely work within your budget.
Do you provide day-of support?
On the big day itself, provided I am available for the selected date and time, I can be present (remotely, and potentially in person if you are local to Pittsburgh) to help troubleshoot and deal with any unforeseen technical glitches. I can also serve as a virtual videographer/photographer to provide you with memories from your virtual wedding.
Do I, my partner(s) and my guests need VR headsets?
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: There are VR social platforms that allow people to join and interact from various devices. For example, Spatial.io, a preferred social platform of Big Day VR, allows users to join from mobile, desktop (PC or Mac), and Quest headsets. If you know that not all guests will have access to a VR headset, then a device-inclusive platform like Spatial will be the way to go.
That said, you may find it beneficial to at least have headsets for yourselves to get the full VR experience for your big day. While I cannot provide headsets myself, I can give advice about what type of device you will need, and how you might be able to obtain it (whether it’s borrowing from a friend, renting from a company, or buying a used or new device).
Where are you located? Will we meet remotely only?
I am located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). We can have any meetings in-person if you are here too, but if you prefer remote, that is always fine. If you are not in Pittsburgh, then yes, we can work exclusively remotely.
Can I get legally married in VR?
It depends, but at least where I’m located, yes! However, I am not a legal expert, and I take no responsibility in guaranteeing the legal legitimacy of your VR wedding, if that is your plan. On my end, it is not important to me if your VR wedding is a celebratory event preceding or proceeding a legal ceremony, or if it is an expression of true commitment between partners, but not tied to a legal ceremony.
How weird can my VR wedding be?
Short answer: Go ahead, be weird! The first rule of thumb is to never be afraid or embarrassed to ask.
Longer answer: I do have some ethical and personal comfort boundaries. For example, I will not create anything for your wedding that is racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, or otherwise discriminatory or hateful in nature. I am also not comfortable in facilitating an event that is excessively sexual or pornographic.
Do you only do weddings? What about other VR events?
My focus is on growing my VR wedding business. If you have a non-wedding event idea, I am open to talking and will consider projects on a case-by-case basis.
It sounds like you are using existing, free-to-use social VR platforms. Can’t I just host my VR wedding myself, without your help?
Short answer: Particularly if you are fairly tech savvy, you might not need my help! No hard feelings if you decide to go the DIY route after we have our initial consultation.
Longer answer: Planning for, creating and coordinating a VR wedding is a very time-intensive process requiring at least some familiarity with VR platforms design and development, and ideally some programming and other technological know-how. Even if you have the skillsets to create a VR wedding, you might not want to spend the time and energy to do so, and likely don’t want to be managing the almost inevitable technical difficulties during your big day.