In March, I wrote a newsletter about a wedding I was supposed to coordinate but that ended up canceled because of COVID-19. I sent that email on a Friday and said that what I should be doing that evening was coordinating a rehearsal. Instead, my new plan was to play untold hours of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
I sent that newsletter less than five weeks ago. I could tell you what those five weeks have been like for me, a wedding planner in a world of social distancing, but what would such a sorry list accomplish? If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that there’s plenty of suffering to share.
So instead, I offer this: something kind of silly, something kind of fun.
Soon, you’ll be able to coordinate weddings in Animal Crossing.
Technically, they’re photo shoots. Based on a new trailer from Nintendo, a pair of love-struck llamas arrives and, per your island neighbor Harv, “they wanna get some anniversary photos made. Fancy ones. With sets and stuff.” It’s your job to take the photos.
There’s plenty to point out here about what’s wrong with the depiction of a wedding in Animal Crossing. Most notably, the couple in question is straight and it’s unclear in the 1 minute, 44 second trailer if we might meet any future couples, preferably ones who identify as LGBTQ+. What can I say? The Wedding Industrial Complex is strong, even on a made-up digital island populated by neon-hued animals with the power of speech.
But also? This portrayal, as silly as it may seem and as imperfect as it is, is still a portrayal of love and that portrayal is a worthy reminder: Love is still out there.
It’s manifesting in different forms, that’s for sure. Five weeks ago, would we have even imagined such a thing as a #ZoomWedding? We can look at that hashtag and sneer — that’s not a “real” wedding — or we can appreciate the bigger message: Even in the depth of quarantine, people still want to get married.
Then again, why wouldn’t they? Marriage is about love, and love wins every time. Even for llamas.
