[NEWS] When the Bell Tolls

[Merci d'Rue]

My condolences on your...Marriage. As our Month of Love comes to a close, I have decided to cover something that is of great fun in the Role-play Community. Weddings are an ever growing trend among many MMO’s, Ultima being one of the first to present such a medium to its users. Many cannot deny the fun in being able to put on an event, which allows you to customize, what is worn, to what the guests are served. Location, Décor, Dress, Officiators, and Character Traditions, these are the things that bring an Ultima Online Wedding to live.

Locations ​

Many popular Locations exist for weddings in Ultima, the list is somewhat endless. While I could never list them all, below is a list of a few popular Role-play choices I have seen over the years. However never be afraid to step outside of the box and host a wedding in any spot that makes special Role-play sense to your characters.

1. Yew falls (Shown above)
2. Out at Sea (now that boats are so large and beautiful, out at sea with a good captain is a great idea.)
3. Umbra City (Have darker characters looking to get hitched? I have seen some beautiful weddings presented in the heart of Umbra, complete with body parts and bones for décor.)
4. The Hidden Beach (Lenmir) in Chaos Ilshenar. (While this is quite a dangerous run for your wedding guests, this secluded and beautiful beach is home to a gorgeous tropical setting.)
5. Terort Skitas, near Valor Ilshenar, is a beautiful spot. However if you don’t want to send your guests thru dungeon below there is a spot that you can teleport to by handing out teleport scrolls to your guests.

Décor and Dress

Depending on the type of characters at play here, and your location there is a multitude of customizations you could add to the ceremony. Flower petals, colored benches, food, gold coins, jewels etc. Dress is another fun thing to coordinate, from the colors the bridal party will wear to the decoration colors all of which add a sense of realism to your role-play event.

Officiators​

This can often be the most important touch to a role-play wedding. Who to officiate over your role-play wedding is a big decision. Whether it is someone you respect , someone playing an officiator specifically for your event, the leader of your guild, or last but not least an EM, any of these are good choices. If you do choose to contact an EM thru your shards EM Website, be prepared to have the following details ready for your EM.

Information to include:

• Player names of bride and groom
• Possible locations you have in mind
• Any information on how you would like the ceremony to proceed
• Possible inscriptions on the wedding rings (these can change up until the date or close to it)
• Dates you are considering (please give us a week's notice so we can make arrangements)

Traditions​

Traditions are an important thing to consider, based on the Location you choose, and the characters you are portraying. Give great thought, do some research, and find out what traditions your group and your character would most likely be following. Adding a ceremonial instance into the event will add meaning for you and your guests.

Reporters Note: Don’t forget the reception spot, whether you include it at the same location or change spots. Just remember the most important part of an Ultima Online Wedding, is to have fun!

 

[WarderDragon]

Your Traditions. Your Rituals. These are the intellectual elements that separate the talented from the talentless.

Never hesitate to borrow from real world Cultures and Faiths. Nor the Fictional. There is nothing more intriguing than a character or culture whose author has fleshed out minor but important details such as these.

Alongside this, rituals are very important. UO guilds have come up with some really great initiaion rituals in the past (staged lighting of candles in order in a dark room, inspection of uniforms, ritual speeches...). But there can be many more forums than just that. Consider the Beefeater rituals at the Tower of London, with keys presented at a certain time and so on. There are things like that that can be done for townships, and so on. Be sure to have a ritual to confirm the new mayoralty once an election is over! And if you are able to this far, try having crafting guild initiations in your town when a community member reaches some skill mastery goal that they had been working towards.