Indian couple to marry with the 'ghost of the bride's dead father in attendance'

A 'metaverse' Harry Potter-themed wedding is set to take place, with the 'ghost' of the bride's dead father in attendance.

Dinesh Sivakumar Padmavathi, 24, and his fiancée Janaganandhini Ramaswamy, 23, will hold the online ceremony on February 6, and thousands of people will be in attendance for the first wedding of its kind in India.

Lockdown restrictions in their country would not allow guests attending in person.

Padmavathi advertised the wedding to his followers on Twitter, and 2,000 people have confirmed their attendance in an online invite, with a further 3,000 people saying they 'might' attend.

He told The Times: "I know couples have been getting married on Zoom but I wanted to go further and be the first to have my reception inside the metaverse. I also wanted to introduce the metaverse to Indians".

Padmavathi, who works as a project associate at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, has created an online guide to the metaverse in order to explain it to his family.

Ramaswamy's father, who died last year, will also be among the guests.

Padmavathi said: 'I have created his avatar so that he will be the one welcoming all the guests. That's going to be a very emotional moment for her.'

The reception will have a Hogwarts theme, but the couple will be wearing traditional Indian dress for the ceremony.

Padmavathi has voiced concern about how the internet in his village of Sivalingapuram may cope if thousands of people attend.

He said he and his fiancée may have to travel to a cell tower in order to continue the wedding via phone if there are any issues.

The couple have faced criticism for their plans, as some in India feel the event will not be following traditions.

Ranjeev Jain, managing director of Rashi Entertainment, said: "The idea is totally un-Indian. Is that how you celebrate a wedding? With no real people there or human contact? It may become a fad for a while but not for long".