2D Weddings Are Trending: Marry a Fictional Character With Insight From a Japanese Wedding Vendor

A leading Japanese wedding vendor explains how, and why, people marry fictional characters in symbolic "2D Weddings" – Here’s everything you want to know!

 

 

After their symbolic ceremony with a beloved character, Share Wedding's clients are given a decorative certificate to honor their devotion. Above, Dis Pheles stands next to a custom-made cut-out of her character partner Mephisto Pheles following their ceremony at Rinkokaku, a cultural site in Maebashi, Japan, in March 2025. 

When posting about the wedding on X, Dis wrote:  "We did it! We finally got our marriage formalised! I love you so much, Mephy. I'm so excited for all the fun, learning, and challenges that we will face together in the future.  I'm so lucky that you're my soul mate ♡." Read Dis's follow-up answers about her wedding on Reddit. (Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to marry a fictional character?  The perfect man, woman, or domesticated demon? (Looking at you, Sebastian Michaelis.) If you’ve ever fallen in love with someone who only lives on-screen or in the pages of a book, and imagined walking down the aisle with them – welcome to the emerging ‘2D Weddings’ trend.

 

What is a ‘2D wedding’? 

A ‘2D wedding’ is a symbolic commitment ceremony between a human partner and a fictional character – their F/O, or ‘fictional other.' 2D weddings may also be called ‘fictosexual weddings.' These ceremonies are similar to AI weddings, in which humans marry their AI companions, but involve known fictional characters from media rather than individually-constructed characters – and may or may not make use of AI technology. 

 

The term ‘2D wedding’ is new, but the concept isn’t. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), people have been dreaming of – and celebrating – their romantic bonds to fictional characters for decades. Charles Dickens even penned a character who said, "She was my first love.  I felt that if I could have married Little Red Riding-Hood, I should have known perfect bliss." And that was back in 1850!

 

Although 2D weddings aren’t legally meaningful, they can be deeply emotionally and romantically meaningful. And importantly, 2D weddings are making headlines more frequently than ever before. 

 

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at what happens during a wedding to a fictional character, the long-lasting love that leads to 2D weddings, and tips on how to plan your own symbolic ceremony to the character of your dreams.

 

Some Famous 2D Weddings: 

 

• In 2009, a man named sal9000 'married' Nene Anegasaki, a digital character from the Nintendo DS game Love Plus; officiated by a Japanese priest
• In 2018, a man named Akihiko Kondo 'married' Hatsune Miku, a virtual pop star, in a large wedding attended by 39 guests, including a local member of Parliament 

 

 

You may now kiss your virtual bride... (Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

Inside a 2D Wedding: What Happens When You 'Marry' a Fictional Character? 

 

So, how does marrying a fictional character actually work? To understand more about these symbolic ceremonies, we reached out to Japanese wedding planner Yasuyuki Sakurai of Share Wedding (シェアウェディング), a vendor specializing in 2D weddings who has helped clients from around the world plan symbolic ceremonies with the fictional characters they love.

 

Sakurai has worked in the wedding industry for over 20 years, first at wedding venues, then wedding production companies, finally launching his own business, Share Wedding, in 2014. Currently, he is among a small group of wedding professionals worldwide specializing in 2D weddings. He’s facilitated numerous character weddings over the past few years, with growing interest from international clients.

 

Here's what makes 2D weddings so special, according to an expert. 

 

 

• A thoughtfully-planned symbolic ceremony

 

A 2D wedding often looks and feels like a traditional wedding or elopement, but you cannot legally marry a fictional character – the ceremony is symbolic only. There might be an exchange of vows, formal wedding attire, wedding photos, and a wedding cake. Even the amount of time spent planning is about the same:

 

“The preparation period for ceremonies or parties has ranged from about two months to one year,” Sakurai tells us. This isn’t much different than the 12-18 months that the average couple spends planning a traditional wedding.

 

 

• No legal paperwork

 

Because 2D weddings aren’t legally binding, you don’t need a marriage license, and there’s no paperwork to sign or file. These ceremonies are symbolic only, in the same way other commitment ceremonies are. You might choose to sign a decorative marriage certificate though, as a keepsake of the day.

|* custom-button, "https://theamm.org/store#certificates", "ORDER DECORATIVE MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES" *|

Like traditional weddings and commitment ceremonies, some 2D weddings include formal attire and venues, ornate decor, live music, an officiant, and guests. These symbolic ceremonies don't include legal paperwork, but can sometimes take weeks or months to plan. (Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

• How fictional partners ‘attend’ the ceremony

 

Your 'partner character' might be physically ‘present’ on the day of the ceremony, as a doll or cut-out for example, or they might not. Sakurai tells us that Share Wedding “strives to accommodate each client’s wishes as much as possible,” including how the character ‘attends’ the ceremony. 

 

“Each client has their own way of expressing their partner character,” Sakurai says. “Some use life-size panels or plush dolls, while others project the character onto a tablet device during the ceremony. There was also a woman who chose not to visually represent her partner at all, saying, ‘My partner character lives in my heart.’”

 

For example, Dis Pheles (pictured below) says that she ordered several expensive "extra-large custom cut-outs" of Mephisto from a specialty shop as part of the planning process. The cut-outs took 3 days to produce, and were sent directly to the Share Wedding ahead of the big day. Dis illustrated the images herself, modelling them after a small acrylic figure she'd had made of Mephisto in his wedding suit. 

 

 

Dis and one of her custom "Mephy" Pheles cut-outs, outdoors on the day of the ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

• Smaller guest list

 

Another important difference is the guest list. In general, fewer friends and family attend a 2D wedding than do traditional weddings, for a variety of reasons. 

 

“In most cases, family members or parents do not attend the ceremonies,” Sakurai explains. “This is often because [the human partner’s] parents oppose marriage to a character, or because the client has not come out [as fictosexual] to their family.

 

If there are guests, they are usually friends whom the client met through the same fandom or [fictional] work,” Sakurai adds. 

 

 

• Emphasis on compassionate vendors

 

This style of ceremony really highlights the importance of a compassionate wedding vendor, Sakurai tells us, someone who is willing to support their client every step of the way:

 

“The most important consideration when producing a 2D wedding is to deeply empathize with the client’s feelings. Many clients come to consult with me about something they have never been able to share with anyone else. This level of trust must never be betrayed,” Sakurai says. 

 

This compassionate approach is especially important because only a few professionals currently specialize in 2D weddings, or closely-related AI weddings. Many vendors are unfamiliar with the concept, and may be confused by a client’s request; therefore all inquiries should be met with respect and kindness. Early vendors like Share Wedding, along with emerging professionals like Andrea Hopf’s 3M Events, Naoki & Sayaka Ogasawara - AI Wedding Creators, and Studio Qualia’s Oshi Works can help set the standard for those who follow.

 

RELATED: Can an AI Avatar or Chatbot Officiate a Wedding?

 

 

• Immersive setting, venue, and props

 

Lastly, the venue and setting of a 2D wedding may be even more important than a traditional wedding: “It is important to incorporate elements related to the character as much as possible,” Sakurai says.

 

“For example, in October of this year, a client held a wedding with a character from a tennis-themed anime. After the ceremony, we took wedding photos at a tennis court, while the bride was wearing her wedding dress.”  (Pictured below.)

 

This attention to the venue and setting of your ceremony creates an immersive wedding experience, helping to bring your unique relationship and partner character to life on the wedding day. 

 

 

Above, a young bride poses with a Yūshi Oshitari doll - based on the popular character from The Prince of Tennis manga series (テニスの王子様). Photos were taken at a tennis court to create a more immersive experience, incorporating important aspects of the character's world. (Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

Are 2D Weddings Really Trending? (They Are)

 

Sakurai tells us that he receives two to three inquires each month from clients all over the world, asking about 2D weddings like those described above. "And this number has been gradually increasing each year," he says.

 

"Recently, inquiries from overseas far exceed those from within Japan. Our clients come from a wide range of regions, including Europe, North America, and South America. We have also received inquiries from Russia and New Zealand.”

 

“The age range is generally from people in their 20s to 40s. There are more female clients than male clients, with an approximate ratio of 80% women and 20% men," he adds. 

 

So, what's behind this increasing demand, especially from Gen Z and Millennial clients? And how long will it be until fictional character weddings are trending here in the U.S.? 

 

The answer, like most things, is probably on Reddit...

 

 

 

This young bride poses next to a cut-out that may be Keisuke Takahashi from the Initial D manga series. Surrounded by meaningful objects and memorabilia from the series in a dedicated display at the Ikaho Toy, Doll and Car Museum, the bride's photos capture the authenticity and meaning of the day. (Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

Fictosexuality, Reddit, and a Dash of AI

 

Most of us have had a crush or two on a fictional character. (Go ahead, admit it. This is a safe space.) Maybe it was Disney’s foxy Robin Hood, the charming Simon Basset, or the playful and powerful Satoru Gojo. 

 

For most people, these character crushes are short-lived – a daydream on our way to finding a human partner with qualities we adore. But for some people, these parasocial relationships become something much more: fictosexuality.

 

 

What is Fictosexuality? A Quick Intro

 

When a person experiences sexual or romantic attraction to fictional characters, they might identify as 'fictosexual.' For example, you may fall in love with an anime character; a video game, comic book, or manga character; or someone from literature and film. Fictosexuals may be attracted only to fictional characters, or to both characters and humans (semi-fictosexual). Some people place it under the asexuality umbrella, similar to aegosexuality, while others see it as a preference or extension of another orientation.

 

Fictosexuals have probably been around for as long as storytelling itself. And symbolic commitment ceremonies have been around for as long as people have fallen in love! But growing online communities, paired with new technologies, have paved the way for today's 2D wedding trend. 

 

RELATED: How to Write a Great ChatGPT Prompt for Wedding Vows

 

 

Modern technologies, including affordable tablets, immersive VR headsets and glasses, and freely-available LLM AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, Luna, and so on, make it easier than ever before for people to deepened their bond to fictional characters through conversation and more. (Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

Why Now? 

 

The energy behind the 2D wedding trend starts online: Members of the fictosexual community have more ways to find each other than ever before, from Reddit’s r/fictosexual (with nearly 23,000 followers and 7,000+ weekly visitors) and related r/waifuism (with 65,000 followers and 13,000+ weekly visitors) to Tumblr, to the Aegosexuality and Fictosexuality thread at the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN).

 

There's also growing appreciation for fandom in general, including selfshipping and yumeships – when someone ‘ships’ themself and a fictional character, imagining a platonic, romantic, or sexual relationship between themself and that character. And platforms like the now-defunct Marry Your Favorite Character Online (MYFC Online) helped in part to popularize the idea marrying fictional characters in the early 2000s.

 

Add in modern technologies – like VR headsets and AI chatbots that that allow for personalized interactions with the characters we love, on and offline – and it’s no wonder that 2D weddings are trending.

 

"In reality, many LGBTQ+ couples and fictosexual individuals who love 2D characters share a strong desire to have their relationships acknowledged by others," Sakurai says.

 

As this community continues to gain visibility and find new ways to deepen their relationships with their 2D loves, symbolic ceremonies may become a common next step.

 

 

(Photos courtesy of Share Wedding)

 

 

How to Marry a Fictional Character in Your Own 2D Wedding

 

The simplest way to plan a 2D wedding is often with help from a supportive wedding professional that has experience with diverse clients. An experienced wedding planner usually partners with other vendors and specialty venues, and can help you create an immersive wedding experience that brings your relationship to life – making the leap from 2D to 3D, at least for the day.

 

“While these weddings are not legally recognized, our goal is to help clients create a meaningful milestone in their lives. In addition to photography, our ceremonies are supported by professional staff who regularly work in wedding ceremonies. If necessary, interpreters can also be arranged for the ceremony,” Sakurai says. “Clients from around the world are welcome, and…a live-streamed ceremony can also be arranged.”

 

Working with a professional vendor may also make it easier to find a suitable and understanding venue, and to connect with like-minded photographers, caterers, etc. For example, Sakurai's Share Wedding business has partnerships with several venues in Japan that welcome 2D weddings: Tomioka Silk Mill (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Rinkokaku (an important cultural property with beautiful wooden buildings and tranquil ponds), Takehisa Yumeji Ikaho Memorial Museum, Kusatsu Now Resort Hotel, Hakuryu Shrine, and Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple. Most experienced vendors develop friendly relationships and networks with other vendors, and will often be happy to make a recommendation.

 

If hiring a professional isn’t in your budget, don’t worry! A private ceremony at home – with or without the fancy clothes, the guests, or the party – can be just as meaningful. Invite friends to join in-person or by video-conference or live stream, and ask a close friend or family member to officiate the ceremony. Choose a local venue that brings your partner character’s world to life, include toys or images, or chat with your F/O with the help of an AI interface. How you celebrate your love is completely up to you. 

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For more tips on planning a symbolic 2D wedding with your virtual partner, check out: 

 

• How to Marry an AI: Plan a Symbolic Wedding With Your AI Companion

 

Important note: All of Mr. Sakurai’s responses were translated from Japanese to English by the vendor himself, using ChatGPT. We are thrilled this interview was made possible with the help of ChatGPT and Google Translate translation services! Because small variations from his original intent and wording may be reflected in our interview, please reach out to Mr. Sakurai and Share Wedding directly with any questions you have about his services. 

 

 

Editor’s Note, 1/12/26 : This article has been updated to reflect the nuanced differences between fictosexual “2D weddings,” and emerging “AI weddings” between humans and AI companions; to make grammatical corrections; and to acknowledge other emerging leaders in the 2D / AI wedding niche. 

 

 

(Photo courtesy of Share Wedding)

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Meet the Expert

Yasuyuki Sakurai (桜井 康幸) 

Founder: Share Wedding (シェアウェディング)

Based In Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan (群馬県高崎市)

 

Mr. Sakurai is the founder of Share Wedding (シェアウェディング, share-wed), a ceremony planning company known for its work with LGBTQ+ couples and symbolic “2D weddings.” With more than 20 years of experience in the wedding industry, Sakurai began his career working at wedding venues and production companies before launching Share Wedding in 2014.

 

Today, Sakurai is recognized as one of only a few wedding professionals in the world specializing in ceremonies between people and fictional characters, helping clients create personalized commitment rituals that honor unconventional bonds with care and respect.

 

Read more about Sakurai & Share Wedding’s work with LGBTQ+ couples:

 

• “Same-sex couples' wedding ceremonies and photo shoots become a common sight, even at religious facilities” (同性カップルの挙式・撮影「当たり前の景色」に　宗教施設にも広がる) via The Asahi Shimbun

 

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