Sometimes a bond that is hard to start alone grows inside a game.
Among them, FINAL FANTASY XIV is an MMORPG with a wedding system built right in.
* Official Eternal Bonding introduction video from the FINAL FANTASY XIV channel. See what an in-game wedding looks like.
Today we'll look at how people meet in this game and how they keep their bonds going.
◆ FFXIV at a glance
Note: Korea has its own servers run by Actoz Soft; the global version (NA/EU/JP/OCE) is run by Square Enix
Square Enix Developer. Naoki Yoshida is producer and director
Free trial A free trial is available, then monthly subscription
30M+ Registered players worldwide (announced Jan 2024)
FFXIV is made by Square Enix, with Naoki Yoshida as producer and director.
In Korea, Actoz Soft runs separate servers, so Korean players enjoy it on the Korean servers on PC.
The overseas version also comes out on PlayStation and Xbox, in addition to PC.
The game continues from A Realm Reborn, which restarted in 2013, and in January 2024 Square Enix announced that registered players worldwide had passed 30 million.
(Of course, that figure is not the same as the number of active players.)
The Korean servers have received updates on the same day as the global version since Patch 7.5 on April 28, 2026, so players can enjoy the same latest content together.
It is a monthly subscription game, but there is a free trial, so you can try it first and then decide.
The wedding system: Eternal Bonding
◆ Eternal Bonding in brief
The wedding system in four points
Introduced December 9, 2014, in Patch 2.45
Plans The basic ceremony is free; with paid plans there are three plans in all
Who can No limits on gender or race, and you can bond with a close friend too
Perk The ring lets you teleport to your partner under certain conditions
When people talk about bonds in FFXIV, Eternal Bonding comes up first.
Eternal Bonding is a wedding system where two players pledge their hearts to each other, and it first arrived in Patch 2.45 on December 9, 2014.
To hold a ceremony, you need to reserve a ceremony hall in the game.
You can invite guests to the hall, so the friends you have spent time with can watch the ceremony.
The basic ceremony is free, and paid plans add extra decorations, so there are three plans in all. For the Korean servers' application process and fees, check the official guide.
There are no limits on gender or race for this ceremony. Still, you have to meet certain conditions, such as progressing through the game a fair way and both being on the same home world.
Since you can pledge to a close friend as well as a partner, it is not a system that only joins romantic couples.
After the ceremony, you also gain the ability to use your ring to teleport to where your partner is, under certain conditions.
Where people gather
◆ Places to meet people
Plenty of spots besides the wedding
Free Co.Player-run organizations, like guilds
HousingHomes decorated by individuals or Free Companies together
Gold SaucerThe Manderville Gold Saucer amusement park, with chocobo racing and card games
LinkshellChat with other players, including players on other servers through cross-world linkshells
There are plenty of places to gather besides the wedding.
Free Companies, which players create themselves, are guild-like organizations, and there is housing that individuals or Free Companies decorate together.
There is also the Manderville Gold Saucer, an amusement park with chocobo racing and card games, and you can chat with other players through linkshells and Free Company chat, and cross-world linkshells reach players on other servers in the same data center.
Because it is an MMORPG where you form parties and clear dungeons together, there are naturally many chances to talk.
Seasonal events and collaborations with other works are held too, so there is always something to enjoy together.
◆ Gender ratios from the 2017 roundtable
Statements by the game's producer and by other games' staff, not official statistics
FFXIV about 7 : 3
FFXIV Korean version female share over 50%
Monster Hunter Frontier Z 9 : 1
Dragon's Dogma Online 8 : 2
Phantasy Star Online 2 8 : 2
<FFXIV official: Eternal Bond>
style="color: #ff8a5c; font-weight: bold;">Orange: male / teal: female
The makeup of the players stands out too.
At a 2017 online game roundtable, producer Naoki Yoshida said the male-to-female ratio of FFXIV was about 7 to 3, and that in the Korean version the female share was over 50%.
That is a statement by the development team rather than official statistics, and it is a while back.
At the same event, staff from other games answered that Monster Hunter Frontier Z was 9 to 1, and Dragon's Dogma Online and Phantasy Star Online 2 were 8 to 2.
Bonds that really happened
◆ Cases of bonds that started in the game
In the order they were reported
Mashable, Feb 2017 A British couple in their early 20s, who met in the same Free Company
GIGAZINE, Apr 2020 An American woman and the partner who cleared weekly quests with her
The Gamer, Feb 2023 Several couples, from fan festivals to raid static groups
Money Today, Aug 18, 2026 A Japanese couple of university classmates, who grew close in boss raids
Cases that began in the game and led to real-life marriage have been reported too.
In a story GIGAZINE shared in April 2020, an American woman grew close to her in-game partner, who cleared weekly missions with her.
She said in the game she could spend more time together than on a simple date.
As time went on they did almost everything together, and each other's presence became a reason to keep playing even after other friends left the game.
The two met in person for the first time in Los Angeles, where E3 was held in 2017, and they held an Eternal Bonding ceremony in the game too.
She moved from Mississippi to California, and said she planned a real-life wedding in 2021.
She said she planned to invite their in-game friends, make a cake modeled on the one in the game, and play the game's music.
More stories
This isn't the only story. In a story Mashable shared in February 2017, a British couple in their early 20s met when a woman stuck at home with a knee injury started playing FFXIV.
When the man joined the same Free Company, the two talked every day, and they met in person for the first time at a comic convention in London.
They learned they lived an hour and a half apart and became a couple, and they held a wedding in the game first. They left a real-life wedding open, saying "maybe later."
The gaming outlet The Gamer collected stories of players who found bonds in FFXIV in February 2023.
There was a couple who played together as friends from 2016, met in person at a fan festival in Paris, and have been together for almost four years, and also a couple who joined a high-end raid static and got together while clearing dungeons.
Others included a couple who became partners after three years of friendship with a Free Company member who warmly welcomed a newcomer, and a couple who met while one worked as a host at an in-game nightclub.
There was also a couple who were friends for about two years, then became partners and held an Eternal Bonding ceremony.
A case in Japan, where a couple met through a game and held a real wedding, was also covered by Money Today.
According to the August 18, 2026 report, the two university classmates grew close doing team play like boss raids while playing games with their club friends, and they held an FFXIV-themed wedding in Kobe, Japan, in May 2025.
The groom and bride entered carrying an in-game sword and staff, and the ceremony was livestreamed through a chat app. The development and operations team reviewed the props and outfits and celebrated the two, it is said.
What these stories share is that they started in shared places like dungeons, raids, Free Companies, and fan festivals.
They show that bonds are built from the time spent together, before any wedding system.
◆ A wedding service brought into real life
Offered in Japan
Dec 2018Square Enix announces a collaboration with Bridal Hearts, which runs a wedding venue in Japan
2019Launches a wedding plan themed on Eternal Bonding, with outfits and props recreating in-game weapons
BudgetAbout 3.5 million yen expected for 70 guests
There is a wedding service that brings this atmosphere into real life, in Japan.
Square Enix announced a collaboration in December 2018 with Bridal Hearts, which runs a wedding venue in Japan, and in 2019 it launched a wedding plan using outfits themed on Eternal Bonding and props recreating in-game weapons.
They expected a budget of about 3.5 million yen for 70 guests. It is a service offered in Japan.
Before you start
◆ A safe order for making bonds
Keep these in mind from the start
✓ Meet in person only after you have grown close in the game
✓ Share names and contact details slowly
✓ Start in public settings, like a Free Company or a party
✓ Check the chat mood before joining, and try the free trial first
You surely know this already, but meet someone you met online in person only after you have grown close in the game.
Share personal details like your name or contact information slowly, and it is safer to start in public settings like a Free Company or a party.
Free Companies are organizations players form themselves, so their moods differ, so check the chat mood before joining and choose one that suits you.
It is a monthly subscription game, so it is best to try the free trial first, see if it suits you, and then decide.
Bonds in FFXIV do not start only because of the wedding system.
As you spend time moving toward the same goal, people grow closer.
A wedding is a way to leave those accumulated feelings in a visible ceremony.
Pledging yourself to someone for life inside a game. It seems like it would be quite a special experience in a lifetime.
