The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack Review: Wedded Bliss (PC)

Weddings are meant to be a joyous occasion. There’s nothing sweeter than watching two people tie the knot, particularly if it’s done in a beautiful ceremony. Weddings have been a feature in The Sims 4, but the new Game Pack, My Wedding Stories, takes that to another level. You now have more choices over how you want to organize the proceedings. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a new romantic world, Tartosa, perfect for your Sims getting married, having their honeymoon, or living there happily ever after.

Let’s dive into the new Game Pack and see if it really does allow your Sims to have their dream wedding.

The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack is now available for PC, Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S, and PS4/PS5.

STORY – A ROMANTIC NEW WORLD

There isn’t strictly a story to follow in My Wedding Stories. The idea is that you create your own wedding stories for your Sims, even the pre-made ones. There is a new world that comes with this pack, with new Sims with their own backstories. However, you can take their stories and make them your own, decide what happens to them next.

With this romantic-themed Game Pack comes a romantic-themed world: Tartosa, a truly gorgeous Italian-inspired coastal town that you’ll quickly fall in love with. There are shops, beaches, parks, a special carved tree, waterfalls, a swimmable sea and cove, cobblestone streets, and in the distance you’ll even see hot air balloons in the sky (sadly, you cannot fly in these; they’re just for decoration). You’ll probably find it hard not to like Tartosa. It was an unexpected surprise for this new Game Pack, but a welcome one. You’ll find yourself visiting Tartosa frequently just to take in its beautiful vistas and tranquillity. If you need a place to escape, this is it.

Tartosa is one of the biggest and best selling points of My Wedding Stories.

There are two families based in Tartosa, each with their own backstories and beautifully-designed homes. If you watched the announcement trailer for My Wedding Stories, you’ll also see the happily-married same-sex couple in the neighborhood. There’s also some unoccupied lots you can move other Sims into. Two of these are empty plots (one of them being on the beach), and the other two lots are pre-built homes. These aren’t expensive. Even a single starter Sim can afford to move into any of these homes. This means that if you want to move in a new Sim or family into Tartosa, you can do so right away without worrying about not having enough starter funds.

What about the other lots? If your Sim wants to take a vacation in Tartosa, they can thanks to the sole vacation lot. Tartosa is perfect for hosting weddings, with the lounge venue great for events such as receptions and bach parties, and also the wedding venue for ceremonies. You’ll be catered for everything in Tartosa, and it’s the perfect addition to this Game Pack.

The properties in Tartosa are stunning and affordable.

GAMEPLAY – YOUR WEDDINGS YOUR WAY

My Wedding Stories is obviously a wedding-themed DLC, and gameplay-content-wise, it doesn’t fail to deliver. It really does ramp up weddings to eleven from what they used to be in The Sims 4 base game. It also makes them a lot more fun to plan.

WEDDING CEREMONIES AND EVENTS

Once your Sims get engaged, it’s time to get the ball rolling. The beauty of My Wedding Stories is that you can do whatever you want with your Sims’ wedding. If you just want them to tie the knot without any elaborate ceremony, you can. There’s a place in Tartosa, the city hall, where you can quickly get married, or you can just choose to elope wherever and whenever. You’re not going to be forced to go through half a dozen events and put on a highly-elaborate event. You can make it as low-key or elaborate as you like. If you want to do every event they offer, you can. If you want to skip all the build-up parties and just have the wedding ceremony, you can. There’s no strict schedule you have to follow. It’s your wedding, your rules.

If you do choose to make more of a fanfare of your wedding, there’s plenty of options to let you do that. It’s also highly flexible and totally in your control. My Wedding Stories gives you more tools than ever to put on the best wedding ever for your Sims. There’s more wedding dresses to wear. Your blushing brides can now carry a bouquet of flowers and even throw them. You can now recruit a flower pal, ring bearer, a Sim of Honor, and even an officiant at your wedding. The Sims is passionate about inclusivity and catering to all cultures and ethnicities, so you can have Chinese and Hindu weddings as well, and there’s also items in rainbow colors for LBGT Sims.

You can now have other wedding events other than the ceremony itself.

You can now also host multiple wedding-related events other than the ceremony itself, including bach parties and rehearsal dinners. You can have all of these if you like, or not bother, depending on your choice. For even more control, you can even choose what you what to do in your events. You can choose old and new activities, such as give speeches, make toasts, have a spousal kiss, have tea, cut the cake, and have a first dance. There’s also the exchanging of vows and rings, the highlight of any wedding. The other great thing is that the events are not timed, and while they are goaled, you don’t seem to get penalized for not completing every activity, and you can end the event anytime you like.

While planning weddings may be fun, actually pulling them off can be a bit more of a trial, particularly if you have multiple Sims involved outside your direct control. Where things tend to fall apart is getting your Sims together for the ceremonies. One feature introduced in My Wedding Stories is being able to direct your guests to do different things. In theory, you can tell your Sims to dance, to gather at the altar, etc. The problem is, this doesn’t actually work. You select a command and… nothing. Your Sims just do not respond. This is obviously very disappointing. This is probably a bug that can be rectified in a patch, but it shouldn’t be a problem in the first place. It’s not a complete disaster, but it would be nice if your Sims did what you asked. This is one thing you’re meant to have control of and it seems that you don’t.

Planning weddings is fun, but pulling them off is more of an unnecessary challenge.

There are a few other teething issues as well. It seems that you can’t cut the wedding cake. Every time you attempt this action, your Sim is unable to perform it, apparently due to a routing issue. The only other option is to feed the cake to your Sim. Another problem is that when you plan your wedding ceremony, you have an option to set a dress code for your guests, so not only do they change into formal wear, but they can wear clothes in a particular color. Unfortunately, this also doesn’t seem to work, as when everyone turns up at the wedding, no one is dressed appropriately, not even the Sims you can control.

It’s not all problematic. My Wedding Stories was designed to create many heartwarming moments in your Sims’ weddings, and it delivers on that. When it does come together properly and work, it’s sweet watching your Sims tie the knot after all the planning and work you put in. Tartosa adds little touches that makes preparing for your Sims’ big day that little bit more special, such as being able to pick out a wedding dress at the shop and buying a bouquet at the stall. It’s also great watching a Sim’s delighted reaction when they accept being a Sim of Honor or a flower pal. You can also make Sims walk down the aisle to add to the ceremony. You can make the bride and her father walk down together, you can also send the flower pal down and they’ll scatter petals, and the ring bearer will proudly carry the ring. It’s the little touches that makes it that little bit more special.

Watching Sims walking down the aisle makes a wedding feel more special.

WEDDING CAKES

Let’s talk about one of the new features in this Game Pack: wedding cakes. While you could technically have a cake at a wedding before in The Sims 4, My Wedding Stories allows you to have proper wedding cakes, and there are lots to choose from. You can have tiered cakes, cupcakes, rainbow cakes, cakes with flowers, round cakes, square cakes… it goes on and on. You can also select the topping for your cake, including figurines, hearts, rainbows, flowers, and more. You can customize your wedding cake even further by adding an inscription, a message to the newlyweds, which is a lovely touch.

There’s two ways you can get a cake for your wedding. The first option is to buy one at the cake shop in Tartosa, where there’s a generous selection. The other option, if you wish, is to bake your own wedding cake. Yes, that is an option! However, it’s not that straightforward. Before you can even think about creating your own cake, you have to meet some requirements. You need the Gourmet Cooking skill to craft such a masterpiece, and you only get level 1 Gourmet Cooking if your Sim has level 5 Cooking skill. It’s a shame, but it does make sense, as in real life, making wedding cakes is a tricky task.

Wedding cake making is a fun activity, but you need the Gourmet Cooking skill to do it.

Once you can make your own wedding cakes though, it opens many doors. You’re not just limited to baking your own wedding’s cake. Your Sims can make a business out of creating wedding cakes. You can make as many as you like, decorate them any way you want, and then sell them for a tidy profit. If you’ve got the Get to Work Expansion, you could easily set up your own wedding cake shop and make a business that way. Plus, making wedding cakes is fun!

SLOW DANCING

Let’s touch on one other feature in My Wedding Stories, one that fans have been waiting for years to get: slow dancing! Yes, your Sims, newlyweds or otherwise, can now share a slow and tender dance on the dance floor, or in their living room. This is a very sweet and sincere dance your Sims can share, and your lovebird Sims can kiss and chat as they dance as well. There’s no real hassle getting this interaction to work, except your Sims will have to find a big enough space to do it in. Don’t be too surprised if at home they head out into the kitchen or even right outside to share a tender dance. 

Slow dancing is the perfect addition to this wedding-themed pack.

GRAPHICS – GORGEOUS NEW OBJECTS AND OUTFITS

With My Wedding Stories comes new objects, mainly designed to be used in weddings. The objects themselves have been very well-designed and modelled. The objects decorated with flowers are particularly beautiful. 

The world of Tartosa has also been lovingly created. Once again the team behind The Sims 4 does an excellent job with their new world, with new things to see and do. Tartosa doesn’t feel like a copy or a recreation of any other world in The Sims 4. 

My Wedding Stories allows you to host weddings of many international cultures.

It’s worth mentioning Create-A-Sim, a big staple in any entry in The Sims. If you weren’t satisfied with the available formal outfits, especially for events such as weddings, My Wedding Stories fills that gap brilliantly. There’s now so many new dresses for women that you’ll be spoiled for choice, and they all come in different colors and shades. Your brides are bound to look beautiful on their big day in their new dresses, as well as bridesmaids and Sims of Honor. Men get some new suits as well, and they can wear a flower on their lapel. Boys don’t have this option, which is a little odd. There’s also less choice for children as well, which is a bit disappointing, but the latest big patch for The Sims 4 added new swatches to existing base game items. Clothes also have similar colors to each other, so you can make sure your wedding party matches up nicely.

The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories was reviewed on PC.