The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack review – Beautiful, but buggy
EA / Maxis / DexertoThe Sims 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack gives Simmers the chance to tell even more meaningful stories, with almost Bridezilla-levels of precise control around a Sims’ big day. That is if the bugs don’t get in the way.
Taking the Game Pack total up to 11, The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories whisks us off to the Italian-inspired, coastal world of Tartosa. This gorgeous, sun-drenched location, complete with rolling hills and vineyard-lined pathways is an idyllic and picture-perfect spot to get married in, to visit for vacation, or better yet – to call home.
Coupled with the new location are gorgeous new additions to CAS and Build/Buy, with all-new wedding events from Rehearsal Dinners through to Bach Parties and Vow Renewals, helping you to create the ultimate wedding experience that you and your Sims will never forget.
Please note that images included in this review are from a build of the game that is not final, and is subject to change.
The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack – Key details
- Price: $19.99 / £17.99
- Developer: Maxis
- Release date: February 23, 2022
- Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox
The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories Game Pack trailer
Tartosa, a stunning home away from home
As someone who loves to explore every inch of a new world before I do anything else in a new pack, it’s safe to say that Tartosa is, visually, one of my favorite smaller worlds that The Sims team has released so far in The Sims 4, and maybe ever.
From the stunning attention to detail of the worldbuilding through to the actual lots themselves, it’s clear that the developers love this spot, too. Beautifully designed residential lots, a Wedding Venue, lounge, and rental spots that hug the ocean or offer stunning views of the world itself make for a total of 9 lots situated in two neighborhoods – Terra Amorosa and Porto Luminoso.
EA / MaxisThere are two new premade families that ship with the Game Pack: The Markovics and the Laurent family. Deeply rooted in the world’s community as pillars of the wedding industry, there’s some typical (and very welcome) drama underpinning both of these families’ biographies between one another, adding that extra bit of flavor to the pack’s theme of bliss and romance for those storytellers out there.
The window shopping and rabbit holes found in Cottage Living return, giving Sims the chance to window shop their little heart out or ‘buy’ some new clothes at the formal dress shop, or get married in a civic, private ceremony at City Hall. I’m disappointed that the clothes shop is basically a glorified wardrobe, and even more so that these stunning new clothes are free. Trying on formal attire in a ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ type-scenario would have kicked this up a notch as Sims try to save their hard-earned Simoleons for that picture-perfect look.
A few food stalls line the heart of Porto Luminoso’s harbor, one of which gives you the chance to try out different wedding cakes and feed them to your partner. In the version of the game that I played though, at no point was I able to find an option that allowed me to purchase a full cake to use at my Sims’ ceremony (more on that later).
EA / MaxisMuch of the world purely serves as a backdrop for your Sims’ antics, and it’s something that I find takes away from the overall immersion. As I said before, I adore Tartosa itself – it’s beautiful. I just wish I could feel like I could actually interact with it. Take this lovely little sitting area shown above, for example. After grabbing a little snack from one of the food stalls, it would be great to be able to have our Sims stop, sit down, and gaze out into the port and across the ocean. It’s these missing details that stop the world from truly shining.
CAS and Build/Buy items fit for the big day
EA / MaxisBuild/Buy has a whole new array of over 70 items to use, most of which are pictured above. From beautiful flower or plant-trimmed wedding arches to bells, dance floors, and a gorgeous array of floral arrangements, there’s something to suit both the home and your Sims’ special day.
It’s clear that the Sims team has worked hard to create items that appeal to multiple communities, too. Table cloths have swatches featuring pride flags, and others, like the new tea set, allow those in Chinese communities to recreate traditions of their own culture and incorporate them into these ceremonies.
While it’s true that some of the items have a very specific place in the realm of weddings – some can definitely be utilized for others, too, meaning that builders and decorators alike will likely find something to use outside of this scenario in their builds.
EA / MaxisWhile the usual occurrence of adding more feminine-framed items rears its head once again in the 82 new CAS items in My Wedding Stories, I have to say that the new clothes and accessories absolutely took my breath away. From beautiful, mermaid-tailed gowns to ethereal, floaty-tiered dresses and richly colored saris, there truly is a whole host of stellar pieces to choose from.
New wedding rings allow you to pick out that perfect bit of sparkle to show off – though I would love to see this be more of an in-game feature rather than one simply locked to CAS. Options to them on different fingers would also be great, as some of these would look just as good outside of being used as a wedding ring.
Some of the pride clothing on display feels a little bit… gauche, to say the least. Of course, representation is important, and I love that the Sims team champions diversity and inclusivity. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, however, these designs are not something I’d likely ever use.
A wedding story to (not) remember
EA / MaxisNow, we reach the part of the pack that ultimately falls flat for me – the gameplay. The main meat of this takes place through the ‘Plan Wedding Event’ option found under ‘Social’ on your Sims’ cell phone (or ‘Household’ on a computer) after they’re betrothed, giving you the chance to take part in new events.
New social interactions give your Sims the chance to ‘announce engagement’ or ask certain Sims to be their ring bearer, flower person, Sim of Honor, or the officiant – meaning that you can tailor each aspect of the wedding as you see fit.
With 7 new events alongside the Wedding Ceremony itself, these events are nearly identical to the functionality of how other events in the game also work. It’s a sort of mish-mash with “Get Together” too, giving you the option to choose particular activities you want your Sims to take part in during the event, like ‘Have Toasts’, ‘Drinks’, ‘Celebration Feast’, or ‘Desserts’.
You’re able to pick a location, and off you go.
EA / MaxisFrom this menu to the actual wedding itself, I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t actually able to have the ceremony most of the time, with my Sims outright refusing to do much of anything. In the menu shown above, there’s an option to choose your guest’s attire, your wedding cake, and your Sims’ own formalwear. I wasn’t able to figure out how to find a wedding cake to set as the cake and as mentioned earlier, I wasn’t able to purchase one from the stall in Porto Luminoso either.
As well as this, my Sims never turned up to these events in their formal attire, guests, or otherwise. The ‘Guest Attire’ window never actually worked for me, regardless of which dress code or color I chose (I also tried this in a new save file without mods to be sure, to no avail).
In the actual event, you’re given absolute control over what it is that you want your guests to do (or not do.) Through a new pie menu, you’re able to choose a particular activity, like telling everyone to blow bubbles, throw rice, gather for toasts, or careen them towards the aisle to start the ceremony. Some of these worked, whereas for others, my Sims just decided to carry on about their business and just stand around chatting.
Once at the aisle, you’re presented with a multitude of options to send someone up or down the aisle, and a few different combinations of how you’d like to get married (with or without an officiant, for example). The marriage option worked one time, and on another couple, didn’t. In the end, the main bulk of this pack’s gameplay left me disappointed and, ultimately, frustrated. Still, EA has confirmed a day one patch is incoming, so that should hopefully alleviate many of these issues.
Rating: 6.5/10
The Sims 4 My Wedding Stories makes for a great pack for builders and CAS fans alike, with great care having been taken to include items that can be utilized in many different styles of ceremonies. Whether you’re interested in the new world, the formal CAS items, or even game options that cater to a more family-oriented style of play, it’s a great pack to add to your game.
However, a multitude of bugs and overall surface-level gameplay that only expands on systems that are already in the game, rather than adding new ones, keep this pack from being something that I’d truly say “I do” to without a second thought. Hopefully, some of these bugs are fixed ahead of release day or addressed in an upcoming patch as until then, the new events are not something I’ll be using going forward.
Reviewed on PC
Where to buy The Sims 4: My Wedding Stories
You can purchase My Wedding Stories by following this link to Amazon, but please note that if you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.