Steampunk Soirée

Sometimes, the best wedding inspiration comes from what might seem the unlikeliest of places. Take this July celebration at Asheville’s Cloud 9 Farm, where a steampunk theme set the stage for a unique celebration of love. It was all dreamed up by—and perfectly fitting for—Alexander Komarov and Karin Petersen. The couple matched on a dating app (or maybe several, Karin laughs) and, after immediately clicking on their first date, went on to write a love story distinctly their own. 

The duo eschewed a grand proposal for mutual conversations about marriage. Alexander, initially opposed to a wedding, favored tying the knot at city hall. But his tune changed when Karin suggested a theme of steampunk, the science fiction subgenre and design style that sets futuristic technology against Victorian aesthetics. Alexander, a programmer by day and avid fan of HBO’s The Nevers, immediately started brainstorming how to bring it to life in inventive ways that would surprise and delight their nearest and dearest. 

Enter guests in goggles and top hats, industrial gears assembled into a photobooth backdrop, and the groom traveling down the aisle on a small ATV fitted with a fog machine and working chimney. Mindful of budget, Karin and Alexander made many of the day’s wonderfully eccentric elements possible themselves, her sourcing decor and him tinkering away on the ATV and photobooth backdrop (he even custom-built a program to send the digital images directly to WhatsApp). Their loved ones also helped out on a few key fronts, with Karin’s good friend assembling florals and her brother serving as their officiant. All told, it was a wedding to remember: a one-of-a-kind, love-filled bash in honor of a couple who isn’t afraid to celebrate their own way.

Creating your own themed wedding celebration involves careful planning, but by keeping a few key points in mind,  your big day can easily become your best day. 

Be uniquely you
A theme is at its best when it tells a story and evokes genuine excitement. Here, steampunk not only got the gears of Alexander’s engineering brain turning; it also felt fitting for the couple’s decidedly non-traditional take on the perfect wedding.

Get your guests on board 
Karin and Alexander shared context about the theme in invites and circulated inspiration photos. “I was surprised at how many people went for it,” she says of their guests. “I kept getting distracted walking down the aisle, saying ‘you guys look so great!’”

It’s all in the details 
Remember to carry your theme through to the smallest of touches. In the months leading up to the wedding, Karin and her mom enjoyed gathering statuettes, brass keys, silver teapots, and other whimsies from thrift and antique shops around town for topping reception tables.

Enlist your support crew
While Karin and Alexander spearheaded most of the day’s design and experiential elements themselves, friends and family stepped in to help, too. One of Karin’s closest friends designed their florals, while another created the glasses with printed decals for each guest.

Have fun with it
Some of the day’s most memorable moments had just the right dose of zany, like Alexander’s ATV entrance and when he used a pocket remote to send fog from his hat during their first kiss as husband and wife. 

Details
Venue Cloud 9 Farm
Photographer Camilla Calnan
Caterer Cook with K and Carolina Fusion Q
Dessert Cook with K 
Hair Artist Izabel Rivers
Makeup Artist Jennifer Yates