Organizing a wedding in steampunk style

Undoubtedly, the main steampunk holiday in the life of a couple - is their wedding - which will appeal to those who enthusiastically read the books of Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Herbert Wales, who play steampunk games: "Steam City", "Bioshock", and who enjoy films in the steampunk style - "City of Lost Children", "Wild, Wild West", "Mystery of Back Cap Island", to the fantasy style and fantasizes a little himself.

Many modern couples are abandoning the classic wedding, instead organizing a themed celebration that matches their tastes and hobbies. A steampunk styled wedding – is an event that suits couples who are fond of technology, fantasy and antiquity. This style of celebration will appeal to those who love the books of Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Herbert Wales, as well as those who are enthusiastic about the films of recent years "Sherlock Holmes" and "The Wild Wild West".

Planning for a steampunk wedding

Organizing a steampunk wedding is, first of all, a trend in science fiction books. Steampunk books model an alternative reality that tries to answer the question: what would happen to humanity if our civilization did not go along the electric path of development, but continued to improve the technology of steam engines? The word "steam" in the word steampunk describes the power source of the technology used in the genre. The "punk" in the genre's name refers to the cynical, often evil world being described.

The steampunk style reproduces the style of Victorian England and early capitalism. Steampunk also contains fantasy elements.

Steampunk wedding planning

Steampunk wedding planning

Basically, steampunk reflects the era of the late nineteenth century Victorian England, intersecting with fantastic motives, and sometimes magical creatures. Recently, this style has become popular, a new subculture is being formed, the adherents of which wear appropriate clothes. Often, steampunk becomes a beautiful solution for the design of computer games, is used in graphics, sculptures, illustrations, literature, and is only gaining momentum.

Traditional steampunk style: vintage cars, steam locomotives, telephones, and so on, which fit into a more or less vintage environment, with gears located around, clock hands and the clock itself, vintage typewriters, various devices such as a compass, kerosene lamps and, of course, steampunk airships.

Where to start and what you need to do to organize a wedding in this style:

  • Choose a place to have your steampunk wedding. It's ideal to celebrate a steampunk wedding in the summer, because it will be possible to organize a celebration in the outdoors and create all the scenery from scratch - it's easier than looking for a suitable place. Otherwise, you should choose the banquet hall of a restaurant, where the interior will be made using wood and metal. Given the growing popularity of steampunk, there is a chance that you will be able to find a cafe or restaurant stylized in this direction.
  • Send out steampunk styled wedding invitation cards. The first thing guests will see about an upcoming wedding is its invitation card, so styling them should be taken seriously. The main guests of the steampunk based celebration can send guests not just postcards, but a real, working clock, the hands of which will be pointed at the date and time of the start of the celebration, and the time can be engraved on the back panel. A cheaper option is classic postcards decorated with gears and other steampunk elements. It will be even better if the invitations are delivered by a courier dressed according to the theme of the wedding - then the guests will immediately have an idea about the dress code. If it is an obligatory part of the holiday, it is better to send postcards two months in advance so that guests can pick up costumes.
  • Consider a steampunk wedding dress code. It's good if the wedding becomes not just an ordinary holiday, but a carefully planned costume event, each participant of which will turn into a resident of the steampunk world for a day. Pocket watches, watches on chains, cylinder hats, gears, all kinds of mechanisms, puffy dresses with corsets, men's suits with an abundance of leather - all this and much more should be part of the steampunk dress code.
  • Choose a festive menu for organizing a wedding in steampunk style. To reflect the style of the event, the future couples should create a menu using gourmet European dishes. Despite the fact that steampunk is attributed to England, French cuisine fits in great. Delicious fish dishes, meat snacks, and light salads will be an excellent decoration for the future buffet table. The main item of the dessert menu will be a cake made in steampunk style - a real confectionery work of art. Alcohol should also be present during the celebration: strong drinks such as whiskey and rum are suitable, and for ladies, lighter alcohol should be brought to the table - several types of wine, weak berry liqueurs, and cider.
  • Order a wedding cortege for the steampunk wedding. The first cars appeared just at the end of the nineteen century, they worked on steam power, so the main guests of the occasion can try to get a model reminiscent of vintage cars. If this option is not possible, a decorated carriage, corresponding to the style of Victorian England, can be an excellent replacement.
  • Order the services of a professional photographer for a steampunk wedding. A steampunk wedding is a unique event. Carefully prepared, it deserves to be captured not only on photos, but also on video. Invite a photographer who will take beautiful high-quality pictures, help you choose props, and call an operator to get a beautiful video as a keepsake after the celebration.

Currently, there is talk of an emerging steampunk subculture

Currently, there is talk of an emerging steampunk subculture, which is why more and more newlyweds are appearing who want to organize their wedding in the steampunk style. And they are right, because a steampunk themed wedding is a completely unique and unforgettable event for all those present at the wedding!

As with any wedding, to organize a steampunk wedding, you need to solve a number of issues:

  • Choose a place for a steampunk wedding. Celebrating a steampunk wedding is best in the summer, as a celebration in nature is easier to decorate and it will more fully convey all the creativity of the style.
  • Elements that will decorate your natural celebrations can be ordinary wooden platforms, with hay bales placed on them, covered with burlap, clocks and various appliances, gears hung on tree branches, on the walls of buildings; objects made of a mixture of wood and metal, imitating ships, airships - all this will remind you of the steampunk style.

    If the wedding is celebrated in a cold time of the year and there is no opportunity to celebrate in nature, then you need to choose a banquet hall, the interior of which is made of wood and metal in steampunk style.

    Renting a country estate with Victorian architecture would also be a great way to organize a steampunk wedding.

  • For the guests, a steampunk wedding begins with an invitation card. If you want your stylized celebration to be a success, then you need to prepare your guests for the style of your wedding in advance.
  • The invitations will take a lot of work. Sometimes the wedding planners of the occasion can send guests, instead of invitation cards, a real steampunk clock, the hands of which are pointed at the time and date of the wedding celebration.

    If the children send out classic postcards, then it is necessary to decorate them with some mechanical steampunk elements. In order to give guests an idea of the dress code at the wedding, people in steampunk clothes deliver invitation cards. It can be the couple themselves, or a hired courier.

  • Steampunk wedding menu. The steampunk style is the least demanding on the wedding banquet menu. The only thing you should pay attention to is that the style originated in Europe, therefore European dishes are ideal for a steampunk wedding table: English, French cuisine.

Steampunk wedding decor

Wedding table decoration - the wedding cake, of course, should be decorated in steampunk style. Here the confectioner's fantasy is to be used to its fullest: the cake can be decorated with various mechanical machines or devices; we should not forget natural materials - tree bark, for example, under which the lower tier of the cake can be decoded, some flowers, a bird's nest, and so on.

A wedding procession for a steampunk wedding should be led by a vintage car. Naturally, it must work on steam traction. Newlyweds who are not lucky enough to get such a rarity for their journey to the place of marriage and wedding celebration may rent a carriage in which people traveled during Victorian England.

Steampunk wedding decor

Steampunk wedding decor

A photo shoot for a steampunk wedding should be perfectly prepared.

A wedding is a unique event for which many competent people have gathered and organized accordingly, so photos and videos must be simply perfect!

To do this, you need to prepare a wide variety of props: decorated suitcases, vintage cars, interesting umbrellas, canes, masks, keys and household items in steampunk style, and other steampunk styled trinkets; and also pay a visit to the most interesting places in terms of style in your city: for example, a museum with steam locomotives.

A steampunk wedding cannot have a light primary color, so dark deep colors are chosen for the main color of the wedding: it can be burgundy, black, navy blue, and brown. The obligatory color for a steampunk wedding is copper - most of the decorations should be made from it.

The main element of the steampunk style are clocks and their parts - there should be lots of them everywhere: on the walls, in guests' outfits, on tables, and so on; gears - big and small - levers and keys, various old school mechanisms - they can simply be placed around the hall. Paintings with airships and other steampunk related vehicles, steampunk panels will perfectly decorate the walls of the selected room. The airship is a symbol of the steampunk world.

Leather and wood details, handmade steampunk trinkets, odd looking machinery, steampunk - lighting fixtures - from kerosene lamps to electric multi-colored modern garlands - perfectly create a steampunk interior.

Steampunk bride and groom

The main guests of the celebration, the bride and groom, should look perfect on this day - before the wedding, you need to carefully consider how the wedding will go, and put the necessary details into play. You may have to create a costume yourself, using the elements of the steampunk world, using improvised means. Steampunk is getting more and more popular, but it's still not easy to find an outfit that matches this style in a costume store, so you need to prepare wedding attire well in advance of the wedding day. Steampunk costumes may have to be created by you, looking for elements of style somewhere at hand; wedding attire will take a long time to prepare.

To create an amazing image of a steampunk bride, first of all, you need to find a dress. It can be an outfit in the style of Victorian England - with a tight corset, full skirt, and lots of frills. An excellent solution would be a white dress and a brown corset made of leather, tightened with laces. Mandatory accessories will be "heavy" boots with clasps, ties, as well as high stockings.

For a steampunk bride, the wedding dress will be an outfit consisting of a tight corset and a full knee-length skirt.

Usually the skirt is white, and the corset is brown or copper. Also, in the bride's outfit, combinations of different materials must be observed - leather must be present.

In the era of Victorian England, ladies wore corsets that were tightened with laces. It would be wonderful if the bride followed their example. High stockings, preferably woolen and leather boots with clasps, will complement the bride's steampunk outfit. Also relevant will be the presence in a small ladies' revolver in the bride's outfit. It can be put into a garter on a woman's leg, or peek out of a pocket on the bride's skirt.

Steampunk bride and groom

Steampunk bride and groom

Steampunk watches, gears, keys and other mechanical elements that decorate a woman's outfit will make it even closer styled to steampunk. Around the neck in Victorian England, the girls wore velvet, so the modern bride may well put on this steampunk jewelry.

There are absolutely no requirements for the bride's hairstyle: it can be as simple as loose hair, or as complicated as high hairstyles with many levels of detail - it's not important. If the bride is in a romantic mood, then a miniature top hat with a delicate, miniature veil can decorate her hair. And never does a steampunk bride wear a veil that completely covers her face.

The bride's wedding bouquet can be a traditional flower arrangement, or it can also be a composition of several bright flowers, originally fastened together with wire elements, or with the help of LED lights on a wire.

The image of the groom at a steampunk wedding is also very interesting: the groom can wear a tailcoat or tuxedo, trousers of the same color or, conversely, a contrasting one. In steampunk style clothes, different fabrics are used in texture, as well as in color. Leather inserts are very relevant, in general, leather things: for example, if the groom wears a leather jacket, it will fit perfectly into a steampunk suit.

The headdress for a steampunk groom must be a top hat over which goggles are worn. Goggles are large round glasses that aren't worn on the eyes.

Wristwatches, as well as watches on a chain, various canes, tie clips in the form of mechanical objects, the same cufflinks and suspenders - all this completes the image of the groom.

Guests at a steampunk wedding should keep up with the young, should be dressed in the same style.

For bridesmaids, steampunk dresses will be important to consider - corsets, and other leather elements in the outfit; such as shoes and boots. Masks, fans and umbrellas, leather gloves, gears sewn onto outfits, keys, watches - all this characterizes the outfit as a costume created in steampunk style.

For men, it is desirable to use steampunk glasses (goggles) to create a male steampunk image in their clothes; almost all hats are acceptable, from a cap to a pilot's helmet. Vests, classic coats, leather jackets, leather gloves and trousers in contrasting colors with respect to the entire attire should also be worn.

Canes, oversized mechanical watches, as well as various metal buttons and elements of mechanical devices in clothes should be actively used by the groom. At a steampunk wedding, it's a great idea to give your guests small items that will complement their steampunk outfit: steampunk bracelets for women and mechanical watches for men.

Steampunk wedding process

The wedding process includes the regular stages of the wedding day, adapted to the style: an opening, an exit registration of marriage, a steampunk photo shoot and a banquet. Competitions in the steampunk wedding should be special and include complex puzzles and interesting toasts.

In such a wedding, it is possible to include all the stages of a regular wedding day, if the newlyweds want to, and adapt them to the steampunk style. For example, at the beginning of the day, an opening may take place, where the groom will have to solve a complex puzzle in order to open a locked door, behind which the bride is waiting. Ideas for puzzles or entourage for a bridesmaid can be taken from steampunk computer games like "Machinarium" or "The Myth".

When the opening to the wedding is over, it will be great if the spouses go to the exit registration, which will reflect the style of the event. After the bride and groom become newlyweds, it's time for a photo shoot with steampunk wedding guests, which will give unique photos to the participants in the process. It is worth preparing a room or area in a steampunk style in advance so that everything looks well planned and thought out in detail.

After the photo session, the main couple of the steampunk celebration, together with the guests of the wedding, goes to the banquet, where the rest of the guests are waiting for them. An excellent solution would be to order the services of a professional toastmaster, who, together with the future spouses, will think over the wedding program, create unique contests in the steampunk style. Good presenters will be able to cope with the task on their own, finding suitable moments to place into the wedding, coming up with interesting toasts, but it is better to look over the process so that everything is perfect during the steampunk wedding.

At the steampunk wedding, music should play - it is suggested to take unusual instrumental melodies with grabbing motives as a basis. The classic will also be a great solution. Invite a musical group with violinists, cellists, flutists, a drummer, and maybe other interesting instruments or sound effects. When the wedding is over, the newlyweds can arrange beautiful festive fireworks for the guests.

A great idea is to play a steampunk quest at a wedding celebration, for example, looking for the bride's leather boot. A musical arrangement for a steampunk wedding is best handled by a music band that combines classical music with modern sound effects and a semblance of club music.

An interesting point of the wedding scenario in the steampunk style can be a master class by a team of chemists demonstrating science experiments, such as:

  • hand on fire;
  • frozen roses;
  • creation of molecular cocktails;
  • creating lightning with a Tesla coil;
  • as well as fog created with liquid nitrogen.

Absolutely everyone will like these tricks - both children and adults!

Fireworks at the end of a steampunk wedding will fit in great.

A wedding in original steampunk style is an event that will become unforgettable for the newly-married spouses and guests of the celebration. Stylized costumes, an unusually decorated room, old school mechanisms - all this is in the amazing world of steampunk, interesting and mysterious, which will create a unique atmosphere for your wedding.

Wedding Features - Steampunk

It will take a lot of time to prepare for the ceremony. First of all, you need to think about the scenery. It can help create the right atmosphere.

The next moment is the time of the celebration. The best time of year for a steampunk wedding is summer. There is no need to create artificial backgrounds, since natural scenery can be found anywhere. It can be an old tree with a thick trunk, a park with a river or a pond, a haystack. If you want to add some elements of mystery, autumn time with cloudy rainy weather or the time of August thunderstorms will do.

As for the venue, old England is the most suitable, since steampunk originated there. But you can create a similar atmosphere at home. The main thing is to find a corner somewhere in an ancient part of your city where you can find a villa or at least a country estate with a beautiful garden. Even a warehouse or barn will do, where instead of the usual chairs, you can put bales of hay along a long wooden table, and fill the floor with sawdust.

The era of technological progress was a rapid growth in production, but agriculture still occupied a leading position. Therefore, the steampunk style involves a mix of wood and metal. To create a suitable atmosphere, nuts, gears, screws, wooden tool boxes, or some old machine are suitable. All this pile of metal peacefully coexists with books, old postal envelopes, some miracle of 19th century technology like a gramophone or a very early camera design.

Wedding guests

It will be strange if the atmosphere is completely immersed in the atmosphere of the past, the bride and groom will dress in Victorian style, and the guests will come in ordinary attire. X. Dress code is required. For guests, you can pick up, if not outfits, then at least accessories of the 19th century: hats, gloves, glasses, fans, masks. For bridesmaids, cloth umbrellas are perfect. All this splendor of outfits and decor will allow you to make a creative photo shoot. How interesting it will be to look through these photos after looking at every detail.

Sometimes it is not easy to persuade guests to buy exactly the outfit that fits the style of the occasion. The way out is to rent costumes in some theater studio or from photographers. In general, it won't be too much extra work to involve a good dresser in the selection of outfits for a stylized wedding.

Wedding - steampunk - it's fun, romantic, and unusual. In principle, this is not the most expensive option, since decor can be assembled from guests' garages for free, and finding a suitable corner of nature is also fairly easy. The most expensive line in the estimate is the selection of costumes, but all this will pay off with a cheerful festive mood.