diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index 4324d6f2e4..e8b662bbd4 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -96,6 +96,8 @@
 			global.translator = translator;
 
 			translator.loadServer();
+			
+			var customTemplates = meta.config['theme:templates'] ? path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules', meta.config['theme:id'], meta.config['theme:templates']) : false;
 
 			// todo: replace below with read directory code, derp.
 			templates.init([
@@ -104,7 +106,8 @@
 				'emails/header', 'emails/footer',
 
 				'noscript/header', 'noscript/home', 'noscript/category', 'noscript/topic'
-			]);
+			], customTemplates);
+			
 
 			templates.ready(webserver.init);
 
diff --git a/public/src/templates.js b/public/src/templates.js
index 5e9d5e35f5..3329d2782b 100644
--- a/public/src/templates.js
+++ b/public/src/templates.js
@@ -57,13 +57,13 @@
 		return template;
 	};
 
-	function loadTemplates(templatesToLoad) {
+	function loadTemplates(templatesToLoad, customTemplateDir) {
 		function loadServer() {
 			var loaded = templatesToLoad.length;
 
 			for (var t in templatesToLoad) {
 				(function (file) {
-					fs.readFile(__dirname + '/../templates/' + file + '.tpl', function (err, html) {
+					fs.readFile((customTemplateDir ? customTemplateDir : __dirname + '/../templates') + '/' + file + '.tpl', function (err, html) {
 						var template = function () {
 							this.toString = function () {
 								return this.html;
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@
 	}
 
 
-	templates.init = function (templates_to_load) {
-		loadTemplates(templates_to_load || []);
+	templates.init = function (templates_to_load, custom_templates) {
+		loadTemplates(templates_to_load || [], custom_templates || false);
 	}
 
 	templates.getTemplateNameFromUrl = function (url) {