Murderer Mystery Party Recap

Hi friends!

If you follow me in Instagram, you may know that Andrew and I hosted a Harry Potter themed murder mystery dinner party this past weekend!

We rented a historic farmhouse from the 1830's and everyone came in character!  Not everyone is pictured here, but starting from the top right, we have Mad Eye Moody, Bellatrix Lestrange (Me), Narcissa Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley (Kristin), Tonks, and Hermione Granger!

So, besides sharing a whole lot of fun pictures, I am going to let you in on a little secret...How I planned this whole event!  (Hint:  it was quite extensive, much like a small wedding, but you definitely don't have to go as big as I did, but you can definitely do more if you are so inclined as well!!)

Step 1:  Choose your theme and create characters.  I did a Harry Potter themed party, so if you would like to see my characters and their background story, email me and I can send it your way.

Step 2:  Figure out how in depth you want to go with decorations.  Do you want to go all out?  Or would you rather keep it simple?  Once you decide, gather your ideas and get creative!

Step 3: Create your invites.  Depending on your personal style/preference, this may be the most complicated part; well at least it was for me.  I wanted the card to read as though Bellatrix herself were writing the invitation, so I had to get into character in order to do so.  Then, I created the card using Lucidpress on Google.  On the invite, I included the following:

• Itinerary and address for the evening
• A picture and description of the character assigned
• A themed dish to bring
• A few paragraphs for the invite in which I explained the rules and expectations of the evening

Bellatrix and Luna Lovegood

Bellatrix and Mrs. Weasley

Now, you don’t have to go quite as in-depth as I did, but you definitely want to give your guests an idea of what they are getting themselves into.  I also gave them plenty of time so they can get or make a costume and/or change character if for some reason they did not like the character chosen for them.  Lucky for me, everyone was happy with their character.  Although, some didn’t want to dress up.  In this situation, I simply said that they had to have a costume, but it did not have to be elaborate.  For example, someone portraying a witch could wear a black t-shirt, yoga pants, and a witch hat headband.  Simple, inexpensive, and most people have something they can throw together easily.

Step 4: Party like you're at Hogwarts!!