I ordered Murder at the Speakeasy from Murders Incorporated. This kit is high quality and comes with everything you need. Plus their website offers extras to download such as signs to print and hang, name tags invitation ideas and even a 1920s inspired Spotify play list.
I have wanted to host a murder mystery party for a long time and started researching themes and ideas. I found many DIY options. There are some great ones on Etsy and online but for my first murder mystery party, I really wanted something that was mostly pre-made with good reviews. I certainly added my own flair but I am so glad I purchased this kit.
I am lucky to have a group of friends who are accustomed to wearing costumes for my Halloween parties and they are all good sports. Before sending out the invitations, I polled them to find a date that would work for everyone and to get a sense of their willingness to participate. You have to have at least 8 required characters and can have an additional 12 characters who have secondary roles. Everyone was in so we booked the date.
Next I spread out the list of character descriptions and tried to match them up with the personalities of my guests. I did have a couple friends ask if I could give their husbands’ a secondary role that didn’t have a big part since they would go along with it but might not be thrilled to participate, so I took that into consideration when assigning roles. I have plenty of friends who will get into their roles as primary characters and I didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable so I spent quite a while selecting the roles. The 8 required roles are 3 female, 3 male and 2 gender neutral so it made it easy.
I created these invitations and enclosed the character description booklet for each guest in the envelope. I mailed them out about 5 weeks in advance because I knew guests would need to figure out costumes based on their character.
Bo Hancock- The Pilot
Next, I got to work on my husband’s costume. He was Bo Hancock, the pilot and a primary character. I ordered him this tactical military looking shirt and didn’t mind buying it new because he liked it and said he would wear it again after the party. I found these aviator goggles and some pins to add to the effect. And of course, his favorite part of the costume is the flask!
Patricia Wadsworth-The Black Widow
I spent a bit more for my costume but I have always wanted a flapper style dress so it was fun shopping for one.
My character was Patricia Wadsworth, AKA the Black Widow. Apparently, I have had three loving husbands in the past that have all had an untimely end under very mysterious circumstances. I guess I am just “unlucky” in that way… but at least I have a lot of money.
I also bought the opera gloves above and the fake cigarette holder pictured below. The shoes finalized the look and are actually quite comfortable.
Decorations
Once I had the costumes ready to go, I started focusing on the decorations.
I wanted to create the Speakeasy vibe so I scoured the internet for ideas. You can see the pictures and links below.
I decided that any leftover paper goods and the gold and black decorations will be reused for NYE in December. One of the banners and the feather centerpiece will get integrated into my Halloween decorations. As you can see, I can justify almost any purchase.
The door cover will greet guests as they arrive and then they will find the main party room decked out with the speakeasy decorations, the balloon banner, and the hanging paper fans. The large dining room table and the kitchen table will be covered with the black and gold tablecloths and I will add a feather centerpiece to each.
The kitchen will have the bar set up with the cocktail napkins and the “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” banner.
