Till Death Murder Mystery Party

I said this last year after my annual murder mystery party, but this Till Death Murder Mystery party is officially my favorite party I’ve ever thrown!

It was my third annual murder mystery party and I cannot recommend throwing your own enough! They’re so different and a great way to interact with guests from different walks of life and overall just change things up! And of course, it’s extra fun in October leading up to Halloween, but can be thrown any time of year!

Photos by: Erin Palek

Video Walkthroughs

Watch the party come to life in video form:

How to throw a wedding themed Murder Mystery Party:

You can use this guide on how to throw any themed murder mystery, just omit anything wedding related and adjust to your theme!

Choose a murder mystery party kit/theme.
Send out themed invites 1-2 months in advance (I recommend using evite) so that there is enough time for people to RSVP. Each person will be assigned a specific character to act and dress as, so the more time the better!
- On the invites, be sure to include that the guests should RSVP as soon as they can and that they should only RSVP yes if they can absolutely come since a no show/last minute cancelation could/would most likely mess up the game!
- Also include information about the theme so they can start thinking about ideas, a note that they will be expected to dress up/play a character, details on if food/drink will be served and as always, time and place.
While you’re waiting on RSVPs, this is the perfect time to plan out your decor, food/drink, music, costume, vendors, etc. Because I wanted to lean into the wedding theme and because I knew the party prep would be a lot of work, during this time I reached out to photographers, bartenders and catering options.
Once the RSVPs are in, purchase your murder mystery kit based on how many guests you have, then assign each guest to a character.
Send the character information to each guest and be available to help with any questions on outfits, character details or how to play the game. I opted to design and mail out wedding invitations with each guests character information included, but you can also just send over text or email!
If you can before the week of the party, print out all of the necessary materials that will be used during the game (for example, objectives for each character, hosting timelines, introductions, clues, the solution, etc.). Then, organize all printed character information into folders (your kit should give you all the instructions you need on this!) as well as any play money, name tags and/or accessories based on your theme.
The week of the party will be huge for preparations!
- Decorate your space.
- Gather serveware, prep/purchase any food/drink.
- Create or find a playlist to match the theme.
- Ensure you have everything needed for your costume.
On the day of the party, ensure you have everything organized and that you have reviewed the timeline ahead of time so that you can really lean into your character and enjoy the party!

Wedding Theme Details

Here is everything I used/did to throw my own Till Death Murder Mystery Birthday Party!

The Kit

Possibly one of the most important elements is the company/kit you decide to use. I have used kits from Night of Mystery for the past three Octobers now and have found them to be fun and super easy to follow!

Click here for the Till Death Do Us Part Murder Mystery Party kit I used for this party!

The Decorations

In my opinion, transforming my space to feel like a wedding venue played a huge role in people getting into the party! It really set the scene and allowed for everyone to feel transported and play their character even better.

Click here for a link to everything I used!

To transform my house into a wedding venue, I covered the walls completely in my dining room and attached living room with wrinkle free satin fabric backdrops by hanging them from tension rod room dividers to keep it renter friendly. Then, I draped tulle from the ceiling in the living room (the bigger space) but unfortunately did not order enough material to also do the same in the dining room.

For the dance floor, I used peel and stick checkered tiles and placed them on top of craft paper that I taped to the floor, again, to keep it renter friendly.

From there, lots of candles in various heights/shapes, thrifted silver serveware and custom wedding elements will really drive the theme home! To keep everything consistent, anything custom designed should use the same font(s) to give that real wedding feel!

For every murder mystery party, I make “suspect board” where Polaroid photos are taken and posted of each guest. Here, I used script font on a pretty, vintage mirror to make it fit the wedding theme.

Custom ideas:

Initial napkins
Custom cups
Custom napkins
Mirror decals
Pets to add to the cake
Bar signs (full bar menu & signature drinks)
Food labels for self serve dinners

Everything that is linkable can be found here! I also recommend thrifting, borrowing from friends or family and using what you have wherever possible!

Materials for Characters

I highly recommend having these items gathered and on hand/organized for the party!

Mini pencils for casting votes/solving the mystery (super helpful to have!)
A mirror for the “seating chart” aka where the first set of envelopes for your guests will be displayed
A mirror (or other spot) for a suspect board that will be filled with Polaroid portraits of each guest taken upon arrival
Pretty envelopes for the first round of information
Larger envelopes for the second round of information
Wax seal stickers for the “seating chart” envelopes and to stick the Polaroids onto the suspect board with
Name tags
Play money (likely needed based on your kit!)
Trophies (optional but so fun to hand out to the winners!)

I’ve linked what I can from the list above here!

Food & Drink

Because I wanted to really focus on the decorations and overall experience for my guests, I opted to order catering and hired a bartender! This really helped me with the party prep as well as during the party as well.

Food: catering from Mabel’s BBQ (we had BBQ at our actual wedding, so it was fitting!)
Drinks: bartending from Meet me at Charlotte’s and we had her serve wine alongside two signature drinks, espresso martinis and French 75s

Wedding Cake: I did make this from scratch using my birthday cake recipe (click here for that!), but I think ordering one from a bakery would save so much time!

Concluding Thoughts

Just like last year, this truly was one of the most fun parties I’ve ever thrown! I could tell how much fun my guests were having and it was a great night. When it all comes down to it, it really isn’t about the decorations but truly those that attend. I’m so lucky to have such amazing family and friends that made the night all that it was!

In order to make it a success from a host standpoint, being organized/on top of things in the planning and preparations will allow the party to come together realistically instead of stressfully. Also, being present (and fun) during the actual party makes guests feel at ease and enjoy themselves more!

FOLLOW ALONG!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram and TikTok to see all of the behind the scenes of recipe creation as well as how to videos to watch them come to life! You can also head over to my Pinterest to save all of my recipes in one spot that you plan whip up in the future.

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Video Walkthroughs