A Halloween party incorporated with a Titanic themed murder mystery dinner is by far the most brilliant idea I've had in a long time! Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a big kid at heart. Halloween is probably my favourite holiday! Why? Because I get to dress up! hehehe ;) I love dressing up in costumes because it allows me to play a character for one day. I'm able to forget about adulting and become anything I want to be. Sounds perfect, right?
This time I became The Unsinkable Molly Brown, or Margaret "Maggie" Brown as she was known by her friends on the fatal ship. She was an American socialite, philanthropist, flamboyant guest on the Titanic and proved to have good heart. She was one of the only people who encouraged her life boat No.6 to go back into the debris of the disaster to look for survivors.
I know that Mrs. Brown didn't wear the Heart of the Ocean in the award winning movie, but I just couldn't pass up the chance to bring it back to life. I found this one on Amazon. Read on to see the other guests costumes!
The Perfect Idea for a Halloween Party
If you enjoy getting into costume at Halloween, then I think it's a perfect idea to host a Murder Mystery Night. If you'll be dressing up for Halloween you might as well incorporate a fun night of murder and mystery. You can choose to have a dinner or not depending on how many people you are inviting. This guest list had 8 invited, so it was manageable to have a dinner. I'll be sharing more about the amazing dinner in a bit ;).
There are countless themes out there! I considered a western theme, a Hollywood theme and a Gatsby theme, but in the end chose the Titanic theme because I've always been a little obsessed with the ship and its story. Ok...a LOT obsessed!
I purchased the game here on Etsy and was very pleased with the content. Everything you need is in the packet. You print all of your own invitations, character booklets, mystery clues and profiles. It even comes with fun decals and labels you can use. I loved the wine bottle labels the kit came with. It transformed the bottles into a focal point on the dining table.
This game was definitely for adults only as there were a few times when adult themes and conversations happened to rule out the killer, not to mention the alcohol. The script and clues are so much fun to go through. You have four rounds to complete and during each round you have a directive telling you who to ask questions to and who to answer questions from. As you gather up information, it helps you decide who you think is the killer at the end of the night.
The Murder Mystery Guests
There were eight guests invited for the soiree. The game will tell you how many people it will need to be successful in the description. Unfortunately, two guests had to cancel last minute which threw a little curve ball, but we managed to figure it out by having two other guests double up on their scripts and read for those particular characters. But ideally, you need the exact number the game requires so there isn't too much confusion. Some of the games have a ton of players, so it can be really big or more intimate like 6-8 people. Here are the other guests who participated:
Captain Smith
Bruce Ismay and Margaret Petree
Aiden Brogen and Tessie Anderson
I put together a cheesy photo booth as you can see! Doesn't everyone look spectacular!?! It is so important that your guests understand the importance of giving it their ALL when dressing up for this type of party. Not only does it help everyone feel like they are in character, but it helps YOU stay in character too.
The Ten Course Meal on that Fatal Night
I think this was the most fun part of the whole experience. We dined on the same ten course meal that was served on the titanic the night of its fatal rest at the bottom of the Atlantic!!! The game came with all the instructions for recipes, how to set up an elegant first class table and the wine list too!
We started out with a little creation of my own that was inspired from Pinterest. As the guests came in we greeted them with bubbly and some "fish and chips"....and I couldn't forget to remind them to take a lifesaver ;)
The first class dining table was decked out in luxury. Pink and cream roses, with English china, crystal glasses and gold utensils. I found a lot of these elements at the thrift store!
Pink and white roses were very traditional to the time period and bring that bit of historic elegance.
Each person had variety of glassware for assorted alcohol throughout the evening: red wine, white wine, port, brandy and champagne. But don't worry, with a ten course meal, we held our alcohol just fine ;)
I found this adorable lazy Susan at the thrift store for five dollars! The elderly lady at the check out told me it was for salt, pepper, oil, vinegar and hot mustard. So, that's what I filled it with!
I placed each guests character booklet with all of their clues at the table for them. I later added gold chargers and totally forgot to get a picture :/. You can envision them there, right lol???
The lace table cloth was thrifted for three dollars and this amazing pickled vegetable dish was five dollars.
My daughter helped fold all of the napkins into the crown shape (a video we found on youtube) and I added the mini menu to each guests spot.
This whole set of English china was thrifted for fifteen dollars! The pattern matched too!
The food was amazing! We had such a fun time the day of the party preparing and cooking these historic dishes. It was a great history lesson for us all. The cooking had a lot of wine based dishes, and all super healthy....but sooooo tasty!
My husband and I also hung these outdoor lights right above the table with a staple gun to bring in that ship-like feel to the room.
Last but not least is this quick diy lifesaver that I made to go at the head of the table.
I just used some white poster board, sharpies and some craft rope from Michael's. Easy Peasy. Way cheaper than buying a real lifesaver for sure!
I highly recommend that you consider playing one of these fun games for your next Halloween party. The feedback from the guests was amazing and they all had such a great time! I can't wait to go or host another one :). Be sure to check out my other party ideas and fall inspirations under "Related Posts".
Thanks so much for reading my blog! You can see more info on my Instagram page about decor and parties. I hope to see you over there soon!! -Jenn xoxoxo @wildrosecountryhome