Looking for a fun and spooky way to celebrate the fall season?
by CHELSEA SCHAFFER, CSU Communications Graduate Assistant
Whether you want to meet with friends virtually or in person, a Murder Mystery Party is a fun and festive place to start, in theory. As I’m writing this I haven’t had the get-together yet but I thought I would share some inspiration and strategies that I have found helpful in the process of planning one.
- Set Yourself up for Success
I learned pretty early on that creating a murder mystery party by hand was not going to happen given my busy work and school schedule. I instead decided to invest in an online version where I could print out everything that I would need ahead of time (using my unused printing money might I add).
- Be Smart and Save
Saving money in college is incredibly important. Although, when it comes to decorating for holidays I will admit I have a hard time holding myself back. For this party, I tried to be more resourceful and use objects that I already had such as painting old bottles and going thrifting to find centerpieces that fit the theme of my party.
- Planning Ahead and Building Suspense
Something that the creator of the kit suggests is building suspense and excitement before putting on the event. I decided to send invites out on the first day of October and do character reveals as the month went on. I then sent each person their unique character description so they could prepare costumes and backstories.
- Setting the Scene and Pulling it All Together
Something that is pretty mind-blowing to me is the effect that color and lighting can have on you. To construct a speakeasy kind of energy I focused on using warm orange lights. I also chose to use tea lights rather than real candles as I didn’t really want to end the night with my apartment actually burning down. Another thing I did was search for a virtual fireplace that I could put up on my TV to add some ambient noise. Additionally, I hooked up my speaker to play music that I liked inspired by my theme.
Will the party be a success? Only time will tell but I can sure share that it’s been a blast planning one.
Looking to plan your own Murder Mystery Party? Here is the link to the kit I purchased
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MurdersIncorporated?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=861146101
Chelsea Schaffer is the Centennial Student Union Communications Graduate Assistant pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. As the CSU Communications GA, Chelsea supervises a student staff of graphic designers and public relations interns/assistants and serves as managing editor for the student e-newsletter, supervises the weekly CAN events calendar and aids in various marketing communications duties.