Birthday Bash #27: 1920s Murder Mystery Party

I like to throw theme birthday parties. Case in point: this.

For my 27th birthday, I decided to do something I've always wanted to do. A murder mystery party.

Granted, my idea of a real murder mystery party involves a weekend at a rambling house a la that episode of Saved By the Bell (and you know the exact one I'm talking about). In my head, said house is either in Vermont (a state I've never actually visited but somehow equate with this) or the British countryside.

But since I didn't think I could convince 30 of my friends to travel for a weekend just so I could turn 27 in style, I opted for having it at a friend's apartment in Brooklyn instead.

Here are the key ingredients for a successful murder mystery:
1. Friends who are creative, adventurous and big hams.
2. See above.

Everyone dressed up.

Nobody broke character all night.

We had a fog machine.

Hence why all the pictures are a bit hazy...that's me, giving instructions for the mystery by the way. Instructions: exactly how all mysteries should start. Right?

And I ended up with a tiara inherited from my "grandmother."

...who unfortunately became deceased shortly after this was taken.

Which was sad. But, still...I had a tiara, people. A tiara.

Also a murderous gleam in my eye.

Literally. Because, and this, my friend, is where the plot twists and turns like you never expected: I was the murderer. That's right: sweet lil ol' birthday girl/party hostess me.

It's always the ones you least suspect.

Funnily enough, I had picked my character out at random, not knowing the real deal until I'd opened up her packet. It ended up working out that I was the culprit though. I wouldn't have had much of a chance to solve the crime since I had to perform various hostess duties and this way, I knew whodunit from the start!

If you're at all interested in throwing your own murder mystery party, here's the site I bought the kit from. It was a lot of fun!

Later, I found out our murder mystery kit has a sequel...which may be coming to a birthday party near me (and my friends) very soon. (Because, like a true 20s jailbird, my character gets sprung, naturally.)