30th Birthday Murder Mystery Dinner

We have always wanted to do a murder mystery dinner, so we thought, “Why not host one for our party?” Ah, it seemed simple at the time. So our home was transformed into what I envisioned would be similar to Sherlock’s Baker Street apartment. Everyone wore early Victorian costumes. We served a traditional British dinner, tea, and dessert. And with the help of a very talented writer friend, put on our own murder mystery.

I wanted the theme of the party to stay true to the Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories, but I liked the grungy yet artistic look of Guy Ritchie’s films, so this is what I tried to emulate when creating the paper goods and decorations.

When the guests arrived, they picked up their character’s booklet, a notebook, and a pen for playing the game. The goal was to interact with all of the other guests to find out answers to the clues they had each been given.

It wasn’t too long before the murderer struck…And the rest of the game time was spent trying to figure out who committed the crime! There was hidden evidence we had to search for and shady characters with sneaky agendas; red herrings and false accusations.

The game wasn’t purely for fun; there were prizes to be nabbed for Best Costume, Super Sleuth, and Best Performance.

Once we placed our votes for who committed the murder (along with who had the best costume and best performance), we sat down for my favorite meal: prime rib with mashed potatoes, yorkshire pudding, and all the fixings.

We had such an amazing time and it was the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of a new decade.

• What People Ate

  A traditional British supper: Prime rib, mashed potatoes, peas, and yorkshire pudding

• What People Drank

  “The Adventure of the Naval Treaty” Water (with strawberries and basil to make it fancy), and “The Adventure of the Silver Blaze” Earl Grey Lemonade (homemade with a mix of brewed Earl Grey and Country Lemonade)

• Desserts

  “Moriar-Tea” Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Vanilla Comoro, “The Adventure of Black Peter” Coffee, “Mrs. Hudson’s” Scones and Clotted Cream, “Irene Adler’s” Creme Brûlée (Delectable and dangerous), “A Study in Scarlet” Eton Mess (Whipped cream with wine-soaked cherries, meringue, and chocolate cake), Birthday Cake (Vanilla cake with milk chocolate frosting), Fun treats like “The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor Licorice Pipes”, Chocolate Caramel Digestives, and shortbread

• Party Favors

  The character booklet, a notebook, and feather pen tied with baker's twine

• Activities / Games

  A Sherlock Holmes-themed Murder Mystery game

• Marigold Mom Events

  Party Planner and Stylist

  www.marigoldmom.com

• Blyss Photography

  Photography/Videography

  www.instagram.com/blyssphotography

• Hello Brielle Designs

  Graphic Designer, party printable decor, invitations

  www.etsy.com/hellobrielle

  The Sherlock Holmes Murder Mystery Game will soon be added to the shop!