Supplying Your Own Costumes for the Standard Package: A Comprehensive Guide
Hello suspects! Ready to dive into a world of intrigue and suspense? We understand that when we ask you to supply your own costumes for our Standard Package, you might assume it means arriving in costume and knowing your character ahead of time. But it turns out that’s not the best way to do it… Let’s unravel the mystery behind our unique approach and explain why and how it works.
The Magic of Choosing Together
Picture this: you and your colleagues, gathered in anticipation, pass a hat around and draw out your characters for the first time. This moment is filled with laughter and surprise, breaking the ice and setting the stage for fun. By choosing characters on the day of the event, we ensure everyone feels comfortable and included.
- Inclusive Fun: Drawing characters together eliminates the fear of being judged. It’s a shared experience that bonds the group and ensures no one feels singled out.
- Gets Buy-In: A transparent process in which everyone has an exactly equal chance so there are no questions about who got what.
- Random Delight: The randomness of the draw adds a layer of excitement and mystery. You might be a Mad Scientist, or your boss might end up as Starli the Supermodel. Everyone gets to step into a new role, leaving behind their everyday persona.
Choosing characters together not only breaks the ice but also accommodates any last-minute changes in attendance. If someone can’t make it, their character simply goes back into the hat for someone else to draw.
Once you have your characters, it’s time to choose your costumes. Again, choosing together is the gateway to new personas and playful interactions.
- Encouraging Interaction: Selecting and donning costumes together boosts camaraderie and excitement. It’s all about creating connections and shared experiences in real-time.
- Friendly Competition: Everyone tries to outdo each other with their costume choices, adding a playful edge to the event.
- Express Yourself: With a variety of props and costumes available, everyone can find something they’re comfortable with, encouraging full participation.
- Identity Shift: Costumes are a social disguise, allowing people to leave their everyday roles behind and reveal sides of themselves you’ve never seen before.
- Breaking Down Barriers: Dressing up together blurs workplace hierarchies, facilitating fun and uninhibited interactions.
Why We Don’t Pre-Assign Characters
While pre-assigning characters and asking guests to arrive dressed up might seem straightforward, we don’t do it because it’s not the best way to help people connect and have fun. Here’s why:
- Avoiding Judgement: Pre-assigned characters can make guests anxious about being judged by colleagues if they arrive in a costume that feels too silly or out of place.
- Ensuring Participation: Asking guests to prepare costumes in advance can lead to uneven participation, as not everyone has the time or resources to put together an elaborate costume.
- Encouraging Interaction: When getting dressed up at home you’re by yourself – a big missed opportunity for fun and connection. Dressing up together on the event day is a great icebreaker, setting a playful tone and encouraging interaction.
- Adapting to Changes: Events don’t always go as planned. Guests might cancel at the last minute, or unexpected attendees might be able to make-it. That’s a problem if everything is pre-assigned. On-the-day character and costume selection allows flexibility for last-minute changes, ensuring everyone has a role and no important characters are absent.
How It Works: Preparing and Using Your Props
Preparing Your Props
When you confirm your attendance, you’ll receive special instructions on what to bring. We keep these guidelines clear yet mysterious to maintain the element of surprise. Typically, we ask guests to bring:
- Something for the head: A hat, tiara, or headband
- A mysterious accessory: A faux pearl necklace, magnifying glass, or elegant gloves
- An item that could serve as a potential ‘clue’: An old-fashioned key, cryptic letter, or a small trinket
These suggestions ensure variety and creativity, making the costume selection process both fun and intriguing.
Arriving at the Event: Setting the Stage
When you arrive, you’ll find a designated area to display your props. Think of it as a buffet of disguises and gadgets, waiting to be explored. This setup usually includes:
- A prop table: A large table at the entrance hall where you place your items. It’s the first stop in your transformation journey.
- Character selection: Guests draw character names from a hat, adding an element of chance to the evening.
Choosing Props: The Grand Unveiling
Once characters are assigned, it’s time to select your props. This process is both random and revealing, filled with laughter and light-hearted banter. Imagine John picking a fedora and a mock cigar for his gangster role, while Sarah drapes a shimmering stole over her shoulders as the mysterious heiress. This shared experience sparks instant immersion into the game’s spirit.
Why This Method Works
Our approach to costumes achieves several key objectives:
- Enhanced Interaction: Dressing up together encourages guests to interact right from the start, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.
- Sparks Creativity: The freedom to choose from a variety of props stimulates creativity, allowing guests to express their characters uniquely.
- Builds Anticipation: Selecting props and transforming into characters builds excitement and anticipation, setting the tone for a night of mystery.
- Equal Playing Field: By dressing up together at the venue, no one feels out of place. Everyone is on the same page, transforming together, which reduces self-consciousness or hesitation.
Conclusion: More Than Just Costumes
At our murder mystery events, costumes are more than just attire; they’re an essential part of the experience. By bringing your own props and dressing up at the venue, you contribute to a memorable, engaging, and interactive evening. It’s not just about solving the mystery—it’s about creating stories and memories that last long after the final clue is revealed. Join us and step into a night where every detail invites you to play and make believe. In the world of murder mystery, you’re not just attending an event; you’re part of the story.
