Nashville weddings

We Love This! Chris & Cressie’s 1950s Murder Mystery Engagement Party

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Chris and Cressie got engaged in New Zealand last October after dating long-distance for over five years. And how did he propose? He asked Cressie to change her Facebook status to “engaged”! To celebrate their engagement, they threw a 1950s murder mystery party with a surprise reveal - their wedding date!  Jennifer Fox Photography captured the thematic night full of throwback costumes, décor and even food. Enjoy the details as Cressie takes us through her DIY evening.

Chris Lewis + Cressie Teague

Engagement date ~ October 14, 2010

Wedding date ~ June 2, 2012

Our Blog: http://chrisandcressie.com/

Why host an engagement party? Why a themed party?

We got engaged on a trip to New Zealand but because we were so far away no friends or family could join in our celebration and excitement (except on Facebook) so a home town party was in order. We also wanted to officially announce the wedding date at this party and give our two sets of families and friends an opportunity to meet and mingle.

The theme developed out of a previous party I hosted - a 1920's Murder Mystery Birthday Party two years ago. I received rave reviews from my friends in attendance and pictures we posted from the 1920's party went viral; we even won a FREE 1950's Murder Mystery Party from the creator Dinner and a Murder (a wonderful Tennessee company). I was astonished at the support of family and friends who encouraged me to host another mystery party! Our engagement was the perfect catalyst to set the party into motion! As for the 1950's, I adore the fashion of that decade and I grew up singing along to Grease. It was the perfect decade for all of our guests who ranged in age from 25 to 85.

Costumes added to the fun and helped guests connect to the era of the murder mystery game!

Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?

Everything was DIY (are you impressed? Because we are!). The decorations were provided by myself and a few family members. Most of the items were borrowed, like a yellow rotary phone, cookie jars and dollies. I created the placemats out of old records and personalized them with 4-inch circle stickers created on my ink-jet printer. The goodie bags were white lunch bags that I ran through my printer and personalized with our logo. The dessert stands were records that were crazy-glued to $1 candle sticks from Dollar Tree. They were perfect for holding the petit fours. Prizes for Best Costume, Best Performer and Wealthiest Player were created by framing records that were spray painted to mimic the gold albums of recording artists. The table runners were cut from 1950's fabric featuring Elvis, I love Lucy, Betty Crocker and other retro scenes. All of the flowers were created from coffee filters and sprayed with food coloring to match the table runners. Pictures of Bob Hope, Lawrence Welk and other period characters were framed and placed around the house. The restroom was re-named a "Fall Out Shelter" and a personalized "Drive-In" sign was created from foam board and placed beside a flat screen TV that played commercials from the 1950's.

Tell us about the costumes!

I love sewing costumes as a hobby. I design and create sci-fi, Civil War reenactment , and the occasional renaissance fair costumes. So I naturally jumped at the challenge of 1950‘s period costumes for this party. I created my yellow dress along with Chris's plaid jacket, the five "diner-girl" aprons/hats for the servers, 2 poodle skirts and 3 pill box style hats for guests. We asked that guests wear 1950's attire and they did not disappoint. Several guests also made their own costumes and everyone was extremely original.

What was the most important design element for you?

My dress! I love the “Beautiful Blonde Pineapple” dress that Frenchy wore to the prom in Grease and I based my dress off this design. I also added a matching bolero from a dress I saw on the Lawrence Welk show.

Can you believe she made this dress? So beautiful!

Vendors

Venue | Paris Henry County Heritage Center in Paris, Tennessee. It is a historic 1920's Italian Villa turned museum and rental facility. Norma Steele, the director, was so accommodating and a dream to work with.
Murder Mystery Game Creator | dinnerandamurder.com
Decorations | DIY with set-up assistance by Dana Wyatt
Photography | Jennifer Fox Photography. The fantastic Jennifer Fox took all of our pictures, set up the photo booth and even took pictures in the rain in front of the 1956 Chevy. She really captured the fun mood of the party.
Food | My mother, grandmother and aunts provided all of the food. We wanted our guests to feel like they were in a 1950's diner. Period appetizers included stuffed celery, molded jello, popcorn and casseroles. For dinner we served hamburgers, hotdogs, pork loin sandwiches and french fries in baskets with paper liners. Banana splits and other ice cream creations were served with the petit fours and cake for dessert.
Cake | E.W. James & Sons
Petit fours | Peggy Ann Bakery - Huntsville, AL
Invitations | iPhoto/Apple Printing 
1956 Chevy | family friends

Big thanks to Cressie for sharing her awesome party with us! The extent of DIY is so impressive! If you're not feeling as creative, test-drive your wedding planner, photographer, and other vendors by planning an engagement party first. We have an extensive list of planners who have enough creativity for you engagement and wedding celebrations.

All images by Jennifer Fox Photography.

About the Author:

Megan

I’m new to the wedding industry. Before getting engaged I literally avoided any websites for weddings only because I knew, once I delved in, I would become obsessed…. And it’s true. Once I got engaged, I did become obsessed and luckily, about that time, I started working in the wedding industry. So my interest increased on two levels. Now I am a newlywed and still enjoying the industry. I love writing, social media and connecting to people; happily, I get to do all of this with ABG.

See more posts by Megan »

send   Posted on June 2, 2011 | Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Engagements & Proposals, Real Nashville Brides