So, youve decided to throw a surprise party for a friend, family member or other loved one. Surprise parties are one of the trickiest parties to pull off, because the chances of your guest of honour discovering the surprise increase with the size of your guest list. Here are some tips from the Shot In The Dark Mystery Maiden to keep your surprise party a surprise!

This is probably the last thing you want to read, but try not to delegate. When the moment comes that our honoree says Who did this? everyone will want to say they had a part. As much as we love those who want to help us pull the party off, the more people who are involved in the process, the less control you have over the outcome. Keep control over the details and the chances of the surprise being ruined lessen.

Invite your guests in person. If you find invitations absolutely necessary, vouch for email invitations over paper invites. Anything written on paper can be discovered by the honoree, and all of your hard work will be moot! In the case of a surprise party murder mystery game (which we highly recommend), deliver character descriptions via email only. If your game includes pre-game or Top Secret clues, deliver them at the party when the guests arrive. Keep your paper trail to a minimum and you decrease your chances of your guest of honor discovering the secret.

When you speak with a potential guest about the party, make sure you include the word surprise party three times in the communication. Studies have shown that hearing a certain detail three times makes it stick in our minds, so you can be sure Aunt Gertrude, although wildly excited about the party, understands its to be kept a secret.

In every party there are always late-comers. To combat this, advise people to arrive an hour early. Most people plan to have guests arrive 30 minutes early, but Ive found this is not enough time. One hour ahead of time allows for people to be late, find parking away from the venue and catch up before the guest of honor arrives.

The hardest part of keeping a surprise party a surprise is preventing others from slipping up. If you are inviting someone who is notorious for blabbing, invite them only a few days or a week ahead of time, thereby decreasing the time they have to suffer with the secret. When you do invite them, dont give them too many details. For someone who tends to spread secrets, the devil is in the details. Keep them to a minimum, telling the guest only the time and place, and youll ensure even the most well-intentioned chatterbox will keep your surprise party a surprise!

Mystery Maiden writes and facilitates murder mystery, general mystery, forensics and custom mystery games for Shot In The Dark Mysteries. For more party host tips, quizzes and more, visit Shot In The Dark Mysteries. The Mystery Maiden can also be reached via email at mysterymaiden@shotinthedarkmysteries.com.