Now that you’ve had a few days to hunt for clue locations, it’s time to move on to the next step in your party plan.

Step 6:  Set Up Your RSVP Plan
Thankfully, you have tons of choices.  The goal here isn’t just to find out who’s coming, it’s also to give your guests a little taste of what the party is all about.  Essentially, you’re trying to kick off the ‘buzz’ we talked about earlier.  Here’s a few RSVP techniques I’ve tried in the past.

1. RSVPs by eMail:
   This is probably the easiest of all the methods I’ve tried.  All you have to do is sign up for a new email address from your favorite free email provider (gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc.).  Choose a name that corresponds to your alias like WandaWitch@gmail.com or SneakyWitchSisters@yahoo.com.  When you create your invitations, simply list the email address in the RSVP area (I’ll post more on invitations in a few days).  When your guests email their response, just shoot them a return email (you can find an idea for what to say on the RSVP file posted below). 
2. RSVPs by Voicemail
   It’s not quite as free as the email version, but it has lots of potential for buzz creation.  To try this option, just purchase a prepaid cell phone (about $20) or sign up for an online voicemail box ($10/month).  List the secret phone number on your invitation.  Have a friend or relative use their best witchy voice to create the voicemail greeting instructing your guests to leave a message (you can find an idea for what to say on the RSVP file posted below). 
3. RSVPs by Secret Location:
   On your invitation you’ll list a secret RSVP location and then direct your guests to go to that location on a specific date to sign up for the challenge.  When the day arrives, leave a sign up sheet (or use the Guest List/RSVP file I posted last week) for your guests to find.  Guests seem to like this method because they get to see who else is coming, but it’s a little risky.  Just make sure you hide guest list well and be super sneaky when you pick it up and drop it off.   The only drawback to this plan is that it doesn’t allow for other communications between you and your guests before the party.  The other two options give your guests a way to contact you if they have questions or if their plans change. 

As I said before, these are just a few of the ideas you could try.  If you think of a new one, please post it in the comments area.  There are tons of you trying this party across the country, so I hope you’ll share your great ideas with each other.  I know you can’t use your real names, so just list your witchy alias and basic location instead.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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I’m thrilled to see that so many of you are on board.  You won’t regret it!  Here are your next steps in your planning.

Step 4:  Set Up a Budget
Okay, I know it’s really tempting you skip right past this step and get to the planning, but trust me, by setting a few limits now, you’ll save yourself from going overboard later.  I’ve designed a simple budget sheet for you to work with.  Don’t worry about filling everything in at this point.  Just give yourself an overall limit and then break that limit down into the four categories.  For example, if my goal is to spend around $125 I might assign my categories as follows: Invitations ($25), Clue Hunt Supplies ($50), Ending Location Supplies ($25), Refreshments ($25).  If you’re hoping to spend less, don’t worry, it’s doable.  This is what you can expect to pay if you set up your party just like mine, but there are lots of areas to cut costs and I’ll try to point them out as we go along.

Once you’ve got your category limits set up, try to stick to them and keep records of what you buy.  I’ve designed the form to accommodate two hostesses so that if you’re sharing expenses with a friend you’ll be able to keep track of who buys what and how much you’ve each spent. 

Step 5:  Start Scouting for Clue Locations
This is probably the most important step in your planning process.  Great clue locations can make or break your party, so take your time in finding them.  This is actually one of my favorite parts in the planning process.  I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent driving around with my camera in hand…looking for the perfect clue location.  The good news is that no matter where I’ve lived (big city or small town, suburbia or out in the middle of nowhere) I’ve always found great clue locations.  You will too if you know what to look for.  Here are a few hints:

First of all, you need to find a place that will be accessible at night.  Chances are your guests will be visiting these locations in the dark between the hours of 6pm and 10pm, so make sure your location won’t be locked or off limits after hours.  Also, you don’t want your guests to spend too much time in the car, so try to keep all 5 of your locations within at least 10 miles of each other.

Second, try to find a spot that’s distinctive.  You’ll be writing clues to lead your guests to these locations, so you want to find a spot with a little character to make your clue writing a little easier.  For example, public parks can make great clue spots but the sheer number of parks can make it hard for your guests to distinguish one from the other.  Try to find a park with something distinctive in it (like this statue of Leatherlips in Dublin, OH).  It will help you write a better clue and will help your guests find the right spot.

Next, you’ll want to try to pick spots that have an element of eerieness to them.  It is a Halloween party, after all.  Don’t worry, there’s more of these in your town than you’d think.  You’ll be surprised how nightfall can transform almost any isolated location into a spooky spot.  For example, this cool little pier in Erie, PA wasn’t particularly scary on it’s own, but the murky surrounding water made it very eerie to walk down at night.  A cemetery can be a great clue location too, but you’ll want to be careful to be sensitive to your guests and choose only older or historic cemeteries like the one pictured in the next paragraph.  Also, because many cemeteries are closed at night, you may want to choose to hide your clues somewhere outside the gates.  Just being able to see the cemetery in the foreground will be enough to add the spook your looking for.

Lastly, you’ll want to choose destinations that are relatively hidden from the public.  You will be hiding the brew ingredients and clues at least a few hours before your group starts their hunt, so it’s critical to choose a location that won’t be disturbed by the general public.  Take steps to avoid unwanted attention by hiding your clues in trees, under bridges, buried in sand, or even submerged under water.

As a side note, you can also choose a public location as well.  For example, during one party we had our guests visit a local pumpkin patch to hunt for a clue.  Before the party we purchased 6 small pumpkins from the patch and hollowed them out.  We hid the clues and the brew ingredient (I think it was a rubber snake) inside the pumpkins and then re-hid the pumpkins in the patch.  The teams had to search through a whole field of pumpkins to find the pumpkin with their clue.  These type of locations can be really fun, but they’re also more work to set up (we had to coordinate with the owners to ensure that our pumpkins weren’t disturbed) so I usually only include one or two on each hunt.

Now that you know what to look for it’s time to get out there and scout.  Don’t forget to bring your camera and take pictures of both the location where you will hide the ingredient as well as the surrounding landmarks.  The pictures will really help you when it comes time to write your clues.  Good luck!  I can’t wait to see what you come up with.  You can find the free download for the budget plan below.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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Now that you’ve decided to take the plunge and host the party of the season, it’s time to get to work.  Here’s your first set of to-dos.

Step 1: Pick a Partner in Crime
Although you can certainly manage this party on your own, sharing the excitement with a co-conspiritor is a great way to add a little spice to the planning process.  Just be sure to recruit someone that’s as determined to keep the secret as you are.  For example, when my mother-in-law, Ellen, and her friend hosted this party originally (they were the first Wanda Witches) they were so committed to keeping their secret that they managed to hide it from their spouses as well as their guests.  I’ve never been quite that sneaky.  My husband has been my best resource when it comes to pulling off this party year after year, but I love hosting it with friends as well.  The first year I tried it I worked with one of my best friends, Teresa.  We barely knew each other at the time, but after a month of scouting for clue locations, shopping for brew ingredients, and sneaking around to cover our tracks we became very close.  Whether you’ve been friends for years or you’re hoping to kick off a new friendship, choosing a friend or two to help you out and share in the secret can be a great way to boost the excitement.

Step 2: Pick a Date for Your Party
You’d think the best night for a Halloween party would be around the 31st, but surprisingly that’s not the case.  In fact, the closer you are to Halloween, the tougher it is for people to RSVP.  Give yourself a little distance from all the school, church and neighborhood events by hosting your party in mid-October instead.  You’ll find your turn out is much better and you won’t stress yourself out by cramming all the Halloween fun into one weekend.

Step 3: Make Your Invitation List
I’ve found that the ideal Wanda Witch party consists of 5 or 6 teams made up of 6-8 people (or 3-4 couples).  Any more than that and it can get a little tough to manage.  Generally, you can assume that about a 25 percent of those you invite will decline, so I suggest making a list of around 25 to 30 couples.  If you’re having a hard time coming up with that many names, you may want to call for reinforcements.  When I hosted this party in Erie, PA I had only lived in the city for a few months.  I had no idea who to invite, so I called my two new friends in the area.  I told them I was hosting an anonymous Halloween party and needed their help to make the guest list.  I wouldn’t give them any details about he party itself because I wanted to use them as team captains, but I did take their suggestions on which couples to invite.  Thanks to their advice, I was able to get to know tons of fun couples in the area in one night. 

To get started on your party planning, simply download the free Guest List file below.  It’s available in both MS Word and .PDF version.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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I must admit, I’m a bit of a Halloween fanatic.  Even though Halloween is still 8 weeks away and it’s over 90 degrees here, my fingers are already itching to transform my house into it’s full fall form.  I wasn’t always this way.  I used to see Halloween as a fun little weekend on the way to Christmas but all that changed about 7 years ago when I hosted my first Wanda Witch party.  That’s when I realized all of Halloween’s hidden potential.  I’ve been an addict ever since.

I’ve hosted loads of parties over the years, but this party is my all-time favorite.  We’ve moved 5 times in the last 7 years and regardless of where we’ve lived or how well we know the guests, this party has been a huge hit.  I’ve also passed this fun tradition to my sisters (I’ve got 6 of them) and they’ve all hosted it in different parts of the country with big success.  You should know, for the record, that this is not your average Halloween get-together.  Hosting a party like this demands a little more than a simple trip to the party store.  To pull off this party you’ll need a little creativity (don’t worry, I’ll help you there), about 5 weeks of planning, and a very good poker face.

Here’s the basic idea:  The Wanda Witch party is kind of like a very elaborate scavenger hunt (think ‘The Amazing Race’ but with a Halloween twist).  Essentially you’ll be sending your guests in teams out on a hunt around your town to pass challenges and gather hidden ingredients for a ‘grand witches brew’.  The winning team is the team that manages to retrieve all their ingredients and arrive at the party destination first.  The only hitch…no one knows who is hosting the party.  Rather than including your name as the host on the invitation, you list a witchy alias, like Wanda, Zelda, or Hilda Witch. 

Keeping your identity a secret is critical to the success of the party so you’ll go through a lot of hoops to keep it hidden.  RSVPs are gathered secretly (more on this later).  You even send yourself an invitation and place yourself on a team to keep up the illusion.  You and your spouse will play along in the game with all the others, never revealing that you’re the mastermind behind all the fun.  In fact, it’s not until the teams read their final clue on the hunt (directing them to your house) that they realize who the true host is.  You can even take it one step further and end your party in a park or restaurant and let your guests stir over who the real Wanda was for a little longer.  Once all the teams arrive at the final destination and have a chance to mingle and eat, you announce yourself as the elusive Wanda Witch, tally the scores, and award the prizes.  Then you get to sit back and revel in your success as your guests jabber on and on about how much fun they had on their hunt.

I love tons of things about this party, but perhaps my favorite is the buzz it invariably creates.  In the weeks leading up to the party, people are constantly talking about who they think Wanda is and what they think will happen at the party.  The mystery of it keeps everyone guessing and really helps build momentum.  By the time the party rolls around, everyone’s excited and ready for a great night.  Another side benefit is that, because it’s anonymous, you’re not limited to inviting only close friends.  You can invite almost anyone and the ‘buzz’ will push them to attend…it’s a great way to broaden your social circle.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “But, Maria, I’m so busy.  There’s no way I have the time to do this.” or perhaps “I’m not the creative type, this kind of party is just too much for me.”  Well, get over it!  You’ll always be busy and the only way to get out of creative slump is to kick yourself out of it.  Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll be posting a step-by-step guide with everything you need to know to host your own Wanda Witch party…all my files, great tips, detailed pictures, sample ideas…everything.  Even if you’ve never hosted a big party before, I promise that if you follow my advice you’ll have all the tools you need to host the event of the season.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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