Winchester Haunted High Tea with the Vogel Victorian

I’m all in when it comes to a unique experience at the Winchester Mystery House and the Haunted High Tea with Diana of the Vogel Victorian delivered exactly that!

I am no stranger to the variety of events and experiences the Winchester Mystery House has offered. My own experiences include a medium séance on the 100th anniversary of Sarah Winchester’s death, a whole year of centennial speaker series diving deep into the histories of Illanda Villa, in addition to a private tour and lunch to celebrate my 10 year anniversary. Of course, all have had very special moments and intriguing quirks. Without a doubt, this haunted high tea may have made its way onto the list as one of my top favorite experiences.

What to Wear for a Winchester Haunted High Tea?

When we purchased tickets on March 2nd, I immediately thought about what I could throw together in less than a month. In truth, the black and white stripe Victorian gown I made pre-children no longer fit me like it once did. Secondly, online options would be limited with our time frame. In spite of that, I even considered making a true form tea gown. Sadly, the fabric I wanted to use wouldn’t arrive until the weekend before the event. There was no way I trusted myself to sew a whole dress over one weekend.

Thankfully, I found this beautiful green number on Amazon. For some reason, I was obsessing over the idea of daisies once I saw it and that’s the vibe I ran with. For this reason, I purchased an embroidered trim, a lace trim, and some daisy patches to sew onto both of our vests. Erick found his vest and pant/shirt ensemble on Amazon. Then it was time to customize each piece. I was literally still stitching little touches up to the moment we pulled into Winchester’s parking lot. However, I got it done!

The final look was not as detailed as I had hoped, but it still pulled off the general idea. In the end, the compliments made every last minute touch worth it. Would you be interested in hearing about all the details of my dress? Let me know down in the comments and I’ll revisit it in another post. I’m sure you are more than ready to get into the haunted high tea details at Winchester…

A Haunted Tea Welcome

Upon arrival through the Daisy gate, we were greeted by Mr. Vogel. We were offered a choice of drinks to enjoy while we waited to enter the house. I was also greeted by some other crazy information (what-what?!), which got me a bit good emotional. As we sipped, Erick and I took one of only three photos of us together from the evening. Meanwhile, guests were encouraged to mingle together and we exchanged pleasantries with a handful of the other guests. Erick and I chatted with the cutest couple, who happened to be the only other couple dressed in historic garb. Naturally, this excluded the evening’s hostess.

Then, after 15 minutes, we were ushered to the front of the house. Guests were welcomed into the foyer to take photos at two spots set up as photo ops. (Cathy and JR were just too adorable not to snag a pic of!) Once everyone had settled in, we gathered around to watch a video. It reviewed what to expect for our haunted high tea at Winchester and then we met our hostess, Diana.

Protection Jars in the Twin Dining Rooms

Following introductions, we were then directed to the twin dining rooms from the parlor. Two stations had been set up between each room with assorted apothecary jars. Each was filled with assorted herbs and their meanings. Diana then presented a wonderful demonstration for how the building of our charm should go. We were handed a small vial to fill and encouraged to get to it. We were told to shout out across the rooms for jars or intentions we needed. I found that bit particularly enjoyable. I felt the only thing lacking from this activity was a little checklist to mark all the herbs used. Another guest had the brilliant idea of taking photos of each herb and I followed suit.

One of the biggest points Diana made about these protection jars was that there would be one more step once we got home. We had to keep them somewhere visible as a reminder of the intentions we had in mind while making them. This would act as a suggestion for how to help manifest what we want from the vial. It’s all very personal and I’m not doing her explanation justice. However, I’m happy to report we did just that and vials are currently in view where they should be. (Even Erick placed his vial in an important place!)

As we wrapped things up in the twin dining rooms, I took a moment to snag some pics. This spot in particular is a place you rarely, if ever, have access to on tours. These are some of my favorite photos in one of my favorite spaces. COBWEBS~!

Pre-Tea Toasts, Tour & a Séance In the Basement

Vials completed and bagged, we were led to the original farmhouse kitchen by tour guide, Freddie. She gave a little history about the kitchen. Next, we were served chocolate croissants and salted caramel-rimmed cider shots. After that, we toasted. Upon which, we learned a Victorian custom to look at the person you’re toasting with in the eye or you will die. I wished I had recorded Diana’s toast. It aligned so much with how I feel about what I do with Cheers! with Chelsea. I just can’t remember it exactly, but it was most stirring.

Once treats and drink were finished, Freddie led us on a half-tour of the house. We went from Sarah’s bedroom to the 7-11 staircase. Finally, we made it to the basement. Guests were handed a candle and a hard hat to descend down the stairs. No photos or video were allowed during the séance. Despite this, I had such an amazing experience. For the record, I have never been on a ghost hunt. It has been something I’ve seen on tv, heard about from fellow podcasters, and read about. In fact, the closest I’ve ever participated in one was during Beyond the Veil. Comparatively, I would say these two experiences can’t be compared. Diana was such a great educator for this experience. Due to her guidance, I walked away honored to have learned about and experience something very new to me.

Haunted High Tea in the Ballroom

With the “haunted” portion finished, it was at last time for our Winchester high tea! Everyone was seated with a “snarky” tea cup. Later, we read our individual cups out loud to the group. At this point, we were served a tomato bisque in a cup. At this point, Erick leaned over to me and remarked how, “we should always serve soup this way”. Our attention was brought to the tiered trays loaded with tea sandwiches and sweets. Although, I would say the scone was the star of the whole array. I would like to emphasize that everything was beyond delightful.

Once food was finished, we were directed back towards the front door. Goodbyes were said. Lastly, guests were instructed to wish Sarah goodnight. Erick and I lingered a little longer, snapping one final picture with Diana and one of Winchester’s team members. As a result, the two of us were officially the last two guests out of the house. All in all, a delightful evening to wrap up 11 years of marriage!

Curious about the Vogel Victorian?

For those unfamiliar, the creative hostess of our evening was Diana of the Vogel Victorian. Diana is living the dream in her gorgeous Victorian home. For the past two years, she gets to dress up and host haunted high tea parties four months at a time. I got to learn quite a bit about Diana thanks to episode 51 of By Pumpkin’s Light. Be sure to give the episode a listen and follow Diana on the Vogel Victorian Instagram! The episode was quite the delight as I finished sewing details onto my look for the haunted tea. This past weekend at Winchester won’t be the only places to encounter the Vogels this year. Keep up with them on social media as they bring their tea parties on the road! Their next stop will be at the Lizzie Borden house in May for Mother’s Day.