Thank you for the tip. Researching this, it appears that “the big switch” may be my best bet and to essentially follow the directions from this thread:
"Virtual Switch to turn on/off Multiple Lights Based on IFTTT Trigger Event?"
I will need to buy a smartthings Hub which is fine. Including what you helped me with above (the Wemo switch wired with power but having the bulbs always be powered), does this sound like the best solution or is there something else out there that I need to look into first?