Blog Articles
Games and activities for a bridal shower
As all gatherings don't lend themselves to games, most agree the bridal shower is the perfect place for the guests to relax, get to know one another and have fun. Types of games vary depending on the size of the shower, the theme, the age of the guests and the time allotted. Just remember to have lots of prizes – like movie passes, body lotion, elegant chocolates, or gourmet coffees and teas - because some guests are quite competitive. If necessary, be prepared to "retire" the winners so other guests can have a chance to win something, too. It is also a good idea to select different types of games to keep guests interested and on their toes. Though three games seems to be a nice number, allowing for both silliness and special moments, it's wise to be prepared to play fewer or more games depending on how the shower progresses.
Here are our best ideas for games and activities with a wedding theme:
§ Her Words Activity – (Paper and pencil required) Ask a guest to write down the bride’s exact words as she opens each present. After the bride has finished opening her gifts, read her words as if they were her wedding vows. A variation of this game is called "Under the Covers." In this version, the reader adds the words "under the covers" each time she reads the bride's comments.
§ The Candy Game – Each person is given 10 pieces of candy. Going around the room, the first person makes a statement about themselves starting with the phrase, “I never...” For example, “I never eat red meat” or “I have never gone scuba diving.” If any other guest agrees the statement is true about them as well (for example, they do not eat red meat or are not a scuba diver), they must eat a piece of candy or put it back in the candy dish. Everyone takes a turn making a statement while the others monitor for truthfulness. Whoever has the most pieces of candy left at the end of the game, wins.
§ Guess the Celebrity/Friend Game – Cut out pictures of celebrity couples and glue them onto a big piece of cardboard. Cover the faces so only the bodies are showing. Whoever guesses the most celebrities correctly, wins. This game can also be played with pictures of friends or family members.
§ It’s in the Bag Game – (Paper and pencil required) Buy 10 paper sacks (make sure you can’t see through them), number them, put a new, cheap kitchen item in each one and staple it shut. The kitchen item should be a hard to guess gadget such as a spaghetti measurer. During the shower, each bag is passed around one at a time. Guests are to guess what’s in each sack and write their answer down. After everyone has had a chance, reveal what was in each bag. The person with the most correct answers wins a prize. You may present the items to the bride or use them as door prizes.
§ Love Basket Activity – Everyone is asked to bring an item the bride and groom can use on their honeymoon (comical, practical, romantic and so on). Place a large basket by the door, and as each guest enters the shower location, she can put her item in the basket. After the basket of gifts has been shown to everyone, the bride is given the lot.
§ Pass and Sniff Game – Pass just opened jars of spices around to blindfolded guests, who then must guess what is in each jar. Each winner keeps her spice or donates it to the bride. Make sure to start passing each spice with the person sitting next to the last winner so everyone has a chance.
§ The Purse Game – Create a list of ten or fifteen items such as paper clips, lip balm or chewing gum. Divide your guests into teams of two or three. The teams must then search in their purses for the designated items. Whichever team comes up with the highest number of items, wins.
§ Scale Game – Bring a scale to the shower and ask each person to place her purse on it, one at a time. The heaviest and lightest purses win.
§ Share a quote/hint – (Pen required) Purchase a small notebook or scrapbook. During the party, pass the book around and invite guests to share their favorite quote or piece of advice for the bride. Artistic guests might dash off a drawing of something related to the wedding, while poets might be inspired to write a few lines. Give the book to the bride at the end of the shower.
§ Trivia – (Paper and pencil required) The classic trivia game can be updated for the shower by the hostess. This homemade version is especially fun because the questions are personalized. Use questions such as, “How did the bride and groom meet?” or "How many people will be in the wedding party?" or "How much shopping will the bride do on her honeymoon?"
§ Wedding Bingo – Aside from traditional bingo, variations can be played with bingo cards showing household appliances in each square. As the bride opens each gift, the corresponding square is marked. Alternatively, the hostess can provide a jar filled with the names of the items found in the bingo card squares. A third option is to use bingo cards with romantic words or words associated with weddings in each square. Examples are love, marriage, hearts, romance, honeymoon, gifts, groom, bride, wedding cake, veil, best man, wedding dress, bridesmaid, flower girl, guests and so on.
§ Wedding Gown Challenge – Divide your shower guests into teams of three to five persons. Give each team three rolls of toilet paper and a roll of transparent tape. Each team will choose a "bride" to dress in a toilet paper wedding gown and veil. The real bride chooses the winning gown from the glamorous "creations."
§ The Wedding Story – (Paper and pen required) Each guest take a turns adding sentences to a tale of love and marriage beginning with openers like these: "Once upon a time there were two wonderful/interesting/special people" or "She was almost run down by a man on a white horse, so she decided to file a lawsuit" or "The fair maiden dreamed of passionate kisses, but seemed destined to endure only dog slobber." Guests should be encouraged to be very creative and, of course, the story need not be true! A guest with good handwriting writes the entire story down as it is being told. Alternatively, an accurate typist types the story on a nearby computer so it can be printed out as a keepsake for the bride and guests.
§ Who Am I Activity – This is a good icebreaker when the guests are not generally well known to one another. Pin or tape (inquire as the guest's preference so as not to ruin expensive clothing) the name of famous person onto the back of each guest. Guests question other guests to find out which celebrity's name they bear.
§ Word Scramble Game – (Pencil required) Give each guest a list of scrambled words with a theme such as famous couples or romantic movies. A timer is set, and the person who unscrambles the most names in the time allotted wins. Another version of this game is to use a list of scrambled words related to weddings such as ring, flowers, ushers, garter and shower.