Ideas For Bridal Shower Games
Bridal showers, like baby showers, can be lots of fun, or they can be as interesting as watching paint peel. As a party planner, you are responsible for creating a party that is fun for the bride and her guests. Many of these guests have not met each other before this point, or have met only briefly. One of the purposes of a bridal shower is to give the guests a chance to mingle and get to know one another. Like at any other party, games can play a big role in breaking the ice. Here are some ideas for bridal shower games to keep the party interesting:
*Don't do this:
In this game, the guests are given a clothes pin or other marker when they arrive and are told not to say a certain word or phrase or perform a certain action, such a crossing their legs. If they are caught doing this, the person who observed them breaking the rule gets to take their marker away. The person with the most markers at the end of the party wins a small door prize.
*Famous couples:
In this bridal shower game, guests are given one half of a famous or known couple and they must guess the other half. Couples might be: Sonny/Cher, Brad/Angelina, Tom/Katie, Henry VIII/Marie Antoinette, Robin of Locksley/Maid Marion, Arthur/Lady Guinevere, etc. You may also include names of people at the party and their other halves.
*Herbs and spices:
This is a, thankfully tame, variation on the diaper game from baby showers. In this game, the guests must identify herbs by smell only. The guest who gets the most correct guesses may win a small prize.
*How well do you know the bride?
This is a game you will have a hand in creating. Write a list of questions and answers about the bride. Where did she grow up? What is her favorite color? Where did she meet her groom? Pass out the questions to the guests. The one with the most correct answers wins.
*Bride Bingo:
This game goes hand-in-hand with gift giving at the shower. Each guest is given a sheet with 25 open spaces. They will list an item in each space that they think the bride will receive at the shower. As the bride opens her gifts, they will mark off items on their bingo card. Five across, down, or diagonally wins.
*Raffle and door prizes:
You may choose to give away small gifts to guests, to be given away as they complete the games. You could also have a raffle, giving each guest a ticket as they arrive and holding the raffle at the end of the party. Gifts might be: candles, small live herbs or houseplants, bags of candy, or other small prizes. These prizes are not a requirement at a shower, though.
The games are intended to move the party along. If everyone is conversing well on their own and wants to get to the opening of gifts, you may choose to do that. It is not necessary to get to every game you have planned. The games can simply add fun and irreverence to what is hopefully a relaxing and memorable day for the bride.
Alex Lemone is a wedding and engagement writer who has written about bridal etiquette and other wedding ideas. Be sure to visit Wedding Ideas Etc for more wedding related articles and tips. Note: If you find this article useful, you may reprint it on your website, e-zine, or in your newsletter as long as the credits and resource box remain in tact and the hyperlinks are active.
