When it comes to bridal shower games, visions of "pin the tail on the groom" and "toilet paper wedding dress" usually come to mind (with a resounding groan!).
Relax, you´re not restricted to these traditional, albeit a tad cliché, bridal shower staples. There are tons of other shower games please all types of crowds – from the sentimental, to the slightly scandalous, to everything in between.
Here are nine categorized top picks for bridal shower games:
The Classics1) What is the Bride Wearing?
The Gist: Memory/Observation Skills
How to Play: The bride discretely leaves the room about halfway into the shower (after everyone has had some time to visit with her). The host then asks each guest questions about the bride´s outfit: What fabric? High heels or flats? Hair up or down? Necklace or no necklace? Etc. Each guest with a perfect score wins a prize.
2) Bridal Bingo
The Gist: Duh, it´s bingo with wedding-related bingo cards
How to Play: This one´s pretty obvious. Create bingo cards, but replace the word BINGO with BRIDE along the top. Instead of numbers, list items related to weddings or to the bridal couple inside the squares (i.e. where the couple got engaged or the name of the wedding venue). Play the game like traditional bingo: the first guest to complete a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line wins a prize.
3) Spice of Life
The Gist: Tests culinary knowledge
How to Play: Gather a number of spices and place them in unmarked, numbered containers. Have each guest write down what she thinks each one is. The guest with the most correct answers wins the collection of spices.
Get Sentimental4) Words of Wisdom
The Gist: Guests "shower" the bride with advice.
How to Play: Include blank cards in shower invitations and instruct guests to write a nugget of advice for a happy marriage on the card (you can also request a recipe, cooking tip, words of encouragement, etc.). Guests will take turns reading their advice aloud at the shower. The host will gather all the submissions into a scrapbook keepsake for the bride.
5) Memory Lane
The Gist: Reminisce shared memories and friendships.
How to Play: Include a blank card and a request to write down a favorite memory of the bride with the shower invitations. At the shower, each guest reads their memory aloud, and the bride must guess which guest wrote it. The host can then compile each story into a memory book for the bride. At the end of the day, the bride has a pile of keepsakes representing her life´s milestone moments and the bonds she shares with each guest.
6) Poetry Reading
The Gist: Treat a bride with a literary passion to a feast of poetry
How to Play: Have all attendees bring a poem containing wisdom or sentiment about love or marriage, and take turns reading. The day will be intellectually enriching and inspiring.
Spice It Up7) Wedding Night Preview
The Gist: Good for laughs with a racy undertone
How to Play: As the bride opens each gift, a guest will secretly write down everything she says (i.e. – "I´ve always needed one of those" or "What a beautiful piece!") After all the gifts are opened, that person will read back the bride´s comments as the words she´ll say on her wedding night.
8) Honeymoon Scavenger Hunt
The Gist: A sexy take on the traditional scavenger hunt
How to Play: Hide sexy items like lacy lingerie or fuzzy handcuffs throughout the party location (house, backyard, or wherever the party will be). Divide guests into teams and give them a list of items to find. The team that finds the most item wins.
9) Never Have I Never
The Gist: Skeletons in the closet
How to Play: Guests take turns completing the phrase "Never have I ever…" with a scandalous deed (i.e. "never have I ever kissed two boys in one night"). Anyone who has done it takes a drink, and if only one person drinks – that person has to cough up the details to the rest of the group.
You can find even more You can find even more
bridal shower games ideas here at Elegala.com.
Author Bio:
Cori Russell is editor for
Elegala.com and Gala Weddings Magazine. Elegala.com is a comprehensive
wedding planning resource with a national directory of wedding venues and services, along with articles, expert advice, checklists and photo galleries to lead brides through every step of the planning process.