Are you throwing a bridal shower, but can’t seem to figure out what games you should use to keep your guests upbeat and participating? Look no further! After tons of research, and a whole lot of reminiscing, I have put together a list of the best games for bridal showers. Each game listed also comes with a handy set of instructions to take the guess work out of it, and to make YOU the best bridal shower host there is! Participating in games at showers is the best way for guests to get to know each other and relax. Also try setting the mood for the shower by having music playing softly in the background.
Be sure to get as many guests active as you can, you can do that by choosing a variety of different games below. The games range from downright silliness, to getting to know each other and the couple that is getting married. And before you start choosing your games to host at the shower, be sure to think about whether or not the guests will be comfortable with some of the games, since a few of them require close contact/personal interaction about adult subjects. If most of your guests are old friends and of the same age range, then feel free to spice it up with some of the more personal games. Having gifts of any sort on hand for the “winner” of each chosen game is a good idea. The biggest key to any successful bridal shower, is to keep it fun for you and the guests!
Bride & Groom Match Up
Before the shower, get together with the groom and ask him a certain amount of personal questions about himself that the bride should know the answers to. When the game begins, ask the guests to write down on a piece of paper how many questions they think the bride will answer correctly about the groom. Questions can include (but certainly aren’t limited to) his favorite school subject, favorite movie, favorite food, or anything random that you can get an answer to. The guest who chose the number closest to the amount of answers that the bride guessed correctly, receives a gift.
A My Name Is Alice
This game is an easy way for your guests to get to know each other, and something unique about them. Start with yourself. If your name is Sara, you would start with S my name is Sara, and I like snow fights (the point is for the person to point out something they like that begins with their name). The next person in line, let’s say her name is Mary, would say M my name is Mary, and I like marshmallows. She would THEN say… Her name is Sara, and she likes snow fights. Each person in line must remember the persons before her, and their likes. By the end of the game, each guest will either know each other, or some of them might be confused about who they are themselves.
Pin In A Rice Bowl
Get a medium sized bowl and fill it with uncooked rice. Throw in 20-30 of the smaller safety pins. Blindfold each guest in turn, and have them see how many safety pins they can remove from the bowl of rice in 30 seconds. The one who removes the most, is the winner.
Using two different sets of cards, hand one set out to the guests and keep the other for yourself. Split the cards up between them as evenly as possible. Have 10 items placed on the floor in the middle of the group (we use items from the Dollar Store that are useful around the home). Shuffle the deck, and call out the top card. The guest who has that card may choose one of the items from the floor, and must hide it somewhere on or near them (be sure to use smaller items that can be hidden). If their card was called, they must hand that card to you, and you can place it in a separate pile of discards. Repeat the process until all items are no longer on the floor. Then comes the fun part! Each guest should have been watching who chose what, and each time you call a card now, the guest who has it can point at another guest and ask for the item that they had. BUT they must ask for the item specifically, they can’t point and say “I want the item that you have.” Specifying the item makes it more of a chore. Once they “use” their card, they turn it in. When your pile of cards are gone, each guest may reveal the item(s) that they still have, which are now theirs to keep.
Clothespin Game
As guests arrive, fix a clothespin to their shirt in a spot where others will see it. Each time someone in the room says the bride’s name, groom’s name, or mentions the word “wedding”, the first guest to point it out gets to take their pin and attach it to their own shirt. At the end of the bridal shower, the guest with the most clothespins gets a gift.
What’s In The Bag
Before the bridal shower, place 10 items in a brown paper bag. They can be anything you can think of, I like to choose items with an odd shape, or put a few in that all have the same shop but are entirely different items. Write down on a piece of paper what each item will be worth in points if your guests happen to guess them correctly. Keep this list hidden until the game is over. Blindfold each guest separately, and have them stick their hands in the bag. They have 30 seconds to guess as many items as they can. Write down the amount of points for each guest, and reveal the items at the end of the game. The guest with the most correct guesses wins.
Never Game
Give each guest a total of 10 small identical items (we use small candies). Have them hold onto them for this particular game. Start with yourself, and make a true statement (ie; I never sleep with my socks on). Each guest who never sleeps with their socks on must throw their item into a pile on the floor. Go around the room, having each person make a true statement about themselves, and the others agreeing by throwing in their item or disagreeing by keeping theirs. At the end of the game, the person who still has the most items left receives a gift.
What’s On The Apron
Purchase an apron, and 15-20 utensils or small kitchen items that can be pinned/taped/tied to the apron. Fix each item to it, and at the bridal shower have the bride put the apron on at the start of this game. Have her walk around the room for one full minute so the guests can look at each item on it. Then, have the bride leave the room. Hand out writing utensils and paper, and have the guests see how many of those items they can write down in two minutes. The one who gets the most correct, gets the apron and everything on it!
Secret Word Game
Write a word on a piece of cardboard, and cover it with a towel or something of the like. Tell the bride precisely what the word is. Put it where guests will see it as they arrive. Explain to each guest that there is a secret word under that towel, and the first person to use that word while talking to the bride will get a gift. So if the word is “bouquet” the first one to say it to the bride will win.
Guess The Smell
Using 10 styrofoam cups, pour a small amount of different items into each one. Cover the lid of each with aluminum foil, and poke a small hole in the center of each so the guests can smell what’s inside. Label each cup 1 through 10. Have each guest sniff each cup, then write down on a piece of paper what they think is in each cup. The guest to get the most smells correct is the winner. Different things to use can include spices or seasonings, body washes or lotions, pieces of food, or anything that could be identified by its smell.
As you can tell, all of the above games are great for a bridal shower where there isn’t much room for each guest to get up and be active. These games were chosen for the comfort of the guests, and the host. I’m sure that everyone will join in and have the time of their life at the bridal shower that YOU hosted!
