Skip the same activities and games that you find at a typical bridal shower, and keep your guests guessing what is coming next. By choosing a more unique variety of games, you can add unexpected fun and surprises to a bridal shower, making it a memorable day not only for the bride but for all the guests as well.
Ideas for Unique Wedding Shower Games
Add a fun twist to the shower and feature unique games such as:
Bridal Scavenger Hunt
There are several variations to this classic party game that are suitable for a bridal shower.
- Themed Hunt: Themed items could be hidden around the party location and the team that finds the most wins a prize. Be sure to use a creative theme, such as Happy Honeymoon, where you hide items such as sexy lingerie, sunglasses, a road map, camera, and a beach towel.
- Purse Hunt: Make a list of items that could be found in a woman's purse. Include common items such as lipstick, business card, aspirin, photos, and driver's license, as well as more uncommon items such as a deck of cards, paperback book, child's toy, etc. Ask each guest to locate the items in their purse. Whoever has the most is the winner.
- Gift Giving Scavenger Hunt: The scavenger hunt could also be used in lieu of giving traditional gifts. Let guests know about this contribution beforehand and give each person one clue for an item to be purchased. Ideas include "something fun for the bedroom" or "a way to make something sweet in the kitchen." At the party, hand out a list of all the clues. As the bride unwraps each gift, guests must figure out which gift fulfills which clue. The guest with the most correct wins.
Bridal Shower Gift Bingo
Instead of handing out printed Bingo cards with wedding words, each guest is given a blank card that they fill in with gifts they think the bride will receive (the guest's own gift is the center free space). As the bride opens her gifts, guests can play along. Whoever gets their card marked off first is the winner. You can continue playing until all the gifts are opened and hand out several small prizes to the winners.
Toilet Paper Veil
A different twist on the classic toilet paper wedding dress is the toilet paper wedding veil. Guests are given a certain amount of toilet paper or crepe paper and have a limited amount of time to craft a veil. The bride then chooses her favorite to wear for the rest of the shower, or even to wear at the wedding rehearsal. Be sure to take plenty of pictures, since this is sure to be a fun memory for the bride and all the guests.
Bridal Scrapbooking Contest
Crafty party guests will enjoy the opportunity to help the bride make a bridal scrapbook. The party host should supply basic scrapbooking supplies as well as either page themes or photos for guests to work with. The pages can then be placed in a keepsake book as a gift for the happy couple.
To add another element of fun to this activity, turn it into a contest. You can divide the group into teams and place them each at a table with the supplies. Set a timer and let the guests begin creating their pages. Once the timer goes off, guests must stop making their pages and turn them in. You can judge the pages on the most creative, silliest, prettiest, most unusual, etc.
Friends Forever
In this trivia game, each guest writes down a favorite memory of the bride. The bride then reads each memory aloud, and guests record who they think shares that memory. The guest with the most right answers is the winner. If no one guesses correctly, the person who shared the memory gets extra points.
Bridal Horrors Fashion Show
Guests will have a blast with a bad bridal fashion show by dressing up in the ugliest bridesmaid dresses they can find. Thrift stores and clearance centers are great places to find cheap bridesmaid dresses and used wedding dresses, so no guest has to spend too much. Let everyone vote on who has the most hideous dress. Extra points go to the guest who wears an ensemble she actually wore at a previous wedding.
You can also provide the clothing and divide the guests into teams. They have to pick one person from each team to be the model and use the items provided to make an outfit. Let the bride decide the team with the ugliest dress.
Pass the Presents
This is a bridal version of hot potato. Before the shower, purchase several small gifts and wrap them in pretty paper. To play, follow these directions:
- Seat guests in a circle and distribute three or four wrapped gifts are among them.
- Give the bride a short story to read, perhaps a funny one you write about her upcoming wedding day.
- As the bride reads a story, guests must pass the gifts to the left or right every time they hear certain words in the story. The words could be the words "left" or "right" or they might be other variations such as "bride" and "groom" or the couple's names. The more frequently the passing words are used and the faster the story is read, the more fun the game will be.
- Whoever messes up with passing the gift is out and the others continue to play.
- At the end, whoever is left gets one of the gifts as a prize.
Who Said That
Have the bride and groom-to-be answer questions about themselves and their relationship. The list can include favorite songs, actors, what movies they have seen, weird facts about each of them, hobbies, etc. Have guests guess whether the bride or groom marked it down as one of their favorites.
The Groom's Legs
This game is sure to bring plenty of laughs. Ask the groom-to-be to show up at this part of the shower, as well as a few of his friends. Blindfold the bride-to-be and line up all the guys. Have her feel each guy's leg until she has felt them all. She will then guess which one is her groom.
Describe the Bride
This game is easy to play and fun for all ages. Ask the bride-to-be to mingle with all the guests when the shower first begins. At some point, have her leave the shower. Ask the guests to write down as much as they can remember about the bride-to-be. They should describe her clothing, hair, shoes, jewelry, makeup, and any other specific details they want to write down. Then, ask the bride-to-be to return to the shower and see which guest has the most descriptions correctly written down.
Fun Shower Games for All
Bridal shower games can be fun activities, but guests should not be forced to participate in games they don't feel comfortable playing. Instead, allow them to be scorekeepers, judges, or other roles that keeps them involved without being uncomfortable. Games should also be chosen to suit the guests - older relatives may not be happy with a fast-paced scavenger hunt, for example. The party host should encourage all guests to participate without pressure, and she should take plenty of pictures to commemorate the fun.
