With the growing popularity of wedding celebrations in recent years, bridal showers have also become a trending event. In this article, we’ll provide you with easy bridal shower game ideas, bridal shower activities, and all the other fun things that you can do to avoid a plain, corny, and yawn-inducing party for your inner circle.
What is a Bridal Shower?
A bridal shower program is a celebration held before the wedding day. It is a time for the bride-to-be to enjoy quality time with her closest girlfriends, relatives, and acquaintances. The point of a bridal shower is for the guests to “shower” the bride-to-be with gifts to help her start her married life.
Tradition dictates that the bride’s Maid of Honor plans and sets up the bridal shower. This is because the Maid of Honor is the bride’s right-hand woman and she is tasked to make sure that everything related to the wedding runs smoothly — from the bachelorette party up to the big day.
Not to be confused with a despedida de soltera, which is unlike the Western idea of a pre-wedding bachelorette party where the bride and her girlfriends go all out and let loose before she gets married, a despedida de soltera is a more subdued gathering that still allows the bride to celebrate her impending nuptials with her closest companions. It’s usually characterized by the bride’s family hosting a dinner to celebrate their beloved’s farewell to singlehood.
Bridal showers can either be co-ed or women-only events. Alongside the maid of honor, it’s also part of bridesmaid responsibilities to make sure that the bridal shower is a memorable event for both the bride and the guests.
If you’re planning on throwing a bridal shower for your friend or loved one, here are some fun ideas that you can do to make sure that everyone has a good time.
Fun Bridal Shower Games to Play
Listed below in no particular order are ten of the more popular, traditional, and unique bridal shower games played at wholesome (or semi-wholesome) hen parties. These offer fun, easy, and mildly challenging activities that allow the bride’s squad to interact, get to know each other, and celebrate the bride’s life right before she ties the knot.
- Where Were We?
- The Newlywed Game
- Would the Bride-To-Be Rather
- How Old is the Bride and Groom Photo Challenge
- Recipe Contest
- Paper Bride
- Two Truths and a Lie
- The Lingerie Game
- A Favorite Memory
- Cocktail Concoction and Drinking Contest
You can mix and match a number of games to play at your dear friend’s bridal shower, and depending on how creative you want to be, feel free to modify these games to make them more interesting, a tad naughtier, or more meaningful and sentimental.
Surely, these are just a few of the many wedding games that can be done during a marriage-related event like a bridal shower program.
10 Games to Play at a Bridal Shower
Where Were We?
Materials needed:
- 10 numbered photographs of the marrying couple in specific locations
- Personal whiteboards or placards
- Markers
Number of players: Two or more
Mechanics:
- The Game Master shows the 10 numbered photos to the guests.
- The bridal shower guests have to guess and write down the locations in the photographs.
- The guest/s with the most number of correct answers win.
- The guests can explain their answers or retell stories about the photos for plus points.
- The bride shares a story about the photographs as she reveals the answers.
- The guest/s with the most number of correct answers wins.
The Newlywed Game
Materials needed:
- A list of questions
- Answer key to questions. This requires the Game Master to interview the bride-to-be’s fiancé before the bridal shower and ask him questions about their relationship like, “Where or when was your first kiss?”; “Where did you first meet?”; “What’s her comfort food?”)
- Pre-recorded video of the bride-to-be’s fiancé answering and reacting to the questions
- Personal whiteboard or placard
- Markers
Number of players: One (the bride-to-be)
Mechanics:
- The bride is the only player of the game, while the bridal shower host, maid of honor, or game master asks her the same questions that her fiancé answered in the video.
- The bride writes down her answers on the game card.
- Every time the bride answers a question, the video of the fiancé is played to see if they had the same answer.
- For every wrong answer of the bride, she can be given a consequence, like a shot of tequila. Or for every correct answer, she can win a prize.
Would the Bride-To-Be Rather
Materials needed:
- A list of questions like: “Coffee or tea?”; “Lights on or lights off?”; “Shave or wax?”; etc.
- Personal whiteboards or placards
- Markers
Number of players: Two or more
Mechanics:
- The game master provides two options for different categories as the guests guess which of the two choices will the bride pick.
- The guests reveal their answers on the whiteboard as the bride gives her answers for every question.
- The guest/s with the most points wins.
How Old is the Bride and Groom Photo Challenge
Materials needed:
- Photos of the bride and groom at various stages in their life
- Personal whiteboards or placards
- Markers
Number of players: Two or more
Mechanics:
- The game master shows photos of the bride and groom to the players.
- The guests or players will have to guess the age of the bride or groom and write it down.
- The bride or game master reveals the answers after every photograph.
- The player/s with the most correct answers wins.
Recipe Contest
Materials needed:
- Pre-bridal shower event notification for the guests to come with a prepared recipe
- Optional: the actual finished product of the recipe
Number of players: Two or more
Mechanics:
- The bridal shower guests have to come prepared with a meal recipe for the future married couple to cook in their home.
- The guests then explain why they have chosen that specific recipe for the couple.
- The bride reads all the recipes, chooses her favorite, and awards a prize to the winner.
- If the guests come with the actual finished recipe, the bride can do a live tasting to judge the winning meal.
Paper Bride
Materials needed:
- Rolls of tissue paper
- Rolls of tape
- Pairs of scissors
Number of players: By group (six or more)
Mechanics:
- The game master divides the group into teams of three to four members, wherein one member of the team plays as the model while the others try to design a wedding gown made of tissue paper.
- The models strut their crummy gowns for the bride as the judge.
- The bride picks her favorite creation and the winning team gets a prize.
Two Truths and One Lie
Materials needed:
- None!
Number of players: Two or more
Mechanics:
- Each player introduces herself and mentions three experiences she’s shared with the bride, but only two of these three stories are actually true.
- The other players are each given a chance to choose which one is the lie.
- After all players have done a round, everyone who gets a correct answer scores a point.
- The player with the most points after a set number of rounds wins.
The Lingerie Game
Materials needed:
- The bridal shower guests have to come prepared with gifts of lingerie for the bride
Number of players: Three or more
Mechanics:
- The bridal shower guests each bring lingerie as a gift for the bride, but the gifts have to match their personality, style, branding, or character.
- All the gifts are then presented to the bride, which the bride has to match with each of the guests that are playing.
- For every correct or wrong answer, the bride can either win a prize or face a penalty, respectively.
A Favorite Memory
Materials needed:
- Personal whiteboards or placards
- Markers
Number of players: Two or more
Mechanics:
- Without the bride-to-be knowing, each player writes down a favorite memory that they shared with the bride-to-be.
- The placards or whiteboards are then handed out to the bride-to-be, which she then reads out loud one by one, as she also chooses the guests that she thinks wrote the memory.
- There are no actual winners for this game, but the bride can choose a favorite one and declare that as the winner.
Cocktail Concoction and Drinking Contest
Materials needed:
- Cocktail ingredients
- Glasses, stirrers, shakers, and other mixology tools
Number of players: Two or more
Mechanics:
- Using the available ingredients, the bridal shower guests each try to come up with a signature cocktail for the bride-to-be.
- The bride-to-be then gives each drink a taste and judges the best one.
- The winning mixologist gets a prize and lets all the guests give her drink a try.
How Many Games Should be Played at a Bridal Shower?
This is a tough question because it depends on the group size, attention span, and the general feel of the party. If you have a large group, you might want to stick to one or two bigger games so everyone can participate. If it’s a smaller group or everyone seems to be losing interest, playing too many games might not be the best idea. In general, we think three to four games is a good amount to keep things fun and entertaining.
Some blog on the internet mentions that a good way to manage the number of games played at a bridal shower is to allocate an hour for every game. So this means that the total number of games will depend on the schedule of the bridal shower, like how long is the event going to be, and of course, the bride’s preference.
When it comes to picking bridal shower games, there are a few things you’ll want to consider. First, make sure the game can accommodate the number of guests you have. You don’t want anyone to feel left out or like they’re not playing an active role in the party. Team games are also an option, too!
Second, try to choose games that will get everyone laughing and interacting with each other. Ice breaker type of games are a nice way to start the party.
And lastly, avoid any games that might be seen as cheesy or tacky. We know it can be tempting to play some of the classic bridal shower games (like the toilet paper wedding dress game), but trust us, your guests will thank you for steering clear of anything too corny. Unless, of course, old school bridal shower games like that is the bride’s cup of tea, then knock yourself out.
Now that you know what to look for in a bridal shower game, it’s time to start brainstorming which ones to play!
Other Things to Do at a Bridal Shower
While wedding games are a great way to break the ice and get everyone involved, they’re not the only activity you can do at a bridal shower. Giving out bridal shower favors, like giveaways and personalized memorabilia, is one thing to make every guest feel treasured. If you’re looking for something a little different, but something without male strippers, here are a few other ideas:
Spa or Pamper Party
One of the best parts about being a bride is getting pampered and feeling like a princess leading up to the big day. What better way to celebrate than by throwing a spa or pamper party for the bride and her guests? This can be done at an actual spa or in the comfort of your own home. You can even hire a professional to come and give everyone mini massages, facials, or mani-pedis.
DIY Station
If the bride is crafty or enjoys DIY projects, setting up a little station where guests can make something for her is a fun activity. This could be anything from decorating vases or plant pots to making homemade bath bombs.
Cocktail Making Class
Taking cue from one of the bridal shower games, this one’s for the bride who loves to drink (or is just curious about mixology). A cocktail making class can be a fun and unique way to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. You can hire a professional bartender to come and teach everyone how to make some of the bride’s favorite drinks. Or, if you’re feeling extra generous, you can foot the bill for everyone to take a class at a local bartending school.
Scavenger Hunt
If the bride is known for being competitive, a scavenger hunt could be the perfect activity. You can either make it a race to see who can find all the items on the list first or break everyone up into teams. Either way, it’s a great way to get everyone moving and interacting with each other.
Movie Marathon
For the bride who loves to Netflix and chill, why not have a movie marathon party? You can set up a cozy spot for everyone to lounge in with pillows, blankets, and snacks. And of course, you’ll want to make sure there’s a variety of movies to choose from so everyone can find something they’ll enjoy watching. Just make sure to avoid any real tearjerkers that can ruin the mood for everyone.
Anyhow, no matter what activities you end up doing at the bridal shower, the most important thing is that the bride has a good time. After all, it’s her special day!
How to Avoid a Boring Bridal Shower
Now that you have a few ideas for games and activities, it’s time to make sure the bridal shower doesn’t end up being a snooze fest. Here are a few tips to avoid any awkward lulls or moments of boredom:
Keep the guest list small
This might seem counterintuitive since the point of a party is to have fun with a group of people. But sometimes, too many cooks in the kitchen can make things more chaotic than fun. If you want everyone to be able to interact and enjoy each other’s company, it’s best to keep the guest list on the smaller side.
Invite the people that are truly important to the bride, as surely, these are the type of guests who will make sure the party doesn’t go south.
Don’t make it too long
Bridal showers usually last around 3 hours. Any longer than that and people will start getting antsy and wanting to leave. Per Marthastewart.com, bridal showers should ideally last between two and four hours.
If you’re worried about things dragging on, make sure to plan some activities that can fill up the time. Games like those mentioned in this article are always a good way to do this, but you can also consider other activities that everyone can get onboard with, like enjoying some good food, a few drinks, and some juicy gossip.
Have some icebreakers ready
Even if everyone knows each other, it can still be awkward trying to make conversation with a group of people. To avoid any awkward silences, have a few icebreakers up your sleeve. This could be anything from lighthearted questions that everyone can answer to silly games that will get everyone laughing.
Bridal showers are a time to celebrate the bride and all her impending nuptials. But that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. With a little planning and forethought, you can throw a bridal shower that will truly make a mark on the bride. Preparation is key in making sure that you avoid any potential pitfalls that can turn the event from fun to flat.
Do you have any other tips for avoiding a boring bridal shower? Share them with us in the comments below!
Author: Pocholo Torres
He enjoys attending weddings.
