Bridal Shower Games- Part 2

...Did you miss Part 1? Check it out here!

Some Great Shower Icebreaker/Partner/Team/Group Games: 
What's in Your Purse?- This game is best when played on small teams with a long list of items. This way, it acts as an Icebreaker and a fun activity. Provide each group with a list of items, then ask them to place an X next to any items that are currently stashed in their purses. At the end of 5 minutes (or 8, or 10), points are tallied up (you can choose to use a different number of points for different items), and members of the winning team receives prizes!

This one's a tried-and-true Wediquette creation!

Found on Wedding Paper Divas 

Toilet Paper Bride- This game seems so silly and brings back memories of Toilet Paper Mummies in Elementary School, but I think that's part of its charm! Split guests up into groups of 4-6, place groups in different areas where they can't see each other, give each group a few rolls of toilet paper, and give them 5-10 minutes to dress up 1 "bride". They can use toilet paper, but cannot use anything else to hold it in place. When time is up, have all of the brides give a quick fashion show (and allow groups to present their bride) and ask the real bride-to-be to pick her favorite (or ask guests to vote on the best one). Give members of the winning team prizes. You can also consider prizes for different categories so that each bride gets a small prize.

Source: Wediquette. This is my beautiful sister :) 
Note: When we did this, I bought a huge package of toilet paper at Costco and left
what we didn't use with the hostess as an extra Thank You!

Famous Couples- Everybody gets a piece of paper with half of a heart and half of a famous duo. Then you have to find your match, like the bride and groom did! When you find your match, introduce yourself, explain how you know the bride and share a memory you have with her.

Spotted on MarthaStewartWeddings, variations on Pinterest

In-the-Moment Activity- Consider where you are and do an activity as a group based on that! For example, a bridal shower taking place at a Winery might include a Wine Tasting segment. An Autumn night-time party might include making s'mores around a campfire and singing songs. An equestrian-themed shower might include a racing game of some sort.  This one will take some creativity, but will help everyone get into the spirit of the occasion and have fun!

The Wine Card is laminated and fits nicely into a credit card slot of a wallet. 

It was a spontaneous Wediquette favor creation for my sister-in-law's bridal shower, 

inspired by the Wine Tasting we did at her shower! 

Two Truths & A Lie- In small groups, each person shares 3 things about herself, including 1 that is untrue. Others have to guess which one is the lie. Each group nominates the person with the best set of 3, and all these ladies share with the whole group. If nobody in the group can guess which is the lie, you get a prize.

Name (or Match) that Romantic Movie Quote- Work in teams to match, name or finish the well-known quotes from your all-time favorite sappy movies.

Found at this Etsy Shop, variations on Pinterest 

What's in the Wedding Day Bag? Memory- Put together an emergency kit for the bride for wedding day (or a honeymoon bag) and put lots of things in it- Pull everything out (without telling guests what they'll be doing next), show it to the group, put it back in, wait a few minutes while you do something else, then ask everyone to write down as many things as they can remember. This can be a group activity or an individual one. The person/group with the most points wins prizes.

Photo spotted on A Diamond in the Stuff, variations on Pinterest

Love Song Fill in the Blank- Bonus points if you can name the artist. Work individually or with a small team, and winners receive prizes. A variation of this game is to use only Disney songs, and have guests match the movie with the song title (bonus points if they can name the character or characters who sang it)! Another variation is to match a love song to a (non-Disney) movie it was in. Lots of options here!

Found at this Etsy shop, variations on Pinterest

During Gifts, Games that Include the Bride: 
Bingo for Gifts- Print out a Bridal Bingo sheet for each guest, then ask guests to fill in all of the spaces with gifts that they think the bride will receive. As she opens each gift, if they have it on their board, they can mark it off in some way (consider colorful candies like M&M's as markers) and when they fill up a row or  a column, they should call out "Bride!" or "I do!". Winners receive prizes.

Found online here 

The Timer Game for Gifts- Inform guests that a timer will be set to go off every 10 (or 8, or 15- up to you!) minutes. If it goes off and your gift is being opened, you'll receive a prize. Timer gets reset, and this repeats for the duration of Gift-opening.

The Newlywed Game- Prior to the shower, ask the groom questions about the bride and their relationship. At the shower, ask the bride what she thinks the groom's answers were. After she guesses, allow guests to shout out their guesses before revealing the correct answer. There's a spin on this game called Not to Burst Your Bubble, where the bride has to put a gumball into her mouth if she gets a question wrong. After 20 questions or so, it might get hard to talk around all that gum, but at least when it's done, she can spit it out!

Ribbon/Bouquet or Hat with Bows during gifts for Rehearsal- This one isn't really a game as much as an activity for 1-2 bridesmaids and something guests can check progress on during gift opening. It's traditional for the bride to wear a hat or carry a bouquet made of ribbons and bows from the shower for her rehearsal the weekend of the wedding. You'll want to have a plate, stapler, scissors and maybe a fork or spoon to stick through the plate to make a handle if you're making a bouquet. Then you just figure it out!

There are a few Tutorials on this online, including this one.  

Themed Wishing Well- This is also not really a game, but prior to the shower, you can inform guests that there will be a Wishing Well with a certain theme (kitchen, bathroom, honeymoon, stock the bar, home improvement, etc.) and you'd love to shower the bride and groom with small items that fit that theme. Fill a bucket, a (clean) trashcan, or a faux Wishing Well with gifts and check them all out together at the shower!

Spotted on Pinterest

Go Green- Ask guests not to wrap gifts (bows are still welcome, for the ribbon bouquet/hat), then ask them to fill out a slip of paper with a memory they share with the bride, and she can guess who it's from before 'opening' it. Alternately, they can write their name on a paper and answer questions about their gift and she'll have to figure out which gift they gave on the table.

As seen on More Than Hungry, variations on Pinterest

Kisses for the Soon-to-be-Mrs.- 
Pull out the bright pink and red lipstick and pucker up! Have the bridesmaids kiss a sheet of paper or a photo frame, then ask the bride if she can guess whose lips are whose! Take a photo of the group (if you go with a picture frame) and present to her post-shower.

     Found on Pinterest 

Spotted on BridalGuide 

Okay, there are SO many others, but these are some of my favorites and I hope that they're helpful for you. Do you have another favorite or want to try one of these out? Share your experiences, questions and thoughts in the comments below. Thanks so much for visiting Wediquette and Happy planning!! 

Bridal Shower Games- Part 1

Straws spotted on On Purpose Home's Stock the Bar Party, banner on Etsy, Pink candle DIY here

Are you planning a bridal shower for a friend or family member? 

You probably want to choose and prepare a few games or activities to help guests 

get to know the bride & groom-- and each other-- a little better before the big day. 

You want to help tell the couple's story and to get everyone excited for the big day...

...and so you will! Happy planning!

A few things to keep in mind when planning shower games: 
- The Bachelorette Party comes later. Know your audience for this event (mothers, grandmothers, younger siblings/cousins, coworkers, etc.) and understand that this is not a time to embarrass the bride and groom, to tell really embarrassing/inappropriate stories, to give a lot of sexy lingerie (although a nice robe or teddy may be given by an older family member) or to drink like it's a Saturday night in the city. Keep in mind that most showers are classy yet fun and a special tribute to the character and relationship of the bride & groom.

- You'll want to pick 2 or 3 games at the most, you should try to mix up games that include sitting and standing/activity games so guests can get up and move around a bit You'll want to spread them out a bit throughout the shower (not play them all at once) so that nobody feels overwhelmed or frustrated. Also, guests will want to mingle and enjoy the food and drinks (if applicable), and everyone will want to socialize with the bride (and vice versa), so be sure to leave some time for unplanned fun as well as planned fun! A great planning guide and shower planning timeline can be found here!

- Gift-opening can be a long and arduous task, but you can do a few things to expedite the process. Having helpers in charge of passing gifts to/from the bride, writing down gifts and gift-givers, collecting trash, taking pictures, loading gifts onto a cart or into a car, making a ribbon bouquet, etc. will help keep it speedy yet efficient, which is especially important for large showers with lots of gifts. Plan a good amount of time in the middle of the shower for Gift Opening, and consider a game such as Gift Bingo or The Timer Game (see below) to entertain guests during this time. Keep scissors on hand (multiple pairs, as the bride may want one for opening, and a bridesmaid may want one for the bouquet/hat-making process).
  To help move things along, if there's a meal, the bride & bridesmaids can eat first, then move on to gifts while everyone else is eating. Keep in mind that you can also take a break in the middle for dessert and keep it relaxed so guests know they can get up and stretch/use the bathroom/etc. in the middle.

- Prizes motivate game-weary guests to participate and encourage everyone to have fun, so grab or prepare some prizes in advance! Starbucks Gift Cards, Seasonal Soaps from Bath & Body Works, Purse Hooks, Handheld Cosmetic Mirrors, Scratch Lottery Tickets, Candles, Treats, Centerpieces, Stationery, whatever you would want! You'll want to decide how many prizes you'll need for each game and be sure to have enough (or to be safe, more than enough) in advance.

- Plan games for guests of all ages. You don't want them to be so easy that everyone will finish right away and it'll be difficult to determine the winner, but you also don't want it to be so hard or complicated that anybody feels excluded or doesn't have fun.


Individual Games (Good to play upon arrival): 

Whatever You Do, Don't Say ________- Early in the shower, inform guests that they are not supposed to say a certain word (Bride, Wedding, Honeymoon) during the party. Give each guest a ring (a ring pop, a plastic ring or a light-up ring would all work). If you hear someone saying the word, you can call them out on it and take their ring. At the end of the shower, the guest who has collected the most rings wins.

Found at this Etsy shop, variations on Pinterest! 

Who Said It? - Guests each have a piece of paper with 15-20 quotes (you can use fb, twitter, texts, in-person conversations, and even 'interview' the bride and groom with questions about their relationship prior to the shower). They have to check if they think it was the bride or the groom who said it. Answers are revealed and guests with the most correct answers receive a prize.

Found at this Etsy Shop, variations on Pinterest!

Found at this Etsy shop, variations on Pinterest

Couple's crossword puzzle- Go onto a site like this one and enter a bunch of clues and answers that relate to the couple, their relationship, their engagement and their wedding. Create a crossword puzzle, print out copies for everybody, and ask guests to figure it out. The first person (or first 3 or 5) to finish receive(s) a prize.

Found here

Wedding Trivia- I like this one! Put together a trivia 'game show' with questions that deal with general wedding knowledge and specific marital fun facts. Check out theknot for 50 Wedding Traditions & Superstitions for help! Little Known Facts has a great collection of little-known-facts and backgrounds, too!  Split into two teams, give teams a 'buzzer' (a bell or noisemaker) and ask questions aloud. After 15-20 questions, the team with the most points wins and guests on that team receive a prize.

Date Night Ideas- Give guests a large wooden popsicle stick, an index card or something to write on. Ask them to write down ideas for a date night for the bride & groom. Collect and present to the bride.

Found on frugelegance.com

Write A Special Message for the Bride- Ask guests to write a special message to the bride (and groom) on an index card or special small piece of paper. Take photos of each guest solo or with the bride at the shower, then compile it all into a small scrapbook and give it to the bride on the morning of the wedding. This is sure to be a pleasant surprise for the bride and a sweet collection of memories for a long time to come.

Found in 10 Wedding Shower Games by the DIY Network

Word Scramble- Give guests 2-3 minutes to unscramble a bunch of wedding words, such as these: 

G R I N (Ring)

G R E A L C N M Y (Clergyman)

E D B I R (Bride)

S T E B A M N (Best Man)

C R E I (Rice)

S H E U S R (Ushers)

S F I T G (Gifts)

W R O E L F S (Flowers)

S M I E D S I B R A D (Bridesmaids)

O M O G R (Groom)

D A M I F O N O R H O (Maid of Honor)

R I N T O A Y M M (Matrimony)

P E H C L A (Chapel)

N E M O Y H O N O (Honeymoon)

G I R M A R E A T R A T E C I F C E I (Marriage Certificate)

The guest with the most correct words wins a prize!

Multiple Choice Trivia Game About the Bride & Groom- Give guests a sheet of paper with multiple choice questions about the bride and groom, how they met, their favorite foods/colors/places to travel, etc. Take advantage of moms and sisters who may be involved in the planning and ask questions about when the bride and groom were younger as well! Ask guests to answer the best that they can, and the person with the most points wins a prize. Alternately, you can print out these questions and split them onto 2 sides of a paper (one about the bride and one about the groom), as shown below. Another variation on this game, What Would the Bride Say?, involves a bunch of questions that guests answer AND the bride answers. Any guests who write the same answer that the bride does, get a point. The guest with the most points, wins.

Found on Martha Stewart Weddings 

How Old Was She? Look at photos of the bride and guess her age in each photo. Whoever has the most correct answers gets a prize.

Found in the post for this Tiffany themed Bridal Shower

Recipes- Ask guests to write down a favorite recipe on an index card to share with the happy couple. Collect recipes in a box and organize by meal. You can send this card with your invitations to give guests some time to plan and write recipes in advance.

Found on Catch My Party's "Recipe for a Happy Marriage" Cooking-Themed Shower

Self-Address an envelope on the way in-  A quick and easy step for your guests,that saves the bride a lot of time while writing thank you cards!

Spotted on Catch My Party, variations on Pinterest

Keys to Marriage- LOVE this one! Buy 5 decorative keys (can be found at a craft store) and attach each of them to a ribbon with a tag that says 'finances', 'romance', 'home management', 'parenthood', or 'communication'. Ask guests to write 1 piece of advice for each category (shown on round tags), and as they present their advice to the bride, they can tie them onto each key's ribbon with another little ribbon.

Spotted on the Journey With Johnsons blog 

Continue on to Part 2 for Some Icebreaker/Partner/Team/Group Games! 

Another DIY Guest Post from Brianna: Pom Pom Ball Decorations

Pom Pom balls are a great way to add a fun pop of color to any celebration! Since tissue paper comes in various colors and patterns, the possibilities are endless. Just look how these great pink & white decorations added whimsy, color and fun to Sandy's Bridal Shower in August! 

Items you will need:

Standard sheets of tissue paper (you will use 6 sheets per ball)

Scissors

Fishing line

Ribbon

Directions: 

Take 6 sheets of tissue paper (or however many you decide on) and stack them directly on top of each other so the edges are all aligned. We have found that it is easier to use 6 because it is just enough pieces to be able to fold comfortably while still making a nice sized shape. You can keep all the sheets the same color, or for a fun effect you can alternate complementary colors/patterns. Begin folding the tissue back and forth, accordion style. The folds should be approximately 1 inch wide. Continue folding until the whole stack of tissue paper is the same size.

At this point you can decide what size diameter you would like for your pom pom balls. We chose to alternate with a few smaller ones and a few medium size ones. Once you have the pom pom ball cut to size, you will need to edge off each end of your folded tissue paper. For the edges, we rounded them off so they weren't square. You can make them have a pointy edge instead.

At this point, very lightly fold the tissue paper strip in half to identify the center and tie it off with fishing line until it is secure. Now you will begin GENTLY shaping the pom pom ball. You will need to separate each sheet of tissue paper evenly to give the pom pom ball the fullness you want. Once all the sheets have been separated, you can either hang the pom pom ball with a longer piece of fishing line to give the illusion that it is floating from the ceiling, or you can take a long piece of ribbon, attach it in the middle and use that to hang it up.

Thanks to Brianna and helper David for making and sharing this awesome DIY party decor! You're so crafty :)  

Sandy's Surprise Bridal Shower- Pretty in Pink!

On a beautiful Sunday morning in early August, I woke up to see a blue sky and sunshine. As I started my day, I spotted this sunflower in our yard, and I knew it would be a sunny day indeed!

It was the day of my Mom's (Surprise!) bridal shower, and we were ready to rock! I got up early, hit up Produce Junction as soon as they opened, and found the pink & peach flowers that would become our centerpieces (and favors/prizes, for some)! 

I loaded up the car and headed east to the hotel, where I met my sister, brother & the amazing Brianna (who you may remember from her DIY Costume Wig guest post)! 

 Brianna & David made these amazing pink and white pom pom decorations- Another DIY post coming soon!!- and picked up the balloons, so their car was PACKED with party decor when they arrived!

We set up a few things, then took a quick trip to Costco before meeting some of mom's friends back at the hotel to keep getting ready! Guests started to arrive and the party was on!

Brianna also made these incredibly adorable bride nail polish favors! We set the tables with a flower arrangement in the center, some hugs and kisses, a plastic champagne 'glass' for each seat, a bottle of sweet Verdi Spumante (with a veil and a necklace to match!) and some fun confetti! Note: Brianna got the sparkly tulle for the favors at a fabric store, and I found one that was almost identical at Walmart for the champagne bottles. 

My Mother-in-Law, Diane, makes wedding cakes, birthday cakes, cupcakes, etc. with love and this shower was no exception! She made Pound cake cupcakes with raspberry filling (yum!) and Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling (YUM!). They were delicious! I got the stand at Michael's (half off! Never go to Michael's without a coupon or your phone ready with RetailMeNot!) for about $15. My sister made all of the food signs, and the little flag toothpicks came from a party store.  

We had the party a little after lunchtime, so we served... a Fruit and cheese tray from Wegmans, crackers with various salads from Wegmans and Costco, salad from Costco, cupcakes and possibly some tea sandwiches (lol I can't see them in the picture, but I think they were there)!  We also had water, soda and of course, the Verdi on the tables! 

Game prizes were set up on the front table (also used for gifts) and we created/played a slideshow on a screen above them. Guests were asked to 'Go Green' with their gifts and to give something that was a splurge- a gift that the couple didn't necessarily NEED but would enjoy- and while we initially meant the 'going green' part as a way to save on wrapping paper waste, some guests took it literally and we saw a variety of gifts- some that were actually green, some that were eco-friendly, some that were money/gift cards (clever!) and more. It was fun to see what my mom received, and even more, to share in the love fest for her that was going on throughout the celebration. 

Recognize the space? We had my mom's shower at the Staybridge Suites in Montgomeryville, PA because it was a great location, they gave us the opportunity to bring in our own food and drinks while using their tables, chairs, projector and space- Oh, and it was a great price! It's the same place we had my sister's Baby Shower in February, and Amber's Beau-tiful Bridal Shower in March, but we still managed to surprise Mom in August! She thought she was there to celebrate my sister & brother-in-laws birthdays, when in fact, we were all there to celebrate her upcoming nuptials! Congratulations again to Sandy (Mom!) and Russ!! This was such an awesome day and we were so happy to put together a party just for YOU! 

Did you miss the post about Sandy & Russ's wedding?! Check it out here!

Amber's Beau-tiful Bridal Shower

My friend Amber is getting married in May, and I'm so honored to be a part of her wedding party. Last weekend, we pulled off a surprise like no other and had a beautiful bridal shower for her.  We tied in her love of bows (which comes from her lifetime love of cheerleading), the color purple and her admirably healthy eating habits (mixed in with a little bit of chocolate cake, cookies and some tie-dye cupcakes, which I couldn't resist making the night before)! The results were fantastic, she was beyond surprised and everything went great! Here are a few pictures from the day:

The invitation (found at Staples with silver ribbon, replaced with purple ribbon from Michaels)

Pinterest-inspired sign made by Jes (one of the bridesmaids). 

"69 days until she's hitched". Really, she double (and triple) checked)!

Also on this table: envelopes for guests to write addresses (for Thank You's),

flowers from Produce Junction and gum for a game later.   

Incredible reusable bag favors made by Leah (another bridesmaid). 

Purchased online and screen printed at home. Each guest went home with 1 (or 2)! 

On this table: 1/2 chocolate, 1/2 vanilla cake made by my mother-in-law, cake bags (came in handy when we didn't eat it all), fun bows from Rice's Market, Guest Board with a picture of the bride & groom and the lyrics to their first song (made by Leah) and purple plates (of course)!

 This Bag Game was created by Michelle (the Maid of Honor). It was easy and quick, and looked awesome on the table. The digital frame flipped through lots of pictures of the bride and groom and was such a smart idea.

 Each table had a purple tablecloth and a "runner" (made of wedding wrapping paper) that was made possible by Kimber (another amazing bridesmaid) and Leah. The chair at the front of the room was dolled up with a little ribbon, and our ribbon hanger started out behind it. We asked guests to attach a 1-yard piece of grosgrain (which I recently learned is pronounced "grow-grain"!) ribbon to their gifts so that Amber can reuse them as hairbows. Then we tied them onto the hanger. Other ribbons went onto her ribbon bouquet for the rehearsal in May.

Here comes the bride...

SO surprised!! 

 The food table featured a fruit tray, veggie tray, wraps and salad from Wegmans, pita and hummus tray made by the bride's mom, some cookies and desserts made by other family members, and these rockin' tie dye mini funfetti cupcakes that I made (pretty much like this). Yum! We also had a drink station with red and white wine, champagne and orange juice for mimosas, and water.

The bride checking out a picture board made by her sister. 

We played this game (sans the chocolate) and it was hilarious! Look at all that gum!  

Time to open presents! Amber moved and grooved like a champ, and even took a couple breaks (which allowed everyone to get more drinks, dessert or food, and to use the bathroom, mingle, or just chill. 

One of the bridesmaids' gifts to the bride. From Etsy :) 

If you look in the background, you can see the ribbon hanger/bouquet excitement and the huge win of having the shower at a hotel in the middle of the day- we were able to use a cart to load all of the gifts as soon as they were opened, then roll it right out to the cars at the end! 

 The groom has arrived, with necklaces for the bridal party from his recent trip to New Orleans!

Amber and Michelle, her lovely sister and Maid of Honor. 

Love Michelle's color-coordinated notebook on the chair! 

Moms and the Bride. Check out that ribbon bouquet! 

Thanks to Bed Bath & Beyond for all the purple ribbon. 

Bridesmaids and Bride

It was a wonderful day, and we're so happy for Amber & Dave. Can't wait to keep celebrating!