Whether you’re the maid of honor, mother of the groom or a close family friend who just loves to throw parties, planning a bridal shower can be a whirlwind. Sending out invitations, finding the perfect color of confetti and creating the most comprehensive mimosa bar known to humankind can be a little overwhelming…but choosing the right bridal shower games doesn’t have to be. Check out our favorite picks below (including new virtual options!).
What Kind of Bridal Shower Games Should You Play?
While wedding shower games work at pretty much any shower, who is going to be there might help you determine which games are most appropriate. After all, if the bride’s 90-year-old grandma is there, you might not want to play anything too risqué. (You know the games we’re talking about! LOL.)
Where you have the bridal shower is another factor to consider as well. For instance, if you’re having the shower in a busy restaurant, a scavenger hunt is probably not going to be as much fun as it would be in someone’s backyard. Same goes for when you have the shower, and how long it’s schedule for. Some games definitely take longer than others, and you will need to make sure you have enough time to open the gifts (which can take more time than you think).
If you’re having a virtual bridal shower, obviously your setup will be different. Depending on the number of guests you’re having, you can choose to send a bridal shower goody bag, filled with champagne, candy, and any game supplies you’ll need (though a lot of virtual games these days don’t need more than a computer and a zoom account!).
WGM Says: You’ll want to be sensitive to the pronouns the couple uses. A lot of bridal shower game printables available today are still fairly heteronormative, so be sure to customize the games for the couples’ preferences.
Gather Your Supplies (and Designate an MC)
There should be 1-2 designated “game” helpers who are in charge of not only gathering the supplies (such as the game printables or photographs of the couple), but who will also be the ones to make sure every bridal shower guest has what they need to play. Ideally you can set up a game station at the shower, where each guest can take a pen, paper, etc. Or you can put them on each shower table, depending on your setup. These “game show” hosts should also be able to MC the game, and ask questions of guests when needed and write any information down that is part of the game.
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Fun Bridal Shower Games
We’ve organized these bridal shower games by easiest to organize to hardest, and included what you’ll need for each game. The easy ones will require few (if any) supplies, while the harder ones will take some prep. Since some of these games have to be purchased, be sure to include them in your expense list if you’re sharing the costs with any other hosts, along with other supplies and bridal shower decorations.
And as many wedding plans have changed lately, so have bridal showers! Because of this we’ve also decided to include virtual options that are perfect to do with larger groups.
Now that we’ve talked about the setup, let’s get into the games!
Dressed For The Honeymoon
WHAT YOU NEED: A suitcase, a wide assortment of the funniest clothes and accessories you can find (tutus, sequined shirts, oversized sunglasses, leopard print scarves with rainbow fringe, etc.).
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Recruit the help of the bridesmaids to find the silliest, most over-the-top articles of clothing you can find to fill a suitcase.
HOW TO PLAY: If your bride has a silly streak and is always down to have a good time, then this is the game for her. Blindfold the bride, then open the suitcase and arrange the contents so that she could easily touch any of them. Then tell her that anything she touches she has to put on to create the perfect honeymoon-ready ensemble!
AN EXTRA TWIST: Be sure you get a picture of the bride in her finished outfit, and give a framed copy of it to the groom as a wedding gift.
Writing the Vows
WHAT YOU NEED: A pen, this printout (free)
BEFORE THE SHOWER: There’s no pre-prep needed for this game other than printing out the sheet!
HOW TO PLAY: If your bride is planning to write her own wedding vows, she is probably feeling the pressure. Lift that burden from her shoulders by writing her vows for her…in the form of a mad lib! Without cluing the guests in on what the mad lib is about, ask them to supply the best nouns, verbs and adjectives that happen to pop into their heads. Once it is complete, present the sidesplitting result by asking the bride to read her wedding vows!
AN EXTRA TWIST: Record a video of the bride reading her crowd-sourced vows and send it to her groom!
Say Yes to the Dress
WHAT YOU NEED: As many toilet paper rolls as you can get your hands on
BEFORE THE SHOWER: All you have to do is buy the toilet paper
HOW TO PLAY: Divide the room up into teams and equally portion out the rolls of toilet paper. Instruct them to designate one of their team members to be the wedding gown model while the rest design the most glamorous gown ever made using only toilet paper. Set the timer for 10 minutes, and once time is up, the fashion show begins with the bride as the judge!
AN EXTRA TWIST: Whichever team wins gets to recreate their gown on the bride to be worn for the rest of the party!
SEE MORE: Can I Wait to Open My Bridal Shower Gifts at Home?
Who Said What?
WHAT YOU NEED: You can make your own printout with the questions on a piece of paper, or buy a cute, editable one on Etsy (like this game bundle).
BEFORE THE SHOWER: E-mail the couple individually and have them answer each question. And don’t be afraid to make them as random/funny as possible. For example, “What’s your favorite guilty pleasure band?” (Vanilla Ice!) or “Who made the first move?” (I asked him out first!).
HOW TO PLAY: Circle which partner you think said what. Whoever gets the most wins!
AN EXTRA TWIST: Call the groom and record his responses to each question, which you can play during the shower for a funny, real-time take.
Answer Battle Trivia (Virtual Bridal Shower Games)
WHAT YOU NEED:
- A download of this game.
- Mac, PC, or iPad along with access to Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype or other meeting software.
- The host (or person who wants to run the slideshow) will also need Powerpoint. If you don’t have it you can download a free trial here.
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Send a meeting link to all guests along with an overview of the game and what time you expect to play.
HOW TO PLAY: Watch the instructions here.
Looking for more fun virtual options that work with large groups? Try out Scattergories or this Charades generator!
Who’s It?
WHAT YOU NEED: Pens or pencil and this printout
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Send the printout to the groom and ask him to circle whether he thinks he or his future wife will be doing particular choirs like taking out the garbage, fixing a leaky faucet and carving the turkey. Keep his answer hidden and secret!
HOW TO PLAY: Give the bride and each of the bridal shower guests a pen, the printout and five minutes. Instruct the bride to circle who she thinks will be doing each chore, and tell the guests to try to guess what answers the two gave by circling the corresponding answer. It’s fun to discover that both the bride and groom agree that the groom is the better baker or the bride is the handyman of the relationship. To score the game, each answer on which the bride and groom agree counts for two points, while each answer voted on by only one of them counts as a single point. The guest with the most points wins!
AN EXTRA TWIST: Give the guests a blue marker and a pink marker, telling them to circle the answers they believe the groom gave in blue and the bride’s answers in pink!
Gift Bingo
WHAT YOU NEED: Pens and this printout (free)
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Sip sip hooray! There’s no pre-prep needed for this game other than printing out the bingo card.
HOW TO PLAY: Let’s be real…we know you love the bride to pieces, but watching her open gift after gift after gift after gift can get a little boring. Spice up this quintessential bridal shower activity by turning it into a game the whole room can enjoy. Before the bride opens her presents, tell the guests to fill out the bingo squares with possible gifts the bride could receive, such as mixing bowls, a spice rack or mugs. Then, as the bride opens the gifts, the guests can cross off their squares one-by-one until someone has a bingo. The first to yell bingo wins!
AN EXTRA TWIST: Tell the guests that they are not allowed to include the gift that they brought on their bridal shower bingo sheet!
Ring Hunt
WHAT YOU NEED: Plastic or candy rings (just make sure they’re individually wrapped), and a fun prize for the winner.
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Simply hide the rings around your event space, and don’t make them all super obvious!
HOW TO PLAY: You can choose to have the game run throughout the course of the shower, or pick a time slot for guests to go hunting for the rings. The guest who find the most gets the prize.
AN EXTRA TWIST: The grand prize could be a gift card to a local jewelry store to buy the real thing!
Pass the Bouquet
WHAT YOU NEED: A fake or real flower bouquet
BEFORE THE SHOWER: This is one of these easiest bridal shower games. All you have to do is buy the flowers and assemble the bouquet.
HOW TO PLAY: A cross between Hot Potato and Musical Chairs. Guests pass around a bouquet (fake or real!) to each other as music plays. When it stops, whoever is holding the bouquet is eliminated. This goes on until there’s a winner.
AN EXTRA TWIST: A fun prize could be a monthly flower subscription!
Create Your Own Recipe Book
WHAT YOU NEED: Recipe cards, plus a recipe book to put them in
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Include a recipe card within the bridal shower invitation, and include a note asking guests to write (or type) their favorite recipe for the newlyweds. You can even find invitations with matching recipe cards (like this one on Etsy).
HOW TO PLAY: Have each guest bring their recipe so you can gather them into a recipe binder. If you want, you can even have each guest go around and share the name of their recipe and where they got it from to make it even more special.
AN EXTRA TWIST: Personalize the recipe book with the bride’s name, and organize each recipe by category (Breakfast, Appetizers, etc.).
Who Has the Groom?
WHAT YOU NEED: One printed photo of the groom, and enough printed photos of celebrities for the remaining guests. (Or, you can buy these cute “Who Has the Groom” scratch-offs.)
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Mix one photo of the actual groom in with the rest of the celebrities. Tape the photos randomly on the bottom of each chair.
HOW TO PLAY: Whoever get’s the bride’s hubby to be is the winner!
AN EXTRA TWIST: If the groom is going to surprise the bride, this could be a cute time to “pop in” and award the prize.
Flower Bar
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Enough flowers for each guest to make a small bouquet or arrangement, plus containers to hold them. You can visit your local grocery store or shop online for DIY combos at site’s like Blooms By the Box.
- Small bud vases (for arrangements) or tissue paper and twin (for bouquets)
- Flower scissors
- Water
- “Flower Bar” sign
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Set up a table and arrange the flowers by type. Lay out all the supplies along with some arrangement/bouquet photos to help get guests inspired.
HOW TO PLAY: Have guests go up 2-3 at a time, depending on your space, to make their creation. Each guest can then take their arrangement or bouquet home with them.
AN EXTRA TWIST: Leave a polaroid camera on the table and have each guest take a photo of their floral design for a “flower bar” guest book.
Guess the Movie Theme Song
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 10+ of the most memorable movie theme songs (IE: “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” by Simple Minds from The Breakfast Club.)
- A device that will play them loud enough to be heard by guests at your venue
- A printout with the song names and movie choices (similar to this one for movie quotes)
BEFORE THE SHOWER: Create a playlist with the songs on iTunes or Spotify. If there are guests that span several generations, be sure to include some older movies, too!
HOW TO PLAY: Play a minute or so of each song, and have guests make their selections. Whoever gets the most right, wins!
AN EXTRA TWIST: Ask the bride and groom for a list of their favorite movies ahead of time, and choose your selections from those.
Love it!