The bridal shower is one of the most fun activities leading up to the wedding! Focused on celebrating the new bride, these parties are traditionally women-only events and involve lots of gift giving. Typically, bridal showers take place between three weeks and three months before the wedding. This allows the bride’s favorite ladies to meet and celebrate prior the official ceremony. Merging sets of friends and family members who may not know each other very well can be tricky! Having predetermined games and activities helps break the ice and encourage guests to mingle with people outside of their own groups.
We’ve gathered our 8 favorite bridal shower games that are sure to leave everyone fast friends and make your celebration a hit!
Similar to musical chairs, sit everyone in a circle and have them pass a bouquet around. When the music stops, whoever is left holding the flowers is eliminated! Last person standing wins.
Have a jar and notepad out at the shower where guests can write down date night ideas for the bride and groom. This is a passive activity that can be going on in the background of the shower while people are mingling. Bonus: You and your new husband will have tons of date night ideas!
A great ice breaker! Give guests a checklist of various unique characteristics. Guests will go around the room and find someone that fits into each of the list items. This will allow guests to chat and get to know each other while they complete the checklist!
Print out standard vows with the verbs, nouns, and adjectives removed. Have a bridesmaid ask the group for suggestions on filling them in. At the end, have the bride read her new “vows” to the group! This game is an easy way to include everyone and is sure to end in giggles.
Fill out blank bingo cards with adjectives relevant to bridal gifts, making sure each card is different. Distribute the cards to guests to fill out while the bride opens gifts. Whoever gets bingo first gets a prize! Since gift-giving is such an integral part of a bridal shower, it can take a while to get through all of them. This game keeps everyone entertained and paying attention the entire time! We’ve included a few gift adjective examples for the bingo squares below:
Compile a list of eclectic fun facts about the bride and the groom. Print them out pop-quiz style (without revealing who each fact is about) and give to guests to fill out during the party. Whoever gets the most correct wins!
Have guests write down a favorite memory that they have with the bride/couple. Collect all of the notes and shake them in a bowl. Read the submissions out loud and have the group guess whose memory it was! This is a great way for guests to get to know each other better while also learning more about the bride and groom.
Put out a bowl of cherries with the stems. Have guests race to see who can tie the cherry stem into a knot fastest! This super simple race is sure to bring out the competitive side in your guests. Consider breaking the women into teams and encourage them to root each other on!
Games have always been a key part of bridal showers, and these are sure to be a hit! Traditionally the shower will wrap up with the groom “surprising” the bride with flowers towards the end of the party. This is a cute way to involve your fiancé in the day despite it being a female-only affair.
No matter which games and traditions you choose to take part in, your bridal shower is sure to be a wonderful celebration of you as a new bride. Congratulations and happy planning!