Bridal Shower Games and Activities That Are Actually Fun

July 27, 2011
Bryan Gardner

Host an entertaining party with the help of these creative ideas.

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Bryan Gardner
Get Our Bridal Shower Planning Checklist

A bridal shower is all about ushering a bride into her soon-to-be-married life. On such a happy occasion, what better way to celebrate than with a few fun bridal shower games and activities? Nope, we're not talking about the ones that make guests roll their eyes. Your attendees will actually be excited about the following creative ideas. Another reason not to skip offering things to do at your party? They prevent the event from being all about the presents. Additionally, they serve as a way to organize the flow of the shower—you can avoid lulls and boredom with a pre-planned itinerary.    

When it comes to games, we've got tons of great suggestions, from icebreakers to competitions that are bound to get everyone involved. This includes a silly remake of "pin the tail on the donkey" ("pin the veil on the bride") and a semi-embarrassing round of "true or false" that'll bring out the giggles after a few mimosas. If your bride doesn't like games, don't sweat it. Skip them in favor of activities. We've got recommendations for any bridal shower theme, be it food-inspired, spa-inspired, or something else altogether. They don't even have to be wedding-related—you can focus on everybody's shared interests instead. Wine tasting, scavenger hunt, or movie screening, anyone?  

Click through for creative bridal shower games and activities that you can play or participate in with your attendees, no matter your goal as a hostess. They may range from hilarious to helpful for the lady of honor, but they're all definitively entertaining.

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Recipe Contest

Nadia Hung Photography

This option is actually really helpful for the bride. Celebrants come with their best recipes for the future spouses to make together, and her favorite dish wins. Put the prompt in writing on either event stationery (like this card by Written Word) or in the shower invitation, which gives everyone more time to prepare.

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Pin the Veil

Bryan Gardner

Take some tulle and play the wedding version of "pin the tail on the donkey." All you need is fabric, a photo or illustration of the bride, and something to stick the "veils" on with.

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Cocktail Competition

Mariel Hannah Photography
Get Ideas for Floral Cocktails

Provide a slew of cocktail ingredients and have celebrants try their luck as mixologists, competing to create your signature drink! Even if the lady of honor doesn't serve the winner on her wedding day, everyone's bound to have fun making (and drinking) the beverages.  

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Ring Toss

Calli B Photography

This one's for lovers of lawn games! While we aren't sure if a ring toss really prepares a bride to put her partner's band on at the altar, it's the thought that counts.  

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Wedding Pictionary

Mike Krautter Photography

Follow all the rules of regular Pictionary—just make the game wedding-themed.

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Flower Arranging

Untamed Heart Photography

Here, the ladies try to make the best bouquet or centerpiece, using blooms from a DIY flower bar. Win or lose, they can take their beautiful creations home.

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Wedding Details

Ashley Slater

Ask attendees to guess (or suggest) your wedding's details, from the color scheme to the flowers. Whoever gets the most right (or recommends the best idea) wins.

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Tie the Knot

Celebrate tying the knot and find out who has a hidden talent with a round of "Who can tie a cherry stem in their mouth?" Victory goes to whoever completes the challenge the fastest.

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Bridal Libs

Ether and Smith

This Mad Libs-inspired game is just as fun as its muse, and easy to play, too. All you have to do is come up with a wedding-related template—bonus points if you get it printed onto sweet stationery, like this card from Pretty Little Papers.

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Pass the Bouquet

Lucky Malone Photography

Similar to "hot potato" or "musical chairs," this activity involves passing a bouquet (like this one by Yonder Floral & Decor House) around as tunes play intermittently. Whenever the song stops, the person holding the arrangement is out.

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Purse Game

Kate Ignatowski

Who's the most prepared to help the bride on her big day? Play this game to find out. Guests get points for every item they have in their handbags, which they check off on a sheet like this one made by Kate Ignatowski.

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Cold Feet

Getty Images

In this game, you fill a bucket with water and ice, and set rings (toy ones work great) at the bottom. Guests attempt to retrieve the pieces the quickest with—you guessed it—their toes.

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Who Am I?

Charlotte Jenks Lewis

For a bridal twist on this fan-favorite, write the names of people, places, or things that have significance to the bride on the backs of escort cards (like these by Anne Robin Calligraphy) and tie them to guests' foreheads as they arrive. When it's time to play, the group will give hints to one person at a time. 

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Bride and Groom Trivia

Nancy Ray Photography

Leave multiple-choice quizzes with trivia questions about the bride and groom on guests' tables. You know the drill—whoever gets the most answers right wins.

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Hello, My Name Is

Johnny Miller
Make This Heart Display

Ask shower guests to write their little-known nicknames (romantic or otherwise) on slips, and then hang the papers on a cute board (like this DIY heart-and-arrow display). Read aloud each name, asking the ladies to write their guesses on which nickname corresponds to which guest.

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Scavenger Hunt

Taylor Gage Photography
Download Our Editable Scavenger Hunt List

Help the guest of honor prepare for her big day by sending the ladies in search of a few choice treasures, either hidden ahead of time or gathered from nature, neighbors, and stores. Steal our list, or get creative and edit it to include other objects special to her. Julia Lake Parties planned the outing pictured here.

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Cootie Catcher

Johnny Miller

Get everyone talking (and laughing!) with our spin on this childhood favorite. When we crafted this printable catcher, we filled it with tasks like, "Make a toast," or "Tell your love story." Ask celebrants to follow through once they land on said task.

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Wine Tasting

Ashley Maxwell Photography

Make a reservation at a nearby vineyard and help the soon-to-be newlywed find the perfect vino for the big day—or at least a favorite of the day.

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How Old Are You?

Johnny Miller

Assemble a dozen or so photographs of the bride, showing her at different ages. Display the images someplace where everyone can see, and have attendees write down their guess as to how old the bride was in each picture. (Does she have braces? Must have been middle school.) A prize—or bragging rights!—goes to the person who gets the most ages correct.

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Flower Crowns

Courtesy of Claire Thomas
Learn How to Make Flower Crowns

Your celebrants will love customizing their own hair accessories to wear for the rest of the event. When everyone is finished, have the bride-to-be dub her dames with nicknames fitting to their friendship (such as "Goddess of Adventures") as they don the crown. The Kitchy Kitchen's Claire Thomas organized this DIY session.

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Famous Couples

Lucas Allen
Get the How-To for This Game

Stick with your shower's "love" theme and come up with a list of iconic duos, then write each of their names on either side of our printable heart cards. Cut through the center to create two cards—a broken heart! Set a card at each seat and instruct the ladies to find their other half. For a cute touch, have one of the couples be the bride and groom.

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Camping Trip

Trent Bailey Photography

Whether you go camping (or should we say, "glamping") or set up a fire pit in the backyard, there's nothing like spilling secrets (and maybe a few spooky stories) while huddled around to make you feel close with your friends.

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Telephone Toast

D'Arcy Benincosa

This whispering game is a throwback to your elementary school days. Place one of our printable instruction cards on one guest's seat, prompting her to initiate a toast. This toast will travel from ear to ear until it makes its way back to the original guest. She then reveals her original speech, as well as the group's mangled version of it.

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Movie Screening

Yayo Ahumada

Create your very own drive-in movie theater in a yard or on a rooftop by projecting a film onto a screen or wall (like Beau and Arrow Events did here). Provide folding chairs or blankets and pillows for lounging, and of course, plenty of popcorn!

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Finish That Thought

YunHee Kim
Make These Cute Cards Here

This is a playful way to gather both the names of attendees and their marital advice. Have each guest fill in a card, and ask her to write her name on the back. Read the sentences—ranging from silly to serious—aloud and have the bride (or everyone!) guess who delt out the words of wisdom.

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DIY Favors

Courtesy of Claire Thomas
Make These Mug Favors

Is the group creative? Plan an activity that doubles as a take-home favor. We love this chalkboard mug idea from Claire Thomas.

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Love Bingo

Learn more about the bride and the groom by playing a round (or two) of our bridal shower "love bingo." Your maid of honor will read out statements about the bride or the groom; for each fact, celebrants hold up a name paddle to convey who they believe the fact is about. If correct, attendees place a candy chip on the number that corresponds with the fact. Whoever gets four in a row gets Bingo!

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Pool Party