Unique Bridal Shower Games

Bridal Shower Activities

Every classic bridal shower has certain expected activities, including:

• Icebreakers: These quick activities can help introduce guests to one another and relieve tension between strangers.
• Gifts: The historic purpose of a bridal shower is to “shower” the bride with gifts she would need in her new home, and modern showers still include gift-opening.
• Refreshments: A bridal shower cake is a popular treat, and many showers may include other snacks or a light meal.
• Games: Playing bridal shower games is a classic part of bridal showers, and the games can either be competitive events or they could be humorous activities meant to make everyone smile.

Just because a bridal shower should include all these elements does not mean it has to be predictable and boring. Unique shower games can make the event an exciting way to celebrate the impending wedding.

Ideas for Unique Bridal Shower Games

Anyone who has been to a bridal shower is familiar with popular bridal shower games such as creating a wedding dress from toilet paper, forbidding the use of certain wedding-related words, or playing a trivia contest about the happy couple. More unique games can be much more exciting, however, and will keep guests happily involved in the festivities. Unique game ideas include:

• Scavenger Hunt: There are two variations to this classic party game that are suitable for a bridal shower. Themed items could be hidden around the party location and the team that finds the most wins a prize, or the scavenger hunt could be used in lieu of gifts by setting team budgets (let guests know about this contribution beforehand) and giving clues for items to be purchased, such as “something fun for the bedroom” or “a way to make something sweet in the kitchen.” At the end of the hunt, the bride can rank her favorite gifts from each clue, and the highest-scoring team wins.
• Towel Cakes: Learning how to make a towel wedding cake is a fun activity for bridal showers. Guests could be asked to bring matching sets of towels that will be given to the bride, while the party host supplies decorative accents. The resulting cakes can be used as decorations for additional showers or the wedding rehearsal dinner.
• Bridal Shower Gift Bingo: Instead of handing out Bingo cards printed with wedding words, each guest is given a blank card that they fill in with gifts they think the bride will receive (the guest’s own gift is the center free space). As the bride opens her gifts, guests can play along.
• Toilet Paper Veil: A different twist on the classic toilet paper wedding dress is the toilet paper wedding veil. Guests are given a certain amount of toilet paper or crepe paper and have a limited amount of time to craft a veil. The bride then chooses her favorite to wear for the rest of the shower, or even to wear at the wedding rehearsal.

Make a bridal scrapbook.

• Bridal Scrapbooking: Crafty party guests will enjoy the opportunity to help the bride make a bridal scrapbook. The party host should supply basic scrapbooking supplies as well as either page themes or photos for guests to work with. The pages can then be placed in a keepsake book as a gift for the happy couple.
• Friends Forever: In this trivia game, each guest writes down a favorite memory of the bride. The bride then reads each memory aloud, and guests record who they think shares that memory. The guest with the most right answers is the winner. If no one guesses correctly, the person who shared the memory gets extra points.
• Bridal Horrors Fashion Show: Guests will have a blast with bad bridal fashion by dressing up in the ugliest bridesmaid dresses they can find. Thrift stores and clearance centers are great places to find cheap bridesmaid dresses and used wedding dresses, so no guest has to spend too much. Extra points go to the guest who wears an ensemble she actually wore at a previous wedding.
• Pass the Presents: This is a bridal version of hot potato. Guests are seated in a circle and three or four wrapped gifts are distributed among them. As the bride reads a story, guests must pass the gifts to the left or right every time they hear certain words in the story. The words could be the words “left” or “right” or they might be other variation such as “bride” and “groom” or the couple’s names. The more frequently the passing words are used and the faster the story is read, the more fun the game will be.

Tips for Shower Games

Bridal shower games can be fun activities, but no one should be forced to participate in games they don’t feel comfortable with. Instead, allow them to be a scorekeeper, judge, or other role that keeps them involved without being uncomfortable. Games should also be chosen to suit the guests – older relatives may not be happy with a fast-paced scavenger hunt, for example. The party host should encourage all guests to participate without pressure, and she should take plenty of pictures to commemorate the fun.

Unique bridal shower games can turn a predictable party into an exciting event for the bride and her closest friends and family members, helping make more happy memories of this special time that the bride will cherish for many anniversaries.