Bridal Shower Games Are As Popular As Ever

Lame or loved, they're just a heap of fun

It's like a Tupperware party without the sales pitch and handy tips, a Halloween party without the trick or treating. It's an excellent way to stock up the bride's kitchen cabinets with brand new appliances, munch on fancy cakes and drink cups of tea, all while trying to guess the colors of the bridesmaids' gowns and the location of the honeymoon. Bridal shower games are like a rite of passage. Sure, they can be a little lame but all in all, they represent lots of fun memories for the bride, her attendants, family and friends; a last chance to bask in her glow before the wedding. As well as being great icebreakers, bridal shower games can actually form the entertainment for the event, with the guests as players, not just unpaid, but bearing gifts!

Age appropriate, please
The age group of the crowd should be taken into account when devising bridal shower games. Obviously, to have guests wear a blindfold and 'pin the manhood on the hot guy' won't go down too well with conservative older aunts and shockable grandmas. But a wholly sedate game of 'guess the number of jellybeans in the jar' won't exactly rouse the party into a memorable event either. The best advice is to either invite guests from a particular demographic - say, all the bride's closest female friends, and exclude obligatory second-cousins-twice-removed - or to put together a repertoire of games that everyone can enjoy to varying degrees.

Prizes for games
Everyone likes a challenge and everyone wants to be rewarded for her efforts. Awarding a prize for the winners of the bridal shower games keeps the incentive running high, and even though it's fun to receive a gift, the gifts are usually passed on to the bride anyway. No one really expects to take home a bright pink potato peeler or a polka dot dust cloth, right? There should be ample prizes so that at least a quarter of the guests 'receives' something, and so that the bride's stash is an interesting pile of gadgets and thing-a-me-jigs at the end of the party. They don't have to cost a mint; the idea is to keep them fun. Guests will be able to take favors home instead of the games gifts.

Game ideas

Bridal Trivia
Planning trivia games is easy if the organizers know the bride and groom well. Comprise a list of ten or so questions for which the bride will provide the answers and the guest is the one with the highest score right.

Pass the Parcel
Wrap a gift in many layers of festive paper. On each layer, write questions personalized to the bride and for anyone to peel the paper off, they have to get the answer right.

Match the famous couples bingo
Make up unique cards for each guest with photos of female celebrities cut from magazines. As you call the bingo game, call out names of male celebrities and the only way to cross someone off is if their real life partner is called.

If the shower is based on a theme, such as lingerie or jewelry, the bridal shower games, as well as the gifts, can be arranged accordingly. Many brides have already set up house so more personal items are appreciated in lieu of glassware, dishes and tea towels. Also consider the bride's personality; if she's heavily into fashion, a tomboy or an animal lover, these traits can be incorporated into the theme, including the games, gifts, food and décor.