I recently went to a wedding shower for a friend and was completely blown away. Everything down to the last detail was planned to perfection. As a host, one of the biggest causes for stress usually comes with the standard, “what are we going to do for games?”
Some gals are completely against any type of traditional “shower games.” Others can’t get enough. The trick is to find a happy medium where guests will be comfortable yet not forced to endure 4 hours worth of rigorous calculated activities. An abundance of games doesn’t give guests the chance to interact with each other. Here are some fun ideas for you to choose from …
The Introduction
Go around and have each guest state their name and how they know the bride. If you want to add something else, have each guest state an unusual fact about themselves.
The Games
Bride and Groom Quiz - Have paper and writing utensils available for the guests. Ask them a series of questions regarding the bride and groom. Who ever gets the most correct wins a prize.
1. What is the bride/groom’s middle name?
2. Where did the bride/groom go to college?
3. What town did the bride/groom grow up?
4. Where did the couple meet?
5. Where was their first date?
6. Where was their first kiss?
7. Who said “I love you” first?
8. Where is the couple going on their honeymoon?
9. What are the couple’s favorite TV shows?
10. What food is the bride/groom allergic too?
11. What is the bride/groom’s drink of choice?
12. What is the bride/groom’s favorite magazine/author/reading material?
13. What city are the couple getting married in?
14. Who does the majority of the cooking?
15. Who does the majority of the cleaning?
16. How many pets do the couple have and what are their names?
17. How did the groom propose to the bride?
18. What is the groom’s favorite sports team?
19. Where was the couple’s first big vacation together?
20. What date is the wedding?
Paper plate wedding dress- Give each guest a paper plate. Have them write their name on the side where you would put your food. Everyone places their plate on top of their head and attempts to draw the brides wedding dress. Everyone gives the paper plates to the bride and she chooses the winner.
Toilet paper wedding dress – This one has been around for ages! Break the guests up into teams of 3 or 4. Have each group choose a “bride” to make a wedding dress out of toilet paper. The actual bride-to-be chooses the winning team.
How well does the bride know the groom? – Beforehand, come up with a list of questions to ask the groom. At the shower, have the guests write down how many answers they think the bride will get right. Then ask the bride the questions the groom answered and keep track of how many she got right. Winner gets a prize. Another twist to this is to have the bride chew a piece of bubble gum. For ever wrong answer, she has to put in a new piece of bubble gum.
The Purse Game - Ahead of time, have a list of common and not so common items that could be in a woman’s purse. Assign each item a point value. The guest with the highest number of points wins.
The Memory Game – This works great for a bride who has registered for a lot of small kitchen gadgets. Have one or two people be in charge of purchasing the lot of smaller items. Place all of the items on the floor or on a table. Allow guests to view the items for one minute. Take the items away and everyone has one minute to write down as many of the items that they can remember. The winner gets a prize and the bride gets the items as a gift.
Scrambled Words – On a sheet of paper, come up with a list of 20-30 wedding related words and then scramble the letters. The guests have 3-5 minutes to unscramble as many of the words as they can. The person who unscrambles all of the words first or who has the most words wins.
Estimation Jars – Pretty self explanatory here. Have 2-3 estimation jars filled with candy. The winner wins the candy and the jar.
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Other Ideas and Themes
Recipe box- Include in the invitations a blank card with instructions to write down a favorite recipe for the new bride. Find a cute recipe box to include all the new cards.
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Memory box – Include in the invitations a blank card with instructions to write down a favorite memory of the bride or advice for the bride-to-be. Find a cute box or scrapbook to include all the cards.
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Panty Palooza – Include in the invitations the option for each guest to bring a pair of underwear for the bride-to-be. Have the bride attempt to guess who bought what 
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Tea Party Bridal Shower
For all of you brides out there who are planning your own bridal shower, or bridesmaids looking for shower ideas … this is one of my favorites – a bridal tea party! A tea party theme works perfectly if you are planning an afternoon shower. Tea parties are great for both small or large groups, fancy or casual occasions and can be held in your backyard or a rented hall. Whichever way you choose, it can be a fun and affordable theme to get creative with!
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The way I see it, there are two directions you can go with the bridal tea party. You can go clean and simple, sticking with a certain color palette …
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Or you can take the Mad Hatter approach and use all different bright colors and funky decorations …
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Both options are fun for bridal showers. Go in whatever direction you think the bride will prefer. Whichever method you choose, there are still lots of details you can incorporate to customize the shower.
There are many bridal invitation sites that offer Tea Party invitations.
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Tea favors are also easily found on most wedding favor websites.
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With so many options when it comes to planning and decorating … here are few essentials you will need in order to host a successful tea party shower.
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The essentials are as follows …
With all of these items there is a very good chance you’re tea party will be a hit! Everything listed above can be easily obtained … and at a reasonable price!
If you are going with the simple and clean color palette, you will probably want to get your items all in one place (where you can buy in bulk) to make sure they match. If you’re taking the Mad Hatter approach … you can find teacups, dishes and containers at any store. You may be able to find inexpensive items in places such as your local dollar store or thrift stores. You could also buy in bulk and then paint on your own designs!
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As for the food … the great thing about a tea party is that the menu is all baked goods, fruit, candies and finger sandwiches. Rather than having the catered meal that is common at most big showers today, the tea party allows for other (less expensive) options. When invited to a tea party, guests will not come expecting a meal - only tea and light refreshments. Assign certain food items to each of the bridesmaids or even some family members … and you’re all set! They can either make treats themselves or pick them up at the local bakery.
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When it comes to decorations … anything that fits in with your colors (crazy or controlled) will do! You can use fun fabrics for table cloths, use colorful ribbon accents or hang paper decorations. Buy them at your local craft store … or make your own!
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Be creative, have fun … raise those pinkies and enjoy your tea!