Bridal Bingo is a great way to break the ice between different groups of friends that might not know one another. Photo by Flickr/surlygirl
A wedding usually means lots of planning--besides the main event itself, the run-up usually includes engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties and more. Clever brides and friends-of-brides have come up with lots of games to liven up these events, from the intimate gift-giving occasion of the bridal shower to the wild bachelorette parties.
When my brother got engaged, for some crazy reason, my family decided to assign me to bridal shower games--maybe it's because of my carefree spirit. On a quest not to bore everyone to death, I did some research and came across a few crafty suggestions to add to the traditional bridal mummy game often played at these shindigs.
Musical Bouquet
In this spin on the classic game of "musical chairs," the guests sit in a circle. With music playing, they pass around the bouquet until the DJ randomly cuts off the music. The unlucky holder of the bouquet loses and is removed from the circle. The game continues until only one person remains.
Required items: a small bouquet, chairs, radio or boom box, DJ and a moderator (for those that might have some tricks up their sleeves).
Bridal Bingo
This game is a great way to break the ice. Each guest takes a bingo card filled with characteristics or situations that relate to how they met or know the bride (i.e. sister, roommate junior year, etc.). During a five-minute time period, the guests have to find someone that fits each description. At the end of time, the guest with the most spaces filled gets to claim the bragging rights.
Required items: bingo cards, pens, timer and prizes.
Who Has the Trinket?
Typically played at baby showers, it is quite easy to put a bridal spin on the classic safety pin game. With the upcoming nuptials, guests might find it hard to avoid saying the names of the groom, church or other wedding-related words. This game uses that fact to your advantage.
Organizers pick a list of off-limits words and give each guest a select amount of trinkets at the beginning of the shower. Throughout the shower, when someone utters one of the designated words, another guest may take one of their trinkets. The guest with the most trinkets by the end of the shower gets the prize.
Required items: trinkets and prizes.
Return of the Mummy
For those that may not have large bridal-shower budgets, the classic return of the matrimonial mummy is always a great, low-cost option. In the game, the guests separate into groups and compete against each other to see who creates the best wedding gown out of toilet tissue.
Required item: lots of toilet tissue.
Wedding Clues
As the guests arrive, someone pins the name of one-half of a famous couple (for example, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or Michelle and Barack Obama) on their back. Throughout the bridal shower, players may ask each other yes or no questions to find out what person is pinned to them. The winners of the game will be the two that figure out their identity and their "significant other" first.
Required items: sticky notes and safety pins, or name tags.
The Vows
One guest begins the "vows" on a piece of paper, then folds the paper to cover their sentence. Each guest adds a line, continuing to fold the paper to hide their addition. After each person has written down a sentence, the bride reads the full vows out loud.
Required items: paper, sense of humor.
Sources: tlc.com; weddings.about.com
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