In our quest to help you plan the ultimate bridal shower, we searched high and low—and asked everyone we know—for their ideas of unique bridal shower games. Now, we’ve assembled the best of the best in one convenient post, giving each a modern twist. Of course, you can’t go wrong with classics like bridal shower bingo and toilet paper bride, but you won’t want to miss out on any of the modern twists that these selections have to offer.
20 Unique Bridal Shower Games
Following are 20 unique bridal shower games that we’ve compiled. We even developed some super-fun Beau-coup exclusives just for you! Whether you prefer simple or complicated, calm or hilarious, or games for the gals or a coed shower, we’ve got all types of ideas for fun games. If you’ve played any of these in the past or have other unique bridal shower games to recommend, leave us a comment below this post!
Read His Mind
Before the lovey-dovey twosome become one on their wedding day, test their knowledge of each other to find out if they really are “of the same mind.” A week or two before the shower, ask the groom twenty revealing questions about himself and his relationship (if planning a couple’s wedding shower, give the bride her own set of twenty questions to answer), and film the groom’s answers to each question.
Questions can be zany or sweetly romantic: “If you could burn one thing in your bride-to-be’s closet, what would it be?” and “What was the moment you knew she was the One?” are a couple of examples. At the shower, ask the bride to guess his answer to each question, and then play his videotaped response. Each time the bride makes an incorrect guess, give her a gumball or a stick of gum to chew. The worse she reads his mind, the more gum she has to chew—before you know it, the bride can barely talk around the huge, gooey wad in her mouth!
Bangle Shakedown
Looking for a fun game to keep guests as engaged as the bride-to-be? Here’s an idea: Before the party, come up with a short list of overused wedding-related words or exclamations (e.g. bride, wedding, dress, “Aww!”) to forbid. As each guest arrives, give her a charm bracelet with a little note listing the forbidden words. Then explain the simple rule to everyone: if someone hears another person say a word on the list at any time during the shower, she gets to take the rule-breaker’s bracelet. At the end of the party, the person with the most bracelets gets a prize—plus the chic set of bracelets on her arm!
Newspaper Wedding Dress
This is a fun reinterpretation of the classic game, Toilet Paper Wedding Dress. Using a few weeks’ worth of newspapers, have your guests fashion a funky wedding gown for the bride. Divide guests up into teams of three, and give them a supply of newspaper, scissors, tape, and glitter. Assign each team a section of the wedding dress (e.g. sleeve, bodice, train, veil, skirt) and let them get to work. Once the whole fabulous ensemble is complete, it’s time for the bride to try it on! Comical photo-ops are practically guaranteed!
Take Yarn, Tell a Yarn
One of the best icebreakers around involves nothing more than a ball of ribbon or yarn. As your guests arrive, give them the ball of ribbon and scissors and instruct them to cut off as much as they think they’ll need—and remain mum when they inevitably ask, “Need for what?” Once everyone is situated, go around the room and have each person talk about himself or herself for as long as it takes to wrap their piece of yarn around a finger. The longer the string, the longer they talk—and the more everyone gets to know each other!
Memory Lane Mysteries
This game is every bride’s sentimental favorite. When you mail each guest’s shower invitations, include a blank note card along with a request to write down his or her favorite memory of the bride, groom, or the couple. When your guests arrive at the shower, have them drop their memories into a card box. Later on, read each memory aloud and ask the bride and/or groom to guess which guest contributed it. Whether they’re childhood memories, milestone moments, or just funny anecdotes, each card reflects the personal bond that each guest has with the couple. Plus, at the end of the day, the bride has a stack of personal keepsakes to cherish!
Wedding Ring Dec-a-Cake
Double the fun at your shower with a tasty twist on tradition. You may have heard of the age-old bake-the-ring-in-a-cake trick: the hostess takes a toy ring or wedding trinket and bakes it right into a cake; at the shower, each guest takes a slice and whoever gets the ring is the next in line to marry. Well, it’s time to mix it up a bit! Drop a single ring into a batch of undecorated cupcakes that you’ve set up at a table along with the decorating supplies and a comical cake topper for a bit of decor. Without telling anyone what’s inside, ask your guests to help themselves to a cupcake and whatever frosting or edible wedding favors you’ve set out, and invite all to participate in a cupcake decorating contest. Whoever has the most unique or exquisitely decorated wedding cupcake gets a prize. Then, once you’ve declared a winner—and right before everyone takes their first bite—let your guests know that the person with the ring will be the next to say “I do!”
Pass the Presents
Who says the bride and groom should get all of the gifts? With this fast-paced, interactive game, everyone has a shot! Before the shower, wrap two or three gifts in decorative wrapping paper. When it’s game time, have everyone sit in a circle. Give each gift to a random person in the circle—or for the young and spry, put the gifts in the center and have all guests grab for one on the count of three.
Then, tell the guests to listen closely as you read them a special wedding story (feel free to customize the example we’ve posted below). Each time they hear the word “right,” the guests must pass the gifts one person to the right; when they hear “left,” the gifts move one person to the left. The key to this game is to start reading at a normal storytelling pace. Then, as everyone starts to get comfortable passing the gifts, speed up! The faster you go, the more frenetic and hilarious the gift passing gets. Guests holding gifts at the end, win! Here’s the story:
“[Insert bride’s name] knew RIGHT away that she had found Mr. RIGHT and the RIGHT date was set. Now seemed to be the RIGHT time to start so she LEFT RIGHT after lunch and went RIGHT to her mother’s house. She LEFT in such a hurry that she LEFT her to-do list RIGHT on the living room table. But there was no time to turn back. She knew she needed to get started RIGHT away to make sure nothing was LEFT undone.
With only 24 days until the wedding day, there seemed to be little time LEFT to spare and so much LEFT to do. She asked her mother to WRITE down a guest list because she knew Mom would make sure no one was LEFT out. [Insert bride’s name] LEFT to find the RIGHT invitations. On her way, she LEFT a message at the florist and then ran RIGHT into the bridal shop.
RIGHT in the window was the perfect dress. “Oh no, I LEFT my checkbook RIGHT in the car. Hold that dress, I’ll be RIGHT back.” With that accomplished, she called Mr. RIGHT and LEFT him a message to call her RIGHT back. She LEFT to meet the florist who had LEFT her a message that they had the RIGHT flowers for her.
Mr. RIGHT called her RIGHT back and said he LEFT a message for the preacher RIGHT down the road to call them RIGHT back and that he had just LEFT work and would be RIGHT over. She LEFT the florist and ran RIGHT over to meet Mr. RIGHT. RIGHT away they discussed what was LEFT to do. “Who will be the RIGHT best man?” She LEFT that up to Mr. RIGHT. “I’ll get the RIGHT maid of honor.”
RIGHT away they started shopping for the RIGHT rings. With that done, the next stop was to order the RIGHT cake. Mr. RIGHT could clearly see his future Mrs. RIGHT was on the RIGHT track.
After a long day, they were both LEFT exhausted. All that was LEFT to do was get RIGHT home to see if any messages were LEFT while they were out. Sure enough, Mom had LEFT a message that the church RIGHT down the road was available so she requested it RIGHT away. Now that was not LEFT to worry about. “Let’s call it a day. Whatever’s LEFT to do can be LEFT until tomorrow.” They agreed, and with a kiss, he LEFT and she went RIGHT to bed…”
Give the story your own unique ending!
Couple’s Roast
Here’s a great one for a couple’s wedding shower (though you can always change it up a bit for a bridal shower). First, cut some paper into strips and divide the strips into two equal piles. For the strips in one pile, you’ll write an emotion for the groom and an emotion for the bride. For example, “Jane is mad. John is worried,” “Jane is highly amused. John is bored silly,” or “Jane is scared. John is excited.” Then, write scenarios on the strips in the other pile. For example, “John tells Jane he can’t go to the mall with her because he made plans to watch the game with the boys,” “John tells Jane he traded in the minivan for a sports car,” or “Jane tells John her mother is coming to visit for three months.” Then, have guests break out into teams of two. Each player picks a strip from a different pile, puts them together and acts out the scenario with the assigned emotions—all while trying to mimic the couple’s mannerisms and quirks! Give the bride and groom scorecards to rate each performance from 0 to 10. The highest-scoring duo wins a prize!
Two Truths and a Lie
This is a great icebreaker for guests who are just getting to know each other. Each guest tells the group about three experiences he or she has had with the bride or groom. The catch: two of these stories are true, and one is a lie. Guests will then have to guess which one they think is a lie. This is a favorite because it requires nothing in terms of supplies or setting up, but it’s still a ton of fun to try to decipher the truths from the lies!
Pin the Ring on the Groom
This game can be tailored to fit the mood of any bridal shower. Start with a poster-sized picture of the groom. For a traditional shower, give each guest a faux wedding ring. For a more risqué twist, give each guest a pair of ladies’ lacy underwear. Blindfold your guests in turn and give each a pushpin and a ring or a pair of underwear. For the ring, the winner will be the player who pins it closest to the groom’s finger. As for the cheeky lingerie, place hooks in strategic places on the poster; whoever throws the underwear on the craziest spot, wins. Afterward, the bride gets to add the lacy confections to her collection!
Wedding Night Words
Here’s a nice and naughty game that’ll take the bride and bridal shower guests by surprise! Have a bridesmaid discreetly jot down everything that the bride-to-be says while she’s opening her gifts (make sure she doesn’t notice). Once all the gifts have been opened, gather everyone together and—with your best bedroom voice—read aloud the “oohs” and “aahs” and exclamations (e.g. “Wow! That’s tiny!”) the bride said—it’s what the bride will be telling her groom on the wedding night!
Something for Him
Tighty whities have never looked this good! Ask everyone to write notes to the groom on a pair of men’s underwear. You can choose a theme like “dirty advice” or “sweet best wishes” or leave it up to your guests. Then, make the bride wear the whitey tighties for the rest of the party. For an extra hot “touch,” give guests fabric paint and tell them to make handprints on the underwear. Once they’re dry, the underwear becomes a honeymoon gift for the couple—when he wears them, she has to get “handsy” with him wherever the handprints are!
Oven Mitts n’ Hose
People always ask why on earth a game would pair oven mitts with a pair of pantyhose. The answer is simple: it’s a hilarious combination! Have all the guests line up or form a semi-circle in the front of the room. Give each guest a pair of oven mitts and a pair of knee-high pantyhose. With the bride acting as the referee, tell the guests they must race to put on the mitts and pull up both knee-highs. The fastest player wins a prize, and everyone gets a good laugh.
The Scavenger Hunt
Here’s a sexy take on the traditional scavenger hunt: the Honeymoon Hunt. The Honeymoon Hunt is a honeymoon-themed scavenger hunt that you can have at your house, backyard, or wherever the party will be. Before the party, hide sexy items like fuzzy handcuffs, body paint, and lacy panties all over (or in a specific area). Divide guests into teams, give them a list, and set a time limit for them to try to find all the items. Whichever team finds the most items, wins! For a tricky twist, give guests a list of clues, rather than items. And, if you’re in a smaller space, just play the game with blindfolds. Clear the area of breakables and have everyone feel around the room to find the sexy objects. Inevitably, guests end up feeling each other as much as the items. The person who “feels up” the most items wins.
First Kiss Bridal Shower Game
Everyone has a great “first kiss” story to tell! Starting with the bride, have each guest share their tale. At the end, have your guests vote on the funniest or most romantic story. To best capture both sides of the kissing spectrum, you can have everyone tell two stories: one about their best kiss and another about their worst kiss.
What’s the Bride Wearing?
About 20 minutes into the bridal shower, once everyone has had a chance to greet the bride and is just getting settled into the party, have the bride leave the room. Now it’s time to test your guests’ observation skills! Give each guest a piece of paper and pencil and have them write down everything they can remember about what the bride is wearing, listing as many details as possible. Bring the bride back in and have each person read his or her neighbor’s list out loud. The guest that accurately lists the most items wins!
Mystery Toilet Paper Game
Who knew toilet paper could be this fun? As your guests arrive, hand them a roll of toilet paper and ask them to tear off whatever length they think they’ll need. When your guests ask why they are tearing off sheets of toilet paper, give them a cute answer like, “We’re super short tonight and just want to make sure everyone has some before we run out!” Toward the middle of the bridal shower, announce that you need to borrow some toilet paper. Take each guest’s length of paper and try to fit it around the bride’s body. Whoever has the closest length of tissue to her bust, waist or height measurements wins.
His Legs?
Heat up your coed wedding shower by putting the bride in a “hairy” situation! Blindfold the bride-to-be and line up all the guys including the groom. Send her down the line, feeling up each guy’s leg as she goes. Once she’s felt them all, she must guess which ones belong to her guy. Or, if the group is large, she can just call out when she believes she’s ID’d her hirsute fella.
Caught in the Middle
In any other situation, getting caught with blindfolds and paper bags might be a risqué predicament. With this game, it’s just good, clean fun. Start by having everybody sit in a circle. Fill several brown lunch bags with various items (e.g. makeup, baby food, an article of clothing). Start some music and pass a bag around. When the music stops, the person with the bag must go to the center along with the person who had it last. Both are blindfolded before the contents of the bag are revealed. The guest with the bag must do something to the other person with the unveiled object (e.g. feed them the baby food, apply the lipstick, put the scarf on). The game becomes especially hilarious when neither party has any clue of what the object is!
Bridal Pictionary
This game is far from picture-perfect, but that’s half the fun! To get started, you’ll need a large pad of paper or a dry-erase board, markers, slips of paper, and a bowl. Write down common wedding-related phrases on each slip of paper and place in the bowl. Here are some ideas you can use: “going to the chapel,” “wedded bliss,” and “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” Then, divide the guests into two teams. Each team—and team member—takes turns pulling a piece of paper from the bowl. The person who pulls will be the artist for that round. He or she has one minute to draw the image (without writing words or letters). If the artist’s team doesn’t guess the correct answer, the other team gets a shot. The team who guesses the most sayings correctly wins.
What’s the most fun bridal shower game you’ve played? Leave a comment explaining how it’s played! If you’re looking for more ideas, we have even more unique bridal shower games that we’d recommend! Then, be sure to check out our ideas on creative bridal shower themes and bridesmaid gifts to start planning your own fabulous party!