wedding game: Bridal Shower Games

If you're hosting a bridal shower, there are literally hundreds of games to choose from. Some are silly, some are serious, but all are about having some fun with the bride before she's married. Here's a sampling.

One fun game really puts the bride on the spot with regard to her knowledge of her husband-to-be's life. Prior to the party, have someone ask the groom a series of questions, such as where he was born, what his favorite food is, things like that. Then at the bridal shower, put the bride on the spot by asking her the answers to the questions. See how many she can get right (hopefully at least half!). If she does well, give the girl a prize; she deserves one.

One all-time favorite game is toilet paper wedding dresses. This game involves separating the guests into teams consisting of at least 2 people and no more than 5. Give each team a roll or toilet paper (or 2) and have them fashion a wedding dress out of the toilet paper. One of the team members will volunteer as the model. Provide them with a "dress up trunk" filled with jewelry and shoes. They must make the dress out of the toilet paper, but they can accessorize with the provided jewelry, shoes, gloves and hats. Place a time limit on this (5 minutes is adequate) and have the bride vote on the best dress. Be sure to provide prizes for the winning team!

Another fun game that's always a hit is making the bride get dressed while blindfolded. Tell the bride she is to pretend she's on her honeymoon and the power has gone off. She must prepare for her wedding night in complete darkness. Provide her with a suitcase filled with items and then blindfold her. She must get dressed in a certain period of time (2 minutes is adequate) while completely blindfolded and with no help from the guests. Include some silly items like oversized sunglasses, garden gloves or a flannel nightgown just to make it fun. This is a photo opportunity, so be sure someone is waiting to record the end result!

Another fun game puts the shower guests more on the sport than the bride. In this game, everyone puts their purses in the center of the room. Create a list of items commonly found in a purse and assign a point value and create a list of less common items and give them a higher point value. So you might give lipstick 2 points, a tampon 3 points, and sunglasses 5 points. But a granola bar could be 10 points and a staple remover, 15 points. Then go through the purses awarding points and give the person with the highest number of points (and therefore, the most items and probably highest number of unusual items) a prize.

Before the shower, create bingo cards for this shower bingo game. In the squares, put pictures of items you think the bride will receive at the shower. So, boxes might include things like lingerie, towels and the like. As the bride opens gifts, have people mark off that item on their bingo card. If nobody gets a "bingo" give a prize to the person who marked off the most number of items.

This next game is a derivation of a popular game that's often played at bachelorette parties and involves a stripper. This is the clean version. About 30 minutes into the party, have the bride leave the room and pass out pieces of paper. Have everyone write on the paper everything they can remember about the bride's outfit, hair, etc. How many rings is she wearing? What color is her blouse? Is she wearing open or closed toed shoes? Once everyone is done recording their observations, the bride comes back into the room and a prize is awarded to the person with the best observation skills.

wedding games: Bridal Bouquet Activities

When a bride orders her wedding bouquet, it might not seem that any "activities" will come from it other than as a thing for the bride to hold. But the bridal bouquet can be the source of many interesting activities and meaningful gestures.

During there ceremony there are all kinds of possibilities. Certainly you can go traditional and have a flower for both the mother of the bride and mother of the groom. The moms, in particular, love this activity and guests usually appreciate it as well. But what if you turned that traditional gesture on its head and supplied flowers for both the mothers and the fathers?

If the bride supplies flowers to both the men and women, there are a couple of ways to do this. What if dad's flower was enclosed in a verse that he will then get up and read at the ceremony? What if it was a flower to recognize the members of the family who have passed, and it gives dad an opportunity to recognize those family members?

If the bride chooses not to have a unity candle, but wants some gesture like it, she can have her bridal bouquet designed by having several small bouquets put together. At an appropriate time during the ceremony, the bridal bouquet is "broken up" and various people might receive a share, such as the mothers and fathers of the bride and groom.

Now, if the bride wants to hang onto her bridal bouquet during the wedding ceremony, but is willing to have some fun with it at the reception, there are a few options there as well. How about a dance involving the bridal bouquet? This is silly, but fun. The bridal bouquet is on display somewhere near the dance floor and guests must guess a flower that's in the bouquet before they can enter the dance floor. The first few guests might not have a problem as some flowers are obvious, like roses and tulips, but others might give people pause. Of course, this won't work if the bridal bouquet is all roses or some other single and obvious flower but for a traditional mixed bouquet, it can work well.

For a naughty touch, the bride can hide her garter in the bridal bouquet and actually put it on her leg before the groom takes it off. Or she can have a couple of breakaway bouquets that are wrapped in garter belts, so hers doesn't get thrown, but instead the tiny bouquets with garter belts attached are thrown.

When it comes time for the bride to throw her bouquet, there are several options. Some brides choose not to keep their bouquet and simply pluck one flower out of it before chucking the whole thing during the bridal bouquet toss. This is an alternative to having a special bouquet set aside for throwing, and there are others as well.

Are there are a lot of single women coming to the wedding? Maybe one thrown bouquet won't be enough. Many brides these days are opting for something a little more fun. There are a few options, really. One popular option is to have the florist create several small bouquets and then bundle them to look like one bouquet. They are tied lightly with a ribbon. When it comes time for the bouquet toss, the bride unties the ribbon, and throws the "bouquet" which is actually several little bouquets. Several women will catch the bouquet, rather than just one.

Active Wedding Reception Games

We've all been to receptions that are standard - we welcome and celebrate the new married couple, watch them dance, and enjoy cake with them. But creative couples often enjoy coming up with fun games that include the entire guest list.

Including the guests is an excellent way to get people out of their chairs, meeting people they might not otherwise know and feeling like they are truly a part of the celebration, not just observers.

One fun and active game that can be played by all your guests, including grandma as well as the young children, is "want it now".

In this game, you designate a master of ceremonies (if you have a DJ for your wedding reception, this person can serve as the DJ). The MC will have a list of "wants" prepared before the reception. Everyone sits at their tables, and waits to hear the command. The MC says he wants a person with painted toenails. All the women with painted toenails run to the front of the room, toward the MC. Each time a table sends someone to the front first, they get a point.

Points should be tallied during the course of this game and prizes awarded at the end of the game. Be sure to have some obvious "wants", as is the painted toenails, or a man with a mustache or a child with a pink dress. But also include some surprises, like "a man with a brown purse" which will require a man to find a woman at his table with the brown purse and run up to the front of the room with that.

Another fun wedding reception game that includes all your guests is musical chairs using men as the chairs. All the men line up and kneel on one knee. The women begin playing the game of musical chairs, but when the music stops, they must find a knee to sit on. No "chairs" are removed during the version of the game, but instead people are eliminated when either the man falls down when the woman finds his knee or when the woman falls down. Both are out either way, and if both fall down, they are also both out then (as well as perhaps a bit bruised). This is a fun game that often brings on gales of laughter and adds to a relaxed reception atmosphere.

If many guests are traveling a good distance to the wedding or don't know many other guests, it's always fun to include a game that will allow them to now only get to know each other but the bride and groom as well. For this game, you'll need a MC again, which can be a very outgoing member of the wedding party or the DJ. The reception guests are broken into two groups, which can be as simple as having people count off "1, 2, 1, 2" and so on until the entire guest list is either a "1" or a "2". Then the two groups band together for the duration of the game.

The DJ, or MC, offers a series of questions relating to the bride and groom. The teams should work together to answer the questions, then as quickly as possible provide the answer. The bride and groom will confirm if the answer is correct or not. This is an excellent way for otherwise "stranger" guests to get to know one another and have some fun in the process. It's also an excellent way to get to know the bride and groom!

Organizing games at a wedding reception is a great way to get people involved and make them feel they are truly a part of the celebration. It's also a way to fill time, if the wedding planners know this isn't a "dancing" group or if you want to loosen people up for a long night of celebrating. Whether a small or large wedding, reception games work for just about any group.

In addition, don't assume wedding reception guests will be offended or annoyed by these active games. Most people report to wedding planners they truly enjoy being more active and having fun games to play during a wedding reception.

Wrapping Wedding Favors

For many couples one of the most tedious aspects of planning a wedding is wrapping the wedding favors. This is especially true if you are planning to have a large wedding reception with many guests in attendance. Wrapping wedding favors for hundreds of guests can be very time consuming. Therefore couples should plan on purchasing their wedding favors well in advance to avoid having to wrap the favors at the last minute. In general you would ideally want your favors to arrive 2-3 weeks before your wedding date to give you plenty of time to get them wrapped without feeling stressed. Orders involving personalization should be ordered even early because these will take significantly longer to arrive. This article will offer a wide range of advice on wrapping wedding favors including advice on how to wrap favors and tips for making wrapping wedding favors a lot more fun.

Our first tip for wrapping wedding favors is to make sure you factor the cost of wrapping the gifts into your overall budget for wedding favors. This is important because it can add a significant amount to the cost of the favors. Most wedding favor distributors can ship the favors to you already wrapped but there is likely to be a costly fee for this service. It is far less expensive for the couple to wrap the gifts themselves. The most common theme for wrapping wedding favors includes wrapping the gifts in white and using ribbons the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses to adorn the wrapped packages. However, some couples opt for white ribbons for a more monochromatic appearance. Whichever way you decide to wrap your favors you should try to estimate of wrapping supplies such as paper, tape and ribbons before you purchase the favors to ensure these costs will not put you over budget. This may influence the wedding favors you select because you may be more inclined to select favors which are smaller because they will require fewer additional resources to wrap.

Another tip for wrapping wedding favors is to not avoid this project until the night before the wedding. In the opening paragraph we stressed the importance of ordering your wedding favors early to avoid having to wrap them at the last minute. This is incredibly important because wrapping wedding favors can be very time consuming. If you leave it until the last minute you may find yourself staying up all night to try to get all of the favors wrapped and unfortunately may run out of time and not be able to wrap them all. We cannot urge you enough to purchase your favors ahead of time and wrap them as soon as they arrive. This way you can simply set them aside and will not have to worry about them again until it is time to get them to the reception location so they can be placed at each place setting.

Wrapping wedding favors is definitely not a fun project. It can be very time consuming and can also be incredibly tedious. One way to make the project easier is to enlist the help of friends or family members to help you. If you get together a group of 3-4 of your friends you will find the task of wrapping the wedding favors is accomplished in much less time than it would take you to wrap them yourself. You will also have a great deal more fun because you will be spending time with your friends as you wrap the wedding favors.

Our last tip for wrapping wedding favors is to keep the wrapping very simple. You may have ideas about complex wrapping techniques and elaborate ribbons but this can make the task of wrapping the wedding favors take considerably longer than it has to take. Plus it can make storing the wedding favors very difficult. If you spend a great deal of time tying elaborate ribbons it would not make sense to stack the wrapped favors in a box where the ribbons will become crushed. You would have to find a space big enough to lay each favor out flat. This can be very difficult and even if you are able to do it, it will likely cause some inconvenience. Therefore we recommend simpler methods of wrapping and decorating your wedding favors.

Wedding Favors Your Guests Will Love

The purpose of wedding favors is to thank your guests for coming to your wedding and ultimately showing their support for your commitment to each other. As a result you should really try to find wedding favors which your guest will love. In some cases this may mean you have to give your guests a wedding favor which may not appeal to you but that you know the majority of your guests will love. However, in most cases the wedding favor you select for your guests will be something you know they will love as well as a favor which you would also love to receive. This article will provide a few wedding favor ideas which are enjoyed by many guests.

Edible wedding favors are one type of favor which the majority of your guests will love. There are a lot of options available for couples who wish to give their guests some type of edible favor. Candy is one of the most popular options available. Many couples like to give their guests a candy bar with a personalize wrapper which includes the names of the bride and the groom as well as the wedding date. Other candies such as mints or hard candies are also very popular. These candies can often be distributed in personalized containers such as tins or glass containers. Cookies are another type of edible wedding favor which is very popular. The cookies can include a photo of the couple or may be a fortune cookie with a quote from a love song or phone inside.

Miniature wedding cakes are another type of edible wedding favor your guests will appreciate. These are not as popular as other types of wedding favors because they can be rather expensive but if they fit within your budget, your guests are sure to be delighted by these favors. These wedding favors can be distributed in small boxes so your guests can take them home easily.

Picture frames are another example of wedding favors that many guests love to receive. Guests like to receive this type of favor because it is a very practical gift. They can use the frame to hold a picture of the couple or for any other purpose they wish. Giving picture frames is also a great idea because they come in such a wide variety that finding a suitable one should be easy. Picture frames can be purchased to reflect the theme of the wedding or can be romantic in nature to reflect the underlying theme of love which prevails at all weddings. Alternately picture frames selected as favors can be rather plain in nature. This helps to ensure the pictures frames will be used by the guests because it makes it more likely that they will work well with the décor in the guests’ homes.

Another example of wedding favors guests love is basically anything which they can use and which will help them to remember the wedding fondly. One way to accomplish this is to provide wedding favors which are not only practical but also closely relate to the theme of the wedding. Wedding favors which incorporate the theme of the wedding are much more likely to trigger the guests to remember the details from the wedding each time they see or use the favor.

Wedding Favors for Winter Weddings

Couples who are planning a wedding in the wintertime may wish to incorporate the idea of winter into the overall theme of the wedding. They may also wish to give their guests wedding favors which are related to the winter season. These wedding favors can be items related to winter or the holiday season depending on the preferences of the couple. This article will provide a few ideas for wedding favors which would be appropriate for winter weddings.

Couples who are getting married around Christmastime may be planning to incorporate Christmas into the theme of the wedding. If this is the case they will have a great deal of options available to them in terms of wedding favors. One very popular idea is to give each guest an ornament with the names of the bride and the groom and the wedding date. This is an excellent idea for the wedding favor because it is not only something the guests can use but it is also a personalized wedding favor which will help to ensure the favor will be associated with the wedding and will help the guests to remember the wedding fondly.

Tiny, artificial Christmas trees are another great idea for a festive wedding favor idea. These tiny trees can be adorned with wedding bell ornaments or kept plain to allow the guests to decide how to display the favor themselves. Alternatively the couple may wish to give each of the guests a few packets of seeds for Christmas trees. This will allow each of the guests to plan their own trees if they desire to do so.

Snow globes are another example of a favor which would be very appropriate for a winter wedding. The snow globes can feature a bride and a groom amidst the snow or can simply be a winter scene which the couple finds appealing such as ice skaters or a mountain scene. This type of wedding favor is likely to be appreciated by your guests because it is not a very common wedding favor so most of your guests will not likely already have a large collection of similar items.

Another idea for a wedding favor for a wedding during the winter season is a miniature sled with the name of the bride and the groom and the date of the wedding painted on the sled. This is a rather cute decoration which can be displayed as a knick knack or used as an ornament on a Christmas tree.

Even items such as coasters can be used as wedding favors for a winter wedding. Coasters come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and designs. You can find coasters shaped like snowflakes or featuring winter scenes. By selecting these winter themed design a very practical wedding favor instantly becomes one which is also very appropriate for the theme or the season of the wedding.

Hot chocolate, coffees and teas are also great wedding favor ideas for winter weddings. These edible favor ideas are great for the winter season because they are all warm drinks. You can even find wedding favor distributors who will personalize the packaging of these favors for you so that you can make these wedding favors even more festive and appropriate for distribution as a wedding favor.

Wedding Favors for Summer Weddings

The summer is a very popular time for weddings. In fact June is one of the most popular times of the year for couples to get married. The nice weather is one of the primary reasons that many couples opt for this time of year for their wedding. There is less of a chance that weather will affect the plans for the wedding and many couples feel confident planning outdoor weddings for this time of the year. However, other couples simply enjoy the summertime and opt to have their wedding at this time of year for that reason alone. Whatever the reason the couple opts for a summer wedding, they are likely to want to incorporate the idea of summer into the wedding favors they distribute.

Beach themed weddings are very popular in the summertime. The couple may be having the ceremony and reception on the beach or they may simply be incorporating a beach theme into an indoor wedding. In both cases, however, the couple will likely opt to give the guests some type of favor related to the beach. Magnets shaped like sandals are a very popular option for weddings this time of year or for wedding featuring a beach theme.

Another great idea for a favor for a summertime wedding is a candle designed to reflect the season. Candles in the shape of seashells or even votive candles in holders designed to look like sand pails are both great ideas. There are even candles in the shape of dolphins and whales available. These may be more expensive but depending on your budget for wedding favors might be a viable option.

Items such as artificial leis or other flowers can also be appropriate as wedding favors for a summer wedding. If you are planning to have flowers as your centerpieces on the tables you may wish to give each of your guests a single flower like the ones used in your centerpieces as a favor. This is a great idea because when you do this your favors will also serve to enhance the décor at your reception by closely matching the centerpieces. Giving a fresh flower as a favor is appropriate but you might also opt to give an artificial flower. This is because artificial flowers can be kept by your guests as a memento of your wedding while fresh flowers will likely wilt shortly after the wedding. Some of your guests may dry or press the fresh flowers to create a memento but the majority of them will simply discard the flower once it wilts.

Picture frames are also very popular as wedding favors for summertime weddings. This is because picture frames come in so many different styles that the couple is likely to find a picture frame which has a definite summer feel to it. There are picture frames which feature beach scenes, picture frames which are adorned with seashells and a wide variety of other whimsical picture frames which convey the meaning of summertime. Picture frames can not only be found in a wide variety of styles but are also very practical gifts. Many wedding guests enjoy receiving picture frames as wedding favors because they now have a place to store a photo of the new couple. Still other wedding guests enjoy receiving picture frames as wedding favors simply because they always have use for another picture frame and can use this frame to store pictures of friends or family members.