25 bridal shower games that will keep every guest entertained

Bridal showers are a chance to gather the bride-to-be’s favorite people in one room, and celebrate the next chapter with laughter, stories, and maybe a mimosa (or two). Between the gifts, the snacks, and the words of advice for future marital bliss, a few thoughtfully chosen bridal shower games can bring just the right amount of structure and silliness to the day.

The best bridal shower icebreaker games will help guests mingle and spark conversation between attendees who may not have met before—think celebrations with family and friends beyond the bridal party. If you’re planning a coed gathering, many of these games also work as couples’ wedding shower games. Whether you’re planning something elegant and low-key or lively and laugh-out-loud, these unique bridal shower games can be mixed, matched, and tailored to your celebration. 

 

25 fun bridal shower game ideas

As you consider the guest list for your bridal shower invitations (don’t forget to consult the bride herself for this), start thinking about which games would work best. Your choice of bridal shower invitation wording can guide the overall vibe of the party and the games, from sophisticated to playful. 

A quick tip—for some added motivation, offer up some small (but desirable!) bridal shower game prizes for the winners and runners-up. These can be as simple as a box of chocolates or a cute candle, or, if you’re hosting a smaller event with your closest people, bigger prizes like a gift certificate to a local spa or restaurant. Anything that builds anticipation and excitement! 

 

1. The clothespin challenge 

Let’s start with an absolute classic—perfect for any celebration, from a bridal shower to a wedding party weekend. When guests arrive, give them each two to three clothespins and choose a taboo word like “bride,” “wedding,” or even the groom’s name. If someone says the forbidden word, another guest can take one of their pins. Whoever collects the most clothespins by the end of the shower wins! You can also use plastic engagement or wedding rings instead of clothespins if you want to be even more on-theme. 

 

2. Where in the world? 

This is a great option for celebrating well-traveled couples. Have the couple send printed photos from different trips they’ve taken together (8 to 15 photos is a good starting point). Pin these up at the party and label each with a number. Guests then guess where in the world each photo was taken. The guest with the most correct guesses wins!

 

3. Cocktail contest 

Got a stocked bar? Divide guests into teams and challenge them to create a cocktail or mocktail inspired by the bride and groom—bonus points for the most creative name! Once everyone has mixed their masterpiece, have the bride sample all of the options and choose a winner. The couple might just find their signature drink for the big day.

 

4. What’s in the box? 

Fill a small storage bin or cute fabric box and turn it into a wedding-day emergency kit—think safety pins, stain remover, hair ties, mints, tissues, fashion tape, Band-Aids, and other must-haves. Unpack everything in front of guests, reassemble, and challenge everyone to write down as many items as they can remember. The guest with the most correct answers wins—and should perhaps be the designated keeper of the emergency kit during the wedding. 

 

5. Would she rather?

How well do you know the bride-to-be? 

In this game of “this or that,” the host or game planner (that’s you) asks the bride-to-be a series of questions before the party: Does she prefer coffee or tea? A big party or a quiet evening at home? Rock or rap? Her responses serve as the answer key. 

All the guests get a game card with the same questions and guess her responses, earning one point for every correct answer. The player with the most points wins, and the one with the lowest score should probably spend a bit more time with the bride (Kidding! Or are we?).

 

6. Why do we do that?

Games for bridal showers don’t have to be about the couple specifically. They can be about wedding traditions in general. For this game, it may be helpful to do a bit of research ahead of time to come up with your answer key. 

At the party, ask guests why they think there are certain wedding traditions, such as:

• Why does the bride usually wear a white dress? 
• Why does a young boy act as a ringbearer? 
• What’s the story behind throwing the bouquet? 

Play this game verbally or with a pencil and paper.

 

7. Who said it?

Sometimes called the “shoe game” or the “he said, she said” game, this fun activity consists of a series of statements made in advance by the bride and groom and printed on a score card. Players then have to guess which person in the happy couple said it. 

Example statements might include “I made the first move” or “I am the better dancer.” The winner is the person who guesses the most statements correctly.

 

8. How well do you know the couple?

 

It’s trivia time! This is also a great option for couples’ bridal shower games, since the trivia questions can relate to both partners. 

Sit down with the couple and gather some fun trivia facts, such as:

• Where was the groom born? 
• How long have they been together? 
• Where was their first date? 
• Who is the better cook? 
• Where is their honeymoon going to be? 

Create your answer key, and ask guests to pick which member of the happy couple is the correct answer to these questions. If you need a quick version of this game, click here to download and print a set of questions that’s ready to go! 

 

9. Drink if…

If the bridal shower is also functioning as a bachelorette party—or if it’s a bridal shower involving cocktails rather than party punch—the “drink if” game is a blast. Fill up a card with a number of statements, and read them to the guests, who take a drink if the statement applies to them.

The statements can be tame, like “drink if you went to school with the bride,” or they can be more adult-oriented, like “drink if you’ve ever had a one-night stand.”

This is a great game for a bachelorette party, too.

 

10. Draw the wedding

Give the classic drawing-and-guessing game a bridal shower makeover. Players take turns going up to a large sheet of paper or a whiteboard to draw the word or phrase on a randomly selected card. The mystery words can be wedding-themed, like “bridal bouquet” or “wedding cake,” or can lean more risqué, depending on the audience.

 

11. Uniquely me

This icebreaker game is perfect for gatherings where guests don’t know one another. It works best with about 10 to 15 people playing, and is sure to get conversations flowing. The best part? No supplies needed!  Everyone tries to come up with something about themselves that isn’t true for anyone else in the room. Ideally, this factoid should relate to the bride-to-be in some way, like, “I’ve known Carrie since kindergarten.” It could also be more general, such as, “I held a koala in Australia.” 

 

12. Fill-in-the-blank wedding vows

Here’s another twist on an age-old favorite. Find a simple set of wedding vows online, but remove several of the words. Indicate whether the blank spaces should be filled with a noun, verb, adjective, or other part of speech. Make copies of the vows, and have guests fill in the blanks with their own words. Once everyone is done, the bride-to-be can read the new wedding vows out loud for some guaranteed laughs. Click here to view, download, and print this game.

 

 

13. Paper wedding dress

Divide guests into teams of about four people, and provide each team with a roll or two of toilet paper. Each team selects one person as the “bride,” and the other team members try to make a wedding dress for their “bride” out of the toilet paper. 

Set a 15-minute time limit to keep the party moving. Once everyone is done, the “brides” strut down the runway, and the actual bride-to-be picks the winning team.

 

14. Treasured (or funny) memories

Another great game to break the ice, this activity has guests guessing each other’s fond memories with the bride and groom. Everyone writes down a treasured memory or moment they had with the bride-to-be on a small piece of paper, but they keep the submissions anonymous. Add all the responses to a basket, then give it a shake. One by one, the bride takes a note out, reads it aloud, and guesses who wrote it. Alternatively, have the guests match the memory to the person who wrote it. 

 

15. Bridal shower crossword 

Create a custom crossword puzzle with clues about the couple: trips they’ve taken together, how they met, their favorite restaurants, their pets, or inside jokes. Print copies for guests to complete during the party, and whoever finishes first wins! 

 

16. Romcom charades

Everyone likes a cheesy romantic comedy, right? 

Write the titles of romantic comedies on pieces of paper, and put them in a basket. Split the guests into two or more teams, who take turns silently acting out each movie title while their team guesses the movie. Set a time limit of one to three minutes.

Here are some classic romantic comedies you might include:

• “Wedding Crashers”
• “The Wedding Singer”
• “Father of the Bride”
• “27 Dresses”
• “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”

 

17. Guess the wife

Hand out an index card to each guest. Everyone writes the name of a celebrity wife or a fictional TV wife on their card. Shuffle the cards, lay them face down, and ask each guest to tape one of the cards to their forehead without peeking. As guests mingle, they give each other clues about whose name is on their card, and at the end of the game, each guest guesses what name they have.

 

18. Scavenger hunt

As you set up the bridal shower décor, hide small sticky notes behind (or on the bottom of) a few items. Write a number on each of the sticky notes. For example, you might put the number 2 on the back of a vase of flowers. 

Each guest receives a list of items for the scavenger hunt, like “the bride’s favorite flowers.” When they find the sticky note, they write down the number next to the item on the list. The person who collects the most by the end of the party wins. 

 

19. Marriage advice

Bridal shower game ideas don’t have to be competitive—they can be helpful or collaborative too. 

Set up some index cards and pens on a table. Over the course of the gathering, guests choose a card, write a piece of marital advice, and then deposit it in a box. Have the bride read them out loud at the end of the party for everyone to enjoy. You can even take turns guessing who wrote each piece of advice.

 

20. Recipes made with love 

This collaborative activity doubles as a meaningful keepsake for the happy couple—especially if they’re foodies. When guests RSVP, ask them to bring a favorite recipe. Set up a writing station at the party and have each guest fill out a card with their pick. By the end of the celebration, the couple will have a new collection of recipes hand-picked with love, and lots of ideas for weeknight dinners. If you want a competitive edge, turn the shower into a potluck and have each guest bring their prepared recipe for a cook-off! 

 

21. How old were they?

Ask for some help from both families, particularly the parents, for this fun bridal shower game. 

Gather some photographs of both the bride and groom at different ages, from infancy to the present day. Guests guess how old they were in each picture. You can also include questions like, “How old was Jake when he learned how to ride a bike?” or “How old was Jane when she went to Europe the first time?”

 

22. Musical bouquet

 

In this take on musical chairs, guests seat themselves in a circle. A single bouquet of flowers is handed to someone at random. As the music starts, guests pass the bouquet around the circle. Whoever is holding the bouquet when the music stops is eliminated. The game continues until only one person is left. 

 

23. The wedding singer

Ask the bride and groom to put together separate wedding playlists of about 10 songs each—they should not work together on this! 

Keep their lists as the answer key, and build a playlist on your own device that includes all of their songs. At the bridal shower, play a short clip from each song and ask guests whether the bride or the groom picked it. 

 

24. Impersonation improv

A wedding shower game like “impersonation improv” encourages guests to get on their feet and poke a bit of fun at the bride and groom. 

Divide guests into teams of two. Write a number of scenarios on slips of paper and put them in a basket. Each team picks a slip of paper and acts out the scenario, impersonating the bride and groom. Remind them to try to include as many of their mannerisms as possible. Alternatively, the game can be played with teams of one, as a monologue. 

After each team has had a turn, the bride and groom get to decide who did it best.

 

25. Bridal shower bingo

Will the bride be opening gifts in front of guests? If so, turn the activity into a game with bingo playing cards featuring common bridal shower presents—such as a knife set, stand mixer, Dutch oven, and lingerie. Whichever guest crosses off a full row of gifts first (and shouts “bingo,” of course) gets to take home the prize. This is a fun game to play to keep guests engaged while the bride or couple opens their gifts.

FAQs about bridal shower games

Do you have to play games at a bridal shower? 

No, you don’t have to play games at a bridal shower, but including a few games is a great way to break the ice and give the party a bit of structure. Games get everyone engaged and talking with one another, minimizing awkward silences. 

How many bridal shower games should be played?

Depending on how long the bridal shower will last and the time duration of each game, you can plan for two to four of them—just be sure to leave guests plenty of time to eat, drink, and mingle, too. A general rule of thumb to follow is one long game or two short games per hour of the party’s duration.

Where can I find templates for bridal shower games?

For many of these games, you don’t need to have special stationery or templates, but, if you want to stay on-theme with your party, you can look for inspiration on Etsy and Pinterest for designing your party game handouts—or for finding ready-to-print templates. Or, use our easy-to-download templates in this article!
• Download Who Knows the Couple Best?
• Download Bridal Nuptials

What other activities are fun for bridal showers?

Whether or not you decide to include games as part of the bridal shower, you can offer other activities for your guests to participate in, such as providing photo booth props your guests can use for selfies—simply set out an instant camera and encourage guests to pin their snapshots on a corkboard. Another fun activity is to set up an origami station with instructions for making paper flowers or cranes for the wedding reception, or to take home as a memento.

Bridal showers are a piece of cake with Paperless Post

Our elegant selection of bridal shower invitations makes choosing the perfect one simple. Choose from themed invitations or browse collections by our talented Design Partners, like Rifle Paper Co. and kate spade new york. Customize your invitations with our easy-to-use design tools and add a Registry Block so guests can pick out a gift with ease. Then include other Blocks as needed—link to Google Maps, provide travel or accommodation information for out-of-town guests, or include some great pics of the happy couple just for fun. 

 

Once you’ve sent your invitations via text, email, or link, you can track RSVPs with our guest management tools and include a Comment Wall where guests can ask questions or leave messages. 

We even have you covered for party decorations and supplies—visit Paperless Post Party Shop for all of the festive accouterments your party needs, from balloons and banners to cups and cocktail napkins. With Paperless Post, planning a highly enjoyable bridal shower really is a piece of cake.