Bridal Shower Games: Ideas, Timing and How Many to Play

Most bridal showers have three to four games over two to three hours. That leaves time for food, gifts and talking, and the games fill the slow moments between them. If one of them runs in the background all afternoon, such as a clothespin game or a guessing jar, only two or three need everyone to stop and play.

A shower at a restaurant or a short lunch needs fewer, and some showers have none. The rest of this guide covers which games suit which guests, the order to play them in, how many prizes to buy, and what changes when the groom's side is invited.

How many games to play at a bridal shower

Count the hours first. A game played on a card takes 5 to 10 minutes once everyone has a pen, and games where the bride reads out answers take a bit longer because people laugh and argue.

• 1 to 1.5 hours (brunch, restaurant or office shower): 1 or 2 games
• 2 hours: 2 or 3 games
• 3 hours: 3 or 4 games, plus one running in the background

Gift opening often takes longer than planned. With 20 or more guests it can easily fill 45 minutes, so if you expect a big pile of gifts, make bridal bingo one of the games. Guests stay busy while they watch, and nobody drifts off to check their phone.

Do you have to play games at a bridal shower?

No. Shower games are there so that guests who have never met, like the bride's college friends and her future mother-in-law, have something to do together. A small group of close friends may be happier just talking over lunch.

Ask the bride before you plan anything. Some brides love being quizzed about their fiancé in front of everyone, and some would hate it. If she says no games, keepsake cards work well instead: guests write advice or a date night idea for the couple, and she takes the stack home.

Picking bridal shower games for your guests

Look at who is coming before you choose.

• Guests who don't know each other: open with a mingling game such as Find the Guest, where people hunt for someone who matches each square and ask them to sign it.
• Mixed ages, grandmothers included: wedding trivia and a word scramble work for every age and don't need anyone to know the bride well.
• Coed showers: He Said, She Said and a guessing jar go over better with men than games about the bride's shoe collection.
• Large groups (25 or more): pick games everyone plays from their seat at the same time, and skip anything where guests take turns.
• Small groups (under 10): games where the bride answers out loud, since everyone can hear and join in.
• Restaurants: card games that fit next to a plate. Leave out anything that needs space or noise.

1Don't Say "Bride"

• Good forany group
• Timethe whole shower

Every guest gets a clothespin when they arrive. If someone hears you say "bride", they take your pin, and whoever has the most pins at the end wins. It's harder than it sounds at a bridal shower. Put a small sign by the door so late guests learn the rule.

2Bridal bingo

• Good forbig showers
• Timeduring gift opening

Each guest fills the bingo squares with gifts they think the bride will open, like towels, a mixing bowl or a set of wine glasses. As she opens her gifts, guests mark off the ones they guessed, and the first full row wins. Because every guest fills in their own card, no two cards match.

3He Said, She Said

• Good forcoed showers and couples
• Time10 to 15 minutes

Read a list of statements, such as "Who said I love you first?" or "Who is the better cook?", and guests circle HE or SHE for each. The couple gives the real answers. If the groom isn't there, ask him for his answers the week before.

4How Well Do You Know the Bride?

• Good forclose friends and family
• Time10 to 15 minutes

Guests answer questions about the bride: where she was born, her go-to drink, her first job. She reads her answers out loud, and the guest with the most right wins. Her mom often wins, but not always.

5Would She Rather

• Good forsmall groups
• Time5 to 10 minutes

Guests guess the bride's choice between two options, such as a beach vacation or a mountain cabin, or breakfast in bed or dinner out. She reveals her picks and the most matches wins. It's a lighter version of the quiz above, so play one or the other.

6Wedding word scramble

• Good formixed ages and quiet rooms
• Time5 minutes

Guests unscramble wedding words like "veil", "bouquet" and "honeymoon", and the first correct card wins. Keep an answer key on hand, because someone will always be stuck on the last word.

7What's in Your Purse?

• Good forguests who don't know each other
• Time5 minutes

Guests tick off each item on the list they have in their bag, from a safety pin to a receipt older than a month, and add up the points. Highest score wins. People end up comparing bags and talking, which is the point.

8How Many Kisses?

• Good forany group, coed included
• Timethe whole shower

Fill a jar with wrapped candy kisses and set it out with guess slips and a pen. Guests write a number whenever they walk past, and the closest guess takes the jar home at the end. Count the candy before you fill the jar and write the number down.

When to play games at a bridal shower

Spread the games around the food and the gifts.

1. As guests arrive: hand out clothespins, set out the guessing jar and start a mingling game.
2. After everyone has food: one or two games on cards while people sit and eat.
3. During gift opening: bridal bingo.
4. Before cake: the quiz where the bride reads her answers, then announce the jar winner and hand out prizes.

Score each game while the next thing happens, so nobody sits waiting for results. The maid of honor or a co-host can do this at a side table.

Bridal shower game prizes

Plan one prize per game, plus one for the jar if the jar isn't the prize. So four games need four or five prizes. Keep them close in value; many hosts spend around $10 to $15 on each.

Good prizes for a mixed group: a candle, hand cream, a small plant, nice chocolate, a coffee gift card, a bottle of wine for adult guests or a pretty notebook. For a coed shower, pick things anyone would use, like a gift card or a bag of good coffee. If money is tight, fill a basket with small treats and let each winner choose one.

Coed bridal shower games

At a coed shower, choose games about the couple rather than the bride alone. He Said, She Said works best with both of them in the room, since they give their answers live and often disagree. Wedding trivia and a guessing jar also go down well with mixed groups.

Skip games built around makeup, purses or the bride's childhood crushes. Keep it to two or three games, since mixed groups tend to prefer talking and eating to a long game schedule.

Invitations and printing

Put anything guests need to know on the invitation: a gift registry note, a dress code for a garden or tea party shower, or a request to bring a recipe card. Our editable tea party invitation has a note line for this, and the title can read Bridal Shower Tea or Afternoon Tea.

If you'd rather not make the games yourself, our bridal shower games bundle has 15 games and activities on 20 cards, including the eight games above, with a host guide that explains every game and answer keys for the scramble, word search and trivia. Print only the cards you plan to use. For paper and printer settings, see how to print printables at home, and if a baby shower is next, our baby shower games guide covers that one.