Wedding shower games

A wedding shower is a harder room than a baby shower. Often two families who have never met, a mix of men and women, and one couple who has to talk to everybody. Games have to do the introductions, which rules out anything that needs the couple to perform.

Start with something that mixes the tables

The first game's real job is not fun — it is getting the two sides talking. Choose something self-paced that people fill in while they eat, and let them compare answers with whoever they are sitting next to. That is how strangers start talking without being asked to.

Games that work with a mixed room

• He said she said — both partners answer in advance; the room guesses who said which. Works with any mix, and the reveal is the entertainment.
• Wedding trivia — about weddings in general, not about this couple, so nobody is exposed for not knowing them.
• The left right game — a short story read aloud; every "left" and "right" passes a prize around the room. The cheapest game on this list and the one people repeat.
• The newlywed game — questions the couple answer separately, then the room guesses. Ask them the night before; it takes five minutes and carries the whole shower.

Games for the gift table

Bingo runs itself. Hand out a card before the gifts are opened, and it needs no announcement, no host and no winner ceremony — which is exactly what you want while somebody unwraps a third serving dish.

What to skip at a coed shower

• Anything asking the bride to model, be measured, or dress up.
• Bridal-party in-jokes: half the room will sit out and the mood drops.
• Long single-elimination rounds.

Printing

Every file prints on US Letter and A4, with the rules on the sheet and a separate answer key. Print as many copies as your own event needs.

Try one free first

The free printables section has complete games you can print today — not teasers. Play one and you will know whether the format suits your room.