Planning Your Bridal Wedding Shower Games

There are plenty of details to consider when planning a bridal shower. Some of these considerations include, who will throw the bridal shower, when will the bridal shower be held, who will be invited to the wedding shower, how do you choose a theme for the shower and what type of menu will be served. The bridal shower is a chance for the women in the bride's life to honor her upcoming nuptials and give her a few useful gifts for starting her new household. While there are no clear cut answers to any of these questions this article will outline the more traditional answers to these questions and will also include some variations on traditional ideas.

Deciding who will throw the bridal shower for the bride is the first thing to consider. Traditionally the maid of honor hosts the bridal shower with the assistance of the bridesmaids. However, in recent years it has become increasingly popular for others to be involved in planning the bridal and it is not unheard of for a bride to have multiple bridal showers. For example the mother of the bride may throw a bridal shower for the wedding party and the women in the family while the maid of honor may throw a shower that includes friends of the bride and the bride's co-worker may also throw her a shower in the office.

Timing is also an important factor to consider when planning a bridal shower. The rule of thumb is that the bridal shower should be held relatively close to the wedding date but not too close that it begins to infringe on the bride's wedding preparations. For this reason it is not appropriate to hold the bridal shower less than two weeks before the wedding date. However, it is also not appropriate to hold the wedding shower very early in the engagement before the couple has had the opportunity to create their registry. In general the bridal shower should be held as early as two months before the wedding date but not later than 2 weeks before the wedding date.

A crucial element to planning a bridal shower is drafting up the guest list. While it is not obligatory to invite every woman on the guest list, it is appropriate to invite all of the bride's female relatives as well as her close female friends. If the maid of honor and the mother are hosting separate bridal showers they may want to coordinate to ensure that they do not have overlapping guests. Care should be taken to avoid inviting anyone to the shower that has not been invited to the wedding. Also, there has been an increasing trend where the bride and groom participate and the showers are co-ed. While these showers don't follow tradition they can be a way for the groom to share in the fun with his friends as well.

The theme of a bridal shower is another planning aspect that should receive careful consideration. It is important to choose a theme that reflects the personality of the bride. For example throwing a lingerie party for a shy bride may not be appropriate but throwing a beach themed bridal shower for a surfer may be a good idea. The theme of the party is important because it can affect items such as decorations, favors and games. When choosing a theme for a bridal shower, it is important to choose a theme based on the taste of the bride and not the taste of the hostess.

The traditional menu for a bridal shower calls for light hors devours that can be eaten in a cocktail hour type setting. However, when planning a bridal shower the hostess is free to choose whatever menu she wishes. It could be either an elaborate sit down dinner for a shower that includes the elderly relatives of the bride, a barbeque for a shower that includes the groom and his friends or even a night at a fancy restaurant for shower that is thrown by the bridesmaids and includes friends of the bride.

Planning a bridal shower can see daunting because there are so many options but it is important to remember that you are not bound by traditions and are free to choose any theme, menu and location that the bride will enjoy. The key to planning a great bridal shower is to keep the bride's taste in mind during the planning effort.

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Wedding Reception Games - More Unique Ideas

There doesn't seem to be any end to the number of games that can be invented or borrowed, to play at a wedding reception. Here are a few more ideas for the bride, groom or their attendants looking to add a bit of extra fun to the upcoming event.

What's my line? - This is a variation of the TV game show where you try to guess what the contestant does for a living. We're not really pitting your family against your friends in this game but you do need to have 2 sets of players where one set does not know much about the other set. Pre-select one friend and one family member as volunteers. These persons should each have an unusual job or profession.

For the first round, have the volunteer friend come up front or on stage. Have the rest of your guests, who don't know him/her, ask up to 10 questions to determine what that person does. If possible, don't let the same guest ask more than one eliminating question. If this round ends without the right answer, then have the friend explain what they do.

For the next round, have the volunteer family member come up and the guests that don't know him/her get to participate. If this round ends without the right answer, then have the family member explain what they do.

If someone does guess the occupation, then an appropriate prize might be a wizard's hat or a Ouija board game.

Name that tune - the DJ or orchestra plays a few bars of a song that is fairly common but not on the official reception play list. Be sure to play some tunes for the younger guests and some for the older guests. The winner of each round dances with the bride or groom.

Guess the ingredients - You will need your caterer's permission and assistance for this game. Pick 1, 2, or 3 menu items that are being served at the reception. Have the caterer write down the ingredient list for them. Hand out paper and pencils to your guests and instruct them to write what they think is in each of the foods. Guests with the closest guesses for each item win an appropriate prize like a set of gourmet spices, sauces, etc. Your DJ or someone in the wedding party can act as the judge/announcer.

Does the band know this song? - like "stump the band" on David Letterman - a good DJ can make this very funny. Your guests volunteer obscure song titles to the band or DJ. The band/DJ can either attempt to play the real song by that name or fake it. If the band doesn't get it right, the guest has to sing at least a few bars of the real song.

How Many Words? - Give a paper and pencil to each guest. Take the names of the bride and groom and write them in large letters on an easel or white board. See how many words the guests can create from the letters in their names in a set time limit. For example MelissaJohn gives the words: mesa, josh, missal, noses.... Score based on the number of words, or use Boggle scoring where 4 letter words are 1 point, 5 letter words are 2 points, etc. If children are playing then you may allow 3 letter words at ½ point, etc.

If there is a wordsmith in the wedding party, that person can check the guests' word lists for non-words and tally the scores. Otherwise, guests can score themselves. In the case of a tie, offer "we're married" with a 2 minute time limit as the tie breaker. Present an appropriate prize to the winner like a Boggle or Scrabble game with a hand written note of accomplishment from the bride and groom.

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Copyright 2008 by Mindy Makuta. Mindy and her husband own a small resort in Lyons, Colorado where they host outdoor weddings and family reunions. For more ideas on what to do at a wedding reception, see weddingsandromance.com/wedding-reception-activities on her web-site which covers topics of concern for before, during and after the wedding. They also publish http://www.168colorado.com, a site that helps plan Colorado vacations, including referrals for where to stay and what to do when you get there.

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Wedding Word Scramble - A Popular Bridal Shower Game Choice

A wedding word scramble game is always a hit at bridal showers! Almost every guest can successfully unscramble at least some of the words, making for a fun race to the finish. And almost every bridal shower hostess can write a great wedding word scramble game.

Here's how:

1. A scramble game is the most fun if it is written especially for the bride being honored, so plan in advance. Don't wait until the last minute.

2. Think of some interesting facts/people/items related to your special couple.

3. Make a list of 15-20 words about the happy couple, including their names, jobs, hobbies, background, etc. Or, make a list of word related to the upcoming wedding. This list might include the names of the attendants, and the locations of the ceremony and reception.

4. Start scrambling your words! If you want to make the words hard-to-solve, I recommend that you not use the actual first letter of the word as the first letter in the scrambled word. For example, if the word is MINSTER, use RISMITEN rather than MIRENSTI. Break up as many letter combinations (TH, ING, ER, etc.) as you can in order to add to the difficulty level.

5. Proof your work. Make sure you've used each letter exactly once in the scrambled word. Nothing would be more frustrating for your guests (or more embarrassing for you!) than to have typos, misspellings or unsolvable words in the game on the day of the wedding shower!

6. Type your game in an appealing format. Use your own computer to experiment with fonts and layout. Double space your lines so guests have plenty of room in which to write. Add some humorous clip art.

7. Print out ONE copy and proof the wedding word scramble game again. It's often easier to find mistakes on a hard copy than on your screen.

8. Print copies for your guests. You can copy the document to a flash drive or CD and take it to a print shop for really nice copies, or use your own home office equipment. Be sure to print a few extra copies for unexpected guests and for souvenirs for the bride.

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If you're short on time, or if you'd rather use a more generic bridal shower theme, try some of the great party puzzles at http://www.word-game-world.com/wedding-word-scramble.html. You'll find wedding word scrambles on several entertaining topics your guests are sure to enjoy. Don't miss the hilarious bridal shower mad lib game! Ann Richmond Fisher is co-owner of http://www.word-game-world.com this fun word game site.

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