The OurWeddingDay Blog

Mild weather and clear skies set the stage for the perfect bridal shower party. Fire up the barbecue, fill up your coolers and get ready for a fun outdoors bridal shower. All you need to round out your outdoors shower are some fun bridal shower games ideas. Enjoy these two fun outdoors bridal shower games as you entertain your guests and celebrate the bride-to-be:

Dodge Ball
Want to get a bunch of adults laughing and having a good time? Give them a child’s game to play. Dodge ball can be a real blast. Something about the implied danger of having someone throw a ball at you brings out some serious competition and silly behavior. Let guests who don’t want to play keep score and referee. Make sure you use a relatively soft ball.

Scavenger Hunt
If you have a large enough yard or patio, put together a bridal-themed scavenger hunt. Divide your guests into two teams and give each a laminated list of hints or one hint to start out with. You can hide the next hints at each location. Give each team a small teddy-bear bride or groom mascot to deliver from the beginning of the scavenger hunt to the end.

Remember to offer prizes to the winners. Make sure the prizes are gender-neutral if you’re hosting a co-ed shower. (Prizes don’t replace the bridal shower favors.)

No one wants to be bored at a bridal shower. As the host, it’s your job to schedule and plan activities to keep the party lively and interesting for guests and the bride. Don’t worry—your job isn’t as hard as it sounds. Just line up some basic entertainment and plan the bridal shower games ideas ahead of time.

Play music that matches the bridal shower themes. If the theme is traditional and formal, play gentle harp music or classic jazz from an MP3 Player in the background. If you’re having a fun outdoors barbecue, stick to oldies or '80s dance hits. Unless you’re hosting a large, elaborate shower, don’t splurge on live music.

Make the food fun. Keep everyone moving by setting up small appetizer plates at different locations. Whether you’re throwing the party at home or at a venue, encourage your guests to mingle by getting up to get food and drinks.

Plan a variety of games. Not every guest will want to get up and participate in a physical game or silly game. If you plan something like charades, pair it with a quiz game or another game that involves individual participation. Make sure that those who don’t want to participate don’t feel left out.

Planning a bridal shower party and not sure how to get started?  Begin with a theme and everything else will fall into place.

First think about the bride’s personality.
Does she love sports and outdoor activities? Does she love shopping and fashion? Is she outgoing or introverted? The last thing you want to do is make the bride uncomfortable, so try to choose a bridal shower theme and tone that she’ll enjoy. Ask the bride directly if she'd prefer a co-ed bridal shower or not.

Find out what she’s planning for her wedding.
If her wedding will be ultra-formal, throw a formal, traditional wedding shower. If she’s having an outdoors wedding or an informal daytime wedding, you have more freedom when choosing the bridal shower’s theme. Remember that you’ll need to coordinate the bridal shower’s favors with the theme. Keep favors, food and decor in mind when you’re choosing the theme.

Don’t pick an overly elaborate theme.
When planning your bridal shower themes and decor, try to tie in elements that coordinate everything from the invitation to the bridal shower thank you notes. This can be as simple as a color shade or type of flower. While the theme can be funky—like a karaoke party—it's just as acceptable to be very simple and traditional.

Are you throwing or planning a bridal shower for men and women? Try bridal shower games ideas that everyone will enjoy together. For co-ed showers, avoid racy games and stick to games and prizes that everyone will appreciate.

Here are some game ideas to get you started as you plan your bridal shower party:

Wedding Charades
Divide your guests into teams for a game of wedding charades. Choose the topics ahead of time and write them on note cards for each player. Pick topics related to marriage, the reception, honeymoons and romance. Just keep it clean—naughty games are inappropriate for a co-ed party.

Wedding Olympics
Put together a series of scaled-down physical challenges. Try backyard bowling, lawn darts, ping pong, ball toss, table-top football and balancing games. Print out the rules to each game on a laminated paper and set up a series of game stations so that games can go on simultaneously. Be sure to include fun and silly prizes for all participants.

Fashion Show
Get the guys in on the action for a silly bridal fashion show. If you’re inviting playful guests, break the group up into small teams and have the women dress the men up in toilet paper wedding gowns. Have the “brides” put on a fashion show for the bride-to-be. She can choose the best gown.