Crazy Bridal
Shower Games
According to folklore, bridal showers originated in Holland over three centuries ago. A young Dutch girl fell in love with a poor miller and her father disapproved. The villagers, knowing the good qualities of the miller--despite his poverty--and the sadness of the girl, gathered together with gifts and showered the girl with all her household needs. Today, the tradition continues, along with silly and sometimes outrageous games. Does this Spark an idea?
Ice Breaker Game
Bringing two sides of a family together before a wedding can be torturous or fun. Icebreaker games can cut through the formalities and can have even the Hatfields and McCoys laughing together in no time.
Prepare slips of paper (one for each guest) with the name of a famous wife (ex. Lorena Bobbit, Anna Nicole Smith, Hillary Clinton, Wilma Flintstone, Lucy). As guests arrive, pin or tape these names to their backs, without divulging the identity to the bearer of each name. Guests must ask yes or no questions of the other guests in order to figure out who they are (ex: Am I a real-life wife or a fictional character? Am I a good wife?) Once a guest identifies herself, she can take a seat (the first one to do so gets a prize).
To expand on the game, set up table seating in categories (such as criminal wives, betrayed wives, fictional). The first one seated at each table gets to take home the centerpiece.
Secrets/Memories
With each invitation, mail an index card with the heading, "My shared secret or memory with the bride." Ask guests to anonymously fill them in with a secret or memory they share with the bride and bring it to the shower. During the shower, have the bride read each card aloud and guess who wrote the shared secret or memory. This activity is both entertaining and reveals a bit about the bride and her guests, helping everyone get to know each other better.
Newlywed Game
Before the shower, provide the groom with a list of questions (get as intimate as you think is appropriate) and have him record his answers. Purchase as many small gifts as there are questions, and several pieces of bubblegum. At the shower, ask the bride each question and how she thinks the groom answered. If she answers correctly, she keeps a gift; if she answers incorrectly, she must chew a piece of bubblegum and select a guest name from a hat to receive the gift in her place. This gets very funny if she keeps guessing wrong and has a mouth full of gum she must keep chewing while trying to answer questions.
Morphed Offspring
Again, before the shower, collect various facial photos of the bride and groom at all stages of their lives (baby pictures, school pictures, courtship pictures). Scan, enlarge and print copies of the photos and cut them up into sections, such as their hair, mouths, eyes and noses.
Supply each guest table with glue sticks, a pile of the cut up images and a small paper plate. While the bride opens her gifts, have the guests create morphed images of the bride and groom as they imagine their children will look. These creations are often hilarious. Display the creations on a table and have the bride judge her favorite "child."
Tags: secret memory, Bridal Shower, Bridal Shower Games, bride groom, bride guests, Crazy Bridal