Guessing Games

Guess How Many

Get a large bag of candy and a big see-through jar or container. You can use a jar filled with jelly beans, Hershey kisses, gumballs, or even funny shaped sweet tarts. Fill the container with as much candy as you possibly can. Make sure you count the number of pieces of candy as you put them in.

As guests arrive ask them to look at the container and write on a slip of paper their name and how many items they think are inside. The guest who comes closest to the actually number wins!

If you place a mix of candy in the jar, not only does it give a nice assortment as a prize, it can also make it much more difficult to guess how many are actually inside the jar. Try mixing miniature candy bars with M&M or red hots and it will really be a challenge!

The Chef’s Apron

Buy a nice apron and pin as many kitchen related utensils and things on it that you can. You can buy new kitchen items or use borrowed items, you will just want a nice selection of items like ladel, strainer, measuring spoons, dish towels, etc. When the bride arrives ask her to wear the apron and walk around the room for a couple of minutes, this is a nice time to have guests mingle and talk.

After a 10 minutes or so send the bride to another room to remove the apron (she can come back so as not to miss the fun!) and give your guests paper and pens. Ask the guests to write down as many things as they can remember seeing on the bride. The player who remembers the most number of things wins. You will be surprised how many people can’t remember what they saw on the apron even after talking to the bride for a while.

If you choose to buy a new apron and new utensils to pin on the apron, this makes a great bridal shower gift for for the bride, too.

Two Truths & a Lie

When your guests have all arrived and are seated have each guest introduce herself and then tell the group three things about herself — two are true, one is a lie. The rest of the guests must each guess which statement was the false one. After each guest has placed her “bet” on which was the lie, the “liar” must confess to and reveal which it was. Sometimes this game can get a little naughty, so be sure if it’s not appropriate, to lay down some ground rules first to keep things clean.

You will be surprised how often the true statements are more outrageous then the actual lies, and it creates perfect opportunities for story swapping and getting to know each other.

Some guests may be shy, so when it’s there turn advise them to just choose 3 “themed” statements. For example, “My first car was a white Honda, My first apartment I had 8 roommates, and My first job was a donut taster.”

Spice Things Up

Get 8-10 assorted herbs and spices and small bowls to put them in. Make sure to use some easy spices everyone knows (cinnamon, basil), as well as some harder to guess spices. Number the small bowls so the guests know which one they are guessing. Then just line the bowls up on a table or tray and have each player smell and look at each spice to guess what it is. Give your guests paper and pens to write their answers on and have write down what they think it is. The player with the most correct wins.

To give the game more challenge you can have them guess by smell alone, just wrap aluminum foil over the tops of the bowls and poking some small holes in it so just the smell comes through. Without the visuals sometimes this game can stump the greatest of home cooks.

For a little fun with the bride, during her turn have the guests start making suggestions that lead the bride completely astray! Most brides really goof things up though they may know the contents perfectly well!

Classic Bridal Shower Memory Game

Place 15-20 small items on a tray and cover them with a cloth or napkin. Place the tray in the center of all your guests. Uncover it and let the guests look at it for two minutes. Cover the tray and ask all your guests to write down as many items as they can remember. The guest, who remembers the maximum number of items, wins.

For a themed shower: Select items that relate to your bridal shower theme to place in the tray. So if you are having a beach theme bridal shower, you can put a pair of slip-ons, bikini bottoms, a beach ball, shells, oysters, flip flops and other beach related items in the tray.

Wedding Taboo Game

This is the popular game Taboo, but with a bridal twist. Create game cards using 3×5 cards cut in half, or print them off, 12 to a sheet, on your computer. Each game card should have a main word at the top, this is the word the team has to guess, and 5-6 “taboo” words at the bottom, these are the words the player can NOT say while giving clues to their team. Example: Main Word is “Bride”, taboo words can be female, dress, bouquet, veil, and white. Main word is “Cherish”, taboo words can be vows, treasure, care for, bride, groom, and song. You want to make enough for each team to do at least a few rounds each.

There is a paid to print version of this game available, so if you are not up to making taboo cards by hand, or you have more than a few guests, you many want to try that instead (check out the fee based, Wedding Taboo Card Game).

Divide your guests into teams of 2-4 people. Taking turns, each team gets a chance to earn points. On the team’s turn the hostess gives one team member a taboo card. The top word on the card is the word their team needs to guess in 60 seconds or less. The words listed below are words you CAN’T say when trying to get your team to guess the top word. The rest of the team members shout out their answers trying to guess the word until they correctly guess it or time runs out. Correct guesses in 60 seconds or less earns the team a point.

Depending on the number of teams, and the time you want to spend playing, you can play for a set number of rounds (highest score at end wins), or until one team hits a set score. This is a very entertaining game that gets your guest involved (and laughing out loud!). Great game for co-ed showers, too.

For a themed shower: Choose words that are related to your theme instead. If it’s a beach themed wedding you can use words like “ocean” or “shells”, for a garden party “watering can” or “flower bulbs”. You can adapt this to pretty much any theme with a little bit of creative thinking so that your bridal shower is a hit!

Who Am I?

Make a set of ID cards with the names of famous “wives”. They could be actors, politicians, singers or anyone in the news. If you are having a theme bridal shower, use names of famous wives related to the theme. The famous wives don’t always have to be “real” people. They could be famous fictional and cartoon characters as well.

As each guest arrives at the bridal shower, tape the ID on her back so she doesn’t know who she is. The game is that everyone has to guess their own identity by asking the other guests yes or no questions. They could be questions like “Am I fictional?”, “Am I living?”, “Am I an actress (author, singers, etc)?”. The others can only reply with a simple yes or a no. The first person to guess who they are wins! You stop at the first winner, or can keep the game going for a second and third prize, or until everyone guesses who they.

This is a great way to get your guests mingling and will help even the shyest of guests break the ice since they will need to find out “Who Am I?”

Free Printable Version Available

We have a free printable, “ready-to-play” version of the “Who Am I?” Famous Wives game available in our printable bridal games section, as well. If you don’t want to use name cards or make up your own names this printable makes the game super easy and quick to get going. Perfect for last minute.

Memory Game With A Twist

Put 15-20 wedding related items in a tray and ask the bride to walk around the room with the tray for a couple of minutes. Most guests who are familiar with the game will get clued in and try really hard to memorize as many items in the tray as they can. Now the fun begins!

Ask the bride the leave the room and then tell the guests to jot down whatever they can remember about the bride’s attire! Most guests would be reviewing the contents of the tray in their mind. To be suddenly asked what the bride was wearing will throw them off completely. Great to see most of the women fail completely and some even come up with completely outrageous suggestions about what the bride is wearing.

It is best to play this game at the beginning of the shower rather than towards the end and a great way to get people mingling and breaking the ice.