Question:
I'm throwing a shower for my daughter. There will be about 160 women (old, young, teens, married, single, divorced, etc..) I will be seating 10 people to a table. My daughter is not into games like bride bingo, or recepie cards, or advice cards. I would like to do some type of game out loud, no, papers, pencils, etc. that everyone can play. I heard there are quite a lot of games that are done verbally by the bride to be and each table plays individually, against each other or so... any advice!??????
Answer:
Dear Denise,
Now, you're throwing what I'd call a SHOWER! Wow, this is going to be fun! I wish I could be there with you to enjoy it.
I understand your daughter's feelings about shower games. Not everyone's temperament is suited to games, particularly those played at large parties. Perhaps, too, your daughter's memories are connected to shower games as played in decades past that weren't designed to reflect a modern woman's lifestyle and fashion preferences.
That being said, I understand your need to provide activities for shower guests so that you can bring this large and diverse group together.
Your daughter may change her mind about shower games by having her take a look at my specially created Bride Trivia game (available at BrideBingo.com). Bride Trivia is a trendy bride game that is set up as a group endeavor.
Bride Trivia is sophisticated and intelligent. There's nothing screechy or preachy in this upbeat quiz deck. It can be easily be played at large and small showers. All you'd need to do at yours is 1) designate each table as a Team; 2) Have a designated game hostess to handle the game question flash cards; 3) The first person to shout out the answer wins that round; and, 4) Keep score as to which table racks up the most winning points. That table's players are the game winners.
You'll need to have a sufficient number of winner's favors to hand out as prizes. Each guest seated at the winner's table gets a prize. (I have lovely favors and prizes for your perusal at http://bridebingo.com/favors.htm). Please feel free to have a look at my selection, and feel free to ask any questions you might have about my products.
If you also want an easy traditional (but fun) game, you can play "Dot Under the Chair." For the purposes of illustration, let's use your 160 chairs. Under 159 chairs, place a yellow circular sticker. Under the 160th chair, place a red circular sticker. The person who is sitting in the chair with the red circular sticker beneath it is the lucky prize winner. This woman would receive the main table centerpiece as her gift, or another gift idea if you so choose. If they are available, why not choose dots that match the bride's wedding colors?
You mentioned that your daughter doesn't like games like "Bride Bingo." I recommend that you and she have a look at my personally created, trendy update of the classic American standard bingo game called BrideBingo Deluxe - this game easily accommodates large showers of 40.
I also created a personalized version of BrideBingo where I can add her name, the groom's name and the wedding date onto each Bingo Card. Your daughter will want to keep a few personalized cards in her wedding scrapbook! Special guests and family members will also enjoy taking their cards home as a personal memento, too.
My BrideBingo has been a success many times over, even with brides and hostesses who weren't necessarily convinced that BrideBingo was the way to go. Here's a personal note from a large bridal shower hostess (Zabel D, North Hills, California) that proves the point:
"Susan, Hi! Thanks for everything. BrideBingo was perfect and everybody liked it! When the groom's name was pulled from the hat, he actually walked in with a bunch of flowers! Alin, the bride, was shocked to see him - what a special moment when they danced - she was crying with joy and then he left. That perfect moment was worth every penny I spent. ... The guests said that this was the best shower they have been to. Thanks for the little gifts, too."
Your daughter may feel differently about typical Bingo once she sees how delightful my tailored, modern BrideBingo games are. Why not surprise the Bride by arranging for the groom to show up at the moment his name is called as Zabel did? I'd love to have a video of that moment!
Another easy game for lots of guests is "Name That Celebrity." Each guest has the name of a famous bride or wife taped by post-it note or index card to her back. Each guest is allowed to ask another guest certain questions that serve as clues as to who their secret identity is. Only questions that will be answered with a "Yes" or "No" may be asked. Sooner or later, the person figures it out. This light-hearted icebreaker gets people talking, laughing and mingling!
It's true that not all showers feature games and not all Brides-to-Be want to have them. However, today's shower games have come a long way from those played in the stuffy parlors of the early to middle 20th Century. The games I've designed are unique and upscale. They work well at enlivening large sit-down showers so that guests can easily share good spirit and lots of laughter. There's nothing fuddy-duddy about shower games today! (If you'd like to see a news clip that details that showers of today aren't like our mother's showers...click here.)
Thank you for your question! It sounds like you are well on your way to throwing one of the smartest and warmest wedding showers of the year!
Happy Showering,
Susan "The Shower Diva"
Where Fun Reigns!™
