Authored by Nickie Fleming in Wedding
Published on 03-18-2009
A wedding is a happy occasion, and naturally those who organize it want all their guests to feel great. But as we all know, children (and I confess, also some older persons!) find it hard not to get bored during the reception. So we may perhaps try a few games to keep them all happy.
Some of my friends and colleagues wanted to share the games they did on their wedding. Like organizing an old fashioned raffle. Give each arriving guest a numbered card, put the other half in a box and have a draw for ‘prizes’. I leave it up to your fantasy what to give away, but remember to keep it neat and funny. You can even raffle the bride’s bouquet.
You can also try and ask the guests if they’ll write a poem for bride and groom. You can already give them a start by noting down a first line, and have them complete it. Afterwards, someone at the table can read these poems.
Musical chairs is also one of the classics. You can play it the traditional way (the band plays, people dance around the chairs, then the music stops and everyone tries to sit down – the one without a chair is out). But you can also play the game and allow the bride and groom to grab the last chairs.
One of the more original things I was told is giving each guest a big enough sheet of paper. Have them write their name on it. Later on, you collect the papers and randomly hand them out again. The guest now needs to find the one whose name is on it, and then make a drawing of this person. It’s a great way of having your guests mingle and when you stick all the drawings on a cardboard, you’ll have a great memento of the party.
You can use dice to entertain your guests, too. Between two servings or between dances, you can have people pair up (and try some odd couples, for fun) and ask them to roll a pair of dice. If they come up with an even number, the bride and groom must kiss. But if the number is uneven, the rollers must kiss!
You can try to give away your wedding bouquet in a different fashion. Instead of tossing it over your shoulder for anyone to catch it, set up a bowl with little balls (or marbles, whatever can be counted) somewhere in the décor. Then make an announcement that all the unmarried ladies can have a guess at how many balls are in the bowl. They write down their estimate on a card and add their name to it. At the end of the reception, you do a draw and then present the winner with your bouquet.
A scavenger hunt is also funny. You hide some items in various places, and then let the DJ or someone else call out the name of the item. The one who finds most items wins.
