The hen party or bridal shower, no matter how simple or crazy, needs a certain amount of organisation and planning. Whether you’re leaving it completely up to the bridesmaids or taking part in the planning process yourself, there are always some good games to include for everyone to have a good laugh. We’ve come up with our top five favourite hen party games that don’t depend on alcohol (but feel free to add that yourselves!)
Balloon questions
When you’re decorating your bridal party venue with balloons, add a question for the bride on a piece of paper inside each one before blowing them up. The question can be naughty, funny, a trivia question about her fiancé, let your imagination run wild. Then when it’s time to play, give the bride-to-be a pin and let her pick the balloons one at a time. She then has to answer the question and try to guess who asked the question.
Memory lane
We’re a fan of guessing games at a bridal shower or hen party, and this is a great one for bringing up old memories and having a good giggle about the past. Have every hen party member write a memory or thought down about the bride-to-be and put them in a bowl. For added mystery for the organised bridesmaids, have them send them to you in advance by email so you can print them out in the same font so handwriting won’t come into play. The memories can be whatever you like, embarrassing, funny, cheeky or sweet.
Designer underwear
Let the bridal shower guests get crafty ahead of the party and create a fun guessing game for the bride, along with some funny, handmade keepsakes from her party. Have each guest design a pair of underwear for the bride in a quirky way. Don’t worry, they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg and you don’t have to destroy a pair of your own. Simply pick up a basic pair (the plainer the better if you’re getting crafty) and design them specifically for the bride, with glitter glue, sequins, pins, whatever you like. Then at the party you can all admire everyone else’s works of art, while the bride guesses the designer behind each pair of underwear.
Mr & Mrs
A classic hen party game, this one needs a bit of prep with the groom. Make a quiz for the groom-to-be to answer. Add a mixture of questions about him that he expects his bride to know about him, a few questions about her and a few about their relationship. Once you have the answers, take them to the hen night and quiz the bride-to-be. This is a fun way to see how well she knows her fiancé, as well as how well she knows his answers about her and their relationship and great for a giggle.
Oven mitts and tights
This is one of the simplest games, requiring almost no preparation, no questions and no guessing, just a few props and some determination. Have everyone bring a pair of oven mitts and a pair of tights. You can all do it at once with one referee or split it into duals, depending on how many ladies there are. Simply have each one put on a pair of oven mitts, hand them a pair of tights and time them in a race to tie the tights around their waist in a bow. It’s harder than it looks and provides endless giggles.
- Jenny Darmody
Image credits: Toast: Spotso Photography via Green Wedding Shoes | Dessert table: Loverly | Pom poms: Pinterest | Outdoor hen party: Rose Wheat Photography via 100 Layer Cake | Lemonade: Pinterest | Tea party: Kate Pritchard Photography via Green Wedding Shoes