Deal or No Deal: Wedding Games Edition

Traditionally, the main form of wedding entertainment is dancing. But, not everyone wants to or knows how to break out the bhangra.

To avoid boring this audience and successfully prevent any dancing mishaps, we have come up with a fun list of party games to mix things up. Read on to add some interactive surprises to your entertainment lineup!

Via Nadia & Adil’s Wedding
{via Nadia & Adil’s wedding}

1. Deal or No Deal: Gather materials to make pseudo-suitcases. Try using over-sized envelopes printed with table numbers to represent each suitcase. Every table can get its own set of deal or no deal paddles with one side reading “deal” and the other side reading “no deal.” Place a description of the game along with instructions for each table on the backside of the envelope.

Every table will have a distinct amount of money that will no longer be offered after the newlyweds select an envelope. Have a friend or family member serve as a banker to create an algorithm for the Bank’s Offer based on the number of cases remaining and amounts still left on a board. The couple can poll audience members with their paddles to decide whether to take the Bank’s Offer or refuse it.

2. Bride vs. Groom: Who knows who better- this is a great game for the audience to get to know the special couple. Have the couple sit back to back with whiteboards in hand. The couple can respond to questions about each other, such as “what is the groom’s favorite color?” or about the couple in general, “where was your first date?” Guests will love seeing the compatibility of the couple and will laugh at the typical gaffes that happen when the bride or groom gets a question wrong!
• Variations of this game involve having the couple taking off their shoes and exchanging one of them. Have the couple raise one of the shoes to indicate themselves or their partners in response to questions like “who wears the pants in the relationship?” or “who is the better driver?” Encourage guests to get involved and offer their own answers using printed faces of the bride or groom on sticks!

3. Scavenger Hunt: Yes, the good, old scavenger hunt is a tried-and-true game for birthdays and bridal showers, but have you heard of the wedding version? Prepare a list of common items that party-goers would have, like red lipstick, cufflinks, pens, stain remover, etc. Have the MC call out each item and then wait for the guests to rush to the stage to claim their prizes.
• A variation of this game could be to provide the list to each table and wait for the first table to rush to the stage with the designated items.

4. Stand Up, Sit Down: Get guests off their feet by asking everyone to stand up at their tables. Have the MC read statements like “If you were born in the summer, sit down.” Keep limiting the pool of those standing with different statements. To bring people back up, you can add something like “If you know how to make biryani from scratch, stand back up.” The last person left standing wins! And if the winner is single, then he or she will probably be targeted by nosy, match-making aunties. Double win?

5. Name that Tune: As Bollywood aficionados, many of us have participated in our share of antakshari (a singing parlor game). Unfortunately, not everyone can sing. A fun alternative to antakshari is to play a snippet of a Bollywood song and have guests guess the correct song. If you’re having a fusion wedding, include a mix of American and Indian songs for guests to guess. For added fun, have the guests sit in teams, like the bride’s side versus groom’s side!

6. Table Games: Scrap the centerpiece and replace it with some fun board games or activities for tables to play! Some possible table additions include: personalized mad libs, booklets with couple-centered questions, I spy lists, Jenga, Monopoly, etc.
• A variation of this that doesn’t sacrifice the towering floral centerpieces would be a game station, where guests can select a board game for their respective tables.

The list of wedding games is endless, so let your imagination roam wild. If you have any more ideas or feedback on these games, please sound off below in our comments section.

Now let the Shaadi (Wedding) Games Begin!