Looking for some creative ideas to entertain your wedding guests? While crowded dance floors may be on hold for now (thanks, COVID!), there are plenty of other fun ways you can get the good vibes flowing throughout your special day.
Wedding reception games are the perfect ice-breaker to help your guests mix and mingle while putting a memorable stamp on your celebration. From lawn games to newlywed trivia, we’ve rounded up 11 of our favourite wedding reception games your guests will love below!
Wedding Lawn Games
Lawn games are a great way to keep your guests entertained during cocktail hour while you sneak off for photos! If you’re hosting an outdoor wedding, take advantage of your location by setting up some crowd-pleasing games for guests to enjoy before dinner.
Some of the more popular wedding lawn games include:
- Giant Jenga. Just like the traditional game, but bigger! Guests take their turn removing blocks from a carefully stacked tower, placing them back on the topmost level, and trying not to topple the whole thing over.
- Giant Connect Four. Another life-sized game that both adults and kids can get involved with!
- Bocce Ball. Guests (individually or in teams) take turns trying to roll their bocce balls towards a smaller target ball. The closest to the target wins.
- Croquet. Set-up a croquet “course” for guests to partake in, and provide a stack of wooden mallets and balls. Perfect for outdoor venues with a bit of extra space!
- Corn Hole. A carnival favourite, create your own wooden board with a target hole and provide a basket of weighted bags for guests to throw.
Lawn games can usually be hired by a local supplier – or, if you’re a crafty couple, you could DIY your own! Games like corn hole or even Giant Jenga can be painted to match your wedding colours and add a personal touch to the experience. Find more beautiful DIY wedding styling ideas here!
Wedding Reception Table Games
Interactive table games are the perfect ice-breaker for smaller groups of guests at each table. Guests can play these games while waiting for the bridal party to enter the reception, or during breaks between dinner service. The best part? They require minimal effort, are easy to set-up, and provide a talking point to get the conversation flowing.
Mad Libs
This classic “fill in the blank” game is sure to get your guests laughing! You can order custom wedding-themed Mad Libs cards from Etsy, or organise them with your stationery designer. Prompt your guests to complete their own Mad Libs version of your proposal story, wedding vows or well wishes for the future. Be sure to collect the finished versions so you and your new spouse can read them after the day!
Date Night Jar
Provide a glass jar, a stack of blank cards and some pens at each table. Prompt your guests to write down their favourite date night idea and pop it in the jar. Once complete, you’ll have a stack of unique date night ideas that you and your partner can use throughout your married life together.
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Present each table with a printed list of must-capture photos for the night. For example: a group selfie, an old-school dance move, clinking glasses, or a couple kissing. You can provide each table with a disposable camera and collect them at the end of the night – or, if you want the photos uploaded to social media, prompt guests to use your wedding day hashtag.
Wedding Reception Group Games
Finally, the wedding reception games that get your entire guest list involved! These wedding reception games are best played between dinner courses, or can be played after dinner in lieu of a dance floor during the pandemic. Our tip? Have your MC take charge of these games to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The Shoe Game
Set up two chairs facing back to back in front of your wedding guests. You and your spouse will take a seat – each holding one of your shoes, and one of your partner’s shoes. Your MC will ask a round of questions for you and your partner to answer by holding up the relevant shoe.
When it comes to question ideas for the shoe game, we recommend including a mix of sweet and silly ones to get your guests laughing. For example:
- Who made the first move?
- Who said I love you first?
- Who is the better cook?
- Who has better dress sense?
- Who is more likely to be running late?
- Who is more romantic?
- Who is the better driver?
- Who cracks the best jokes?
- Who hogs the blankets more?
- Who has the cleaner car?
- Who plans the best dates?
- Who wears the pants in the relationship?
This game will have your guests cracking up as you give them a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your relationship!
Last Man Standing
Last Man Standing is a game of elimination designed to get all of your guests involved. Ask everyone to stand up at their seat, and have your MC read out random statements your guests can relate to. For example: “If you know how to make bread from scratch, sit down” or “If you’ve never been to Europe, sit down”.
You can also bring people back into the game with statements like “If you’re wearing a tie, stand up” or “If you’ve tasted the bride’s cooking, stand up”. The statements can be as serious or as funny as you like! If you want to inject some humour, you can even take a cheeky dig at certain guests with super specific statements that relate only to them.
Continue working your way through the statements until only one guest is left standing. You might even want to organise a small prize for the winner like a gift voucher or one of your table centrepieces.
Newlywed Trivia
Leave a printed sheet of trivia questions about you and your partner at each guest’s place setting. Ask your loved ones to fill out the questions during the night, and have your MC read out the answers later in the evening. Whoever gets the most answers correct can take home the title of knowing you and your partner best!
Photo Booth
Photo booths at weddings are always a good time. You can hire a professional photo booth company, or DIY your own with a creative backdrop, camera and tripod. Don’t forget to provide stacks of fun props, too!
Entertaining Your Guests
Pandemic or not, these reception games are sure to be crowd-pleasers at any wedding. Use these simple ideas to entertain your loved ones, encourage them to meet new people, and put a unique twist on your celebrations!
Want more wedding ideas? Check out these 14 creative ways to personalize your wedding here.