Give Tree Gifts Blog

We've all attended traditional wedding receptions where the guests welcome and celebrate the union of loved ones, join them in dance, and share cake with them. Today’s wedding couples are looking for creative ideas, such as games, which include guest participation. 

Encouraging guest participation is a terrific way to get people up and out of their chairs, and mingling with others.  It makes them part of the wedding celebration, rather than casual observers. 

One game that all your guests can participate in and enjoy is “Come on Down!”  For this game, you designate an MC.  If you already have a DJ, they can probably take on this role.  Before the reception, prepare a creative list of things that the participants might have.  For example, red shoes, bow tie, painted toenails, sewing kit, etc.  Don’t forget to list some things that will enable the children to participate.

The MC will then announce an item from the list and tell those people to “Come on Down!”  For example, “Anyone wearing a bow tie, come on down!”  The first person in that category to reach the MC will win a point for their table. 

Points are tallied throughout the course of the game and prizes are awarded at the end. Be sure to include some obvious items in the list, such as painted toenails, or a man with a striped tie, or a child with a white dress. To add interest to the game, don’t forget to add some surprise, such as a woman with a grey suit jacket.  In most cases, this will mean that the women will have to find a man at their table who’s wearing a grey suit, grab it, and run up to the front. 

Another fun game that would include most of your guests is a new twist on an old game of musical chairs, where the men are the chairs. The men form a line and kneel on one knee.  The women circle the “chairs”, but when the music stops, they have to find a knee to sit on. Unlike the traditional game, no "chairs" are removed.  People are eliminated when either the man or woman loses their balance.  When this happens, both the man and woman are eliminated from the game.  This game is loads of fun and gets people mixing, mingling, and laughing.  Three things you definitely want for your wedding reception. 

For guests that have traveled any distance to attend the wedding, or haven’t met many of the guests, it’s a good idea to include a game that will give them an opportunity to get to know each other, and perhaps get even better acquainted with the bride and groom. 

Again, you’ll need an MC, which should have an outgoing nature.  The guests are separated into two groups, which can be done with a simple count off of 1, 2, 1, 2…until the entire group is assigned a number.  The two groups then form for the duration of the game.

The MC asks a series of questions about the bride and groom. Working as teams, the guests answer the questions as quickly as possible.  The bride and groom then verify if the answer is correct or incorrect.  During the brainstorming process, the guests will get to know each other and share some laughs.  It's also a terrific way to get to know the bride and groom!

If you’re not certain that games will fit in with your wedding reception, consider that weddings are celebrations.  They’re meant to be fun, social events.  Not everyone enjoys dancing, so games are another option to encourage more guest participation, and make them a part of the celebration.

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