15 Ways To Make Your Wedding Reception Less Boring

At most wedding receptions, the main entertainment is in the form of a DJ or band. But what about guests who don't like to dance? Let's face it, a wedding reception can sometimes be a little boring for those folks. That's why Bridal Guide went on the hunt for easy party games you can add, ranging from individual projects to table games to group activities.

I Spy

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Not only is this fun for kids and adults alike, but it's a wonderful way to get extra photos from your wedding. Ask your guests to use their digital cameras or smartphones to capture the moments even the best photographers sometimes miss. Add a line on your “I Spy” card with an address where guests can upload photos (try one of these apps!). Bonus: With digital cameras, you don't have to worry about wasting money developing less-than-stellar photos from disposables.

Mad Libs

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Who doesn't love Mad Libs? This dinner-table activity is also a great way for your guests to bond as they ask each other questions. Plus, you'll get a kick out of reading all of the responses after the wedding. See more creative guest book ideas here!

Booklets

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Come up with a question for each table, and put a mini booklet and pens for guests to add their ideas. Some suggestions:

What should we do on date nights?

What should we name our first child?

How should we celebrate our first anniversary?

What's the secret to a happy marriage?

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Or, place a booklet on each table that corresponds to the table number, and ask guests to write a message for you to read on that anniversary. No peeking until you hit each milestone!

Guess Who?

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Create personalized boards featuring your wedding guests! You can build a mini set for each table, featuring the guests at that table, or create "bride's side" and "groom's side" versions, giving the bride's side to the groom's side and vice versa. This will help your guests learn each other's names and faces. Bonus: Since you're talking about real people, you can ask more personalized questions than just “does this person have a mustache?”

Board Games

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Instead of floral centerpieces, place a game at the center of each table. Encourage your guests to swap with other tables throughout the night for endless fun. Or, add a game station, where guests can grab a board game for their table.

Cornhole

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This classic beanbag game can easily be personalized for your wedding; add your silhouettes or monograms, or get a set in your wedding colors.

Ring Toss

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What could be more perfect for a wedding than a ring toss? Paint used bottles in your wedding colors, arrange in a wooden crate, and decorate embroidery hoops with pretty fabrics (get the how-to here).

Jenga

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An oversized Jenga game is a cinch to create — all you need to do is take a trip to the hardware store for some lumber and have each cut to the same length (a traditional Jenga set uses 54 blocks).

Horseshoes

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Some say it's good luck to carry a horseshoe on your wedding day. Imagine how much good luck you'll have coming your way if you win a game of horseshoes!

Oversized Board Games

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Creating a giant checkers board couldn't be easier — just get a checkered blanket and plastic plates or Frisbees in red and black.

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Plus, you can get giant versions of some of your favorite games, like Connect Four.

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And if you're feeling more adventurous, you can even create a jumbo Scrabble board by painting letters on wooden blocks and drawing the board on a drop cloth.

Flip Cup

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Start off this classic drinking game with a round of boys vs. girls: the groom and groomsmen against the bride and bridesmaids! Then, open it up to the rest of the guests.

Rock Band

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This gamer couple incorporated Rock Band in their first dance; they grabbed guitars and rocked out to a rendition of a song by their favorite band. Later, they moved the gaming system over to a special area where guests could try their hand throughout the night.

The Shoe Game

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This hilarious game is a great way for guests to get to know you better as you learn how much you really know about each other. Place two chairs back-to-back on the dance floor. Remove both of your shoes, then trade a shoe with your new spouse so that you’re holding one of each. Then, have a designated person ask a series of questions about the two of you and your relationship (get sample questions here). After each question, hold up the shoe of the person you think has the best answer to the question.

Bryan Caporicci Photography / Via bridalguide.com

You can also get your guests in on the fun by letting them vote on bride vs. groom!

The Kissing Game

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There's always that one guest who expects the newlyweds to kiss every time he or she clink a glass. And while we know you love smooching your new spouse, kissing on command gets old — fast. Why not make it more challenging? In a fishbowl, add tasks a guest can perform to get you to kiss, from easy to wacky. Some suggestions:

Kiss your significant other.

Show off your best moves on the dance floor.

Tell us a joke that'll make us laugh.

Get your table to play duck-duck-goose with you.

The guest can either choose to perform the task or take a seat and try again later.

Stand Up, Sit Down

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This game literally gets your wedding guests on their feet. Ask everyone to stand up at their tables. Then, read out various statements, like “If the day of the month in which you were born is a prime number, sit down. If you had to ask what a prime number is, sit down” or "If you can roll your tongue, sit down." You can also bring people back into the game — "If you know how to make a pie crust from scratch, stand back up." The last person left standing wins a prize (in this wedding, it was a jar of the bride's father's famous homemade spaghetti sauce).

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