Unique bridal shower games.

Ok. We've all played Bridal Bingo, made several toilet paper brides and done that super annoying game where you can't say "bride" or "wedding" lest some kind of ring or token is taken from you. Here are some games I found that are one step above the rest.

Name Game
How to play: Before the shower, make a list of famous lovers (for example: Ricky & Lucy Ricardo, Marge & Homer, Aladdin & Jasmine). Write down names (one half of a pair) on labels, post-its, or sticky nametags. As the guests arrive, slap a tag to their back so that everyone else can see their name (no guest will know his or her own identity). Have guests mingle and mill about, posing yes-or-no questions to each other. Examples: "Am I a fictional character?" "Am I living?" Their mission is to a) determine who they are, and b) to pair up with their "other half." The game doesn't end until everyone finds his or her partner.

Celebrity
How to play: Split guests up into two teams. Each member of each team writes the names of 10-20 celebrities (whoever constitutes "famous" to your group; i.e., both Mom and Madonna are fair game) on separate strips of paper. Throw all the names into a hat and mix them around.

Round One:
Player 1 from Team A draws a name from the hat (example: Madonna), stands up, and tries to explain her celebrity pick to her teammates without actually saying "Madonna" (example: "Material Girl," "Like a Prayer," etc). If her teammates guess correctly, the slip of paper is put aside, and Player 2 draws a new name and goes on as before. Team A has one minute to get through as many names as possible. Then, Team B does the same thing (also for one minute). The two teams compete in this fashion until all the names are out of the hat. Each team records the number of names they guessed correctly (one point per name).

Round Two:
All of the strips of paper are thrown back into the hat. The play procedure is the same, except players may use only one word to communicate the celebrity name to their teammates (example: Material).

Round Three:
Proceed as in the previous two rounds, except now players must silently act out the celebrity names using gestures, poses, dances, etc. When all of the names have been expired, each team counts up their points from all three rounds -- the highest score wins.

Scattergories
How to play: Hand out pieces of grid paper to guests, with the bride's first name written out across the top margin (example: LIZ). The left margin should list several categories (for example: flowers, cities, restaurants, household products, colors, etc.) Each guest must then come up with words that a) fit each category, and b) start with the letters forming the bride's name, writing them in the corresponding grid square (example: lilac, iris, zinnia...). They should be allowed no more than five minutes to complete their grids. When time is called, each guest must read off what they wrote. If other guests have chosen the same words, the word gets disqualified. The goal is to acquire the greatest number of unique words. Award a prize to the winner.

Tip: This game can be both challenging and nerve-wracking, but that's part of the fun. Also, debates over the validity of certain words inevitably will arise -- the maid of honor may have to moderate. If the game is well received and the crowd wants to play another round, choose words like "WEDDING," "BRIDE", "MARRIAGE", and "GROOM."

Bridal Piñata
I know it’s not the most lady like thing to beat something with a stick, but it might be fun to fill the piñata things the bride would need for her wedding day and night. For example, condoms, lace garters, lip gloss, lotions, massage oils, ect. I guess the only trick would be selecting the appropriate piñata for your guests to massacre. Maybe a wedding cake? Or...a huge hamburger or donut...something the bride shouldn't necessarily be eating before the wedding.

>>References: The Knot & Bridalshower.com

There's got to be other good games out there. What are some creative shower games that you have played?

The acceptance.

You can't say no when asked to be a bridesmaid.

Ok, you can, but realize when a bride asks you to be one of her bridesmaids she most likely has made a careful and deliberate decision to choose you. It is not a proposal to be taken lightly. However, knowing the costs and time that are married with this responsibility, you need to make a careful decision in accepting this role. If you are not sure if you have the time or money to carry out this duty well, here are some tips in moving forward.

Be realistic from the get go. If you have a chaotic schedule and time is an issue, be upfront with the bride from the very beginning. Let her know that you want to help in whatever way you can, but that it will be really hard to contribute in time wise. Also, let the bridesmaids know too so they won't think you are non-committal jerk.

If money is an issue, be up front about your situation as well. Let your bridal party know your budget and how much you can contribute. I've heard stories of bridesmaids bailing last minute on bachelorette party weekends because they were too embarrassed to say they couldn't afford it. It hurt the bride's feelings and pissed off the bridesmaids because they had to cover costs for the flaky bridesmaid. It's more important to say you won't be there from the beginning so you can manage expectations of the bride and bridesmaids than create uneccessary drama and a sad bride.

Bow out, but be present. If I didn't know the bride well, and if both money and time were extreme scarcities I might consider declining. However, this would be a hard decision for me. But honestly, the bride needs bmaids that will give her the time and support to get her to the wedding day smoothly. If you can't help, you might make the process more stressful than it needs to be. It's in her best interest and her bridesmaids' interest to have a bridesmaid that is available and financially stable. As an alternative, offer to be there to support her in any way she needs. Need help assembling wedding favors? Dress shopping? Invite stuffing? Ushering? Snacks for the bridal party on the wedding day? You're her girl.

Easier said than done. I know. In the back of my mind I know that, if something is important enough to me, I will make the time and money to do it. So, consider your acceptance carefully. Because when you committ to being a bridesmaid, you need to be in all the way.

Now it's story time. Have you ever declined a bridesmaid proposal? How did it go down?

The break down.

Oh, the honor of being chosen as a bridesmaid! And oh, the costs associated with such an honor. Here are the things that you can expect to shell out on when you sign on.

• Bridal shower - invitations & postage, food, decorations, game prizes, favors, gift
• Bachelorette party - possible dining, drinks, gas, lodging, and...gift
• Wedding gift
• Bridesmaid dress
• Possible alterations
• Possible strapless bra
• Shoes
• Jewelry
• Hair
• Make up

Please make sure to have a "Come To Jesus Meeting" with the rest of the bridal party to discuss how you will split these costs and who will be responsible for each component...FACE TO FACE if you can. Unfortunately because of distance and because people have lives, usually email is the only way to get anything done. If this is the case, which it will probably be, consider using Google Documents. You can share spreadsheets and list tasks and costs in one place. And everyone can edit the documents at the same time. This will definitely save you a lot of time and headaches.

The duties.

This is a post for all you first timers. Take a deep breath. It's going to be ok.

Every bride will have different expectations of her bridal party, so if she does not initiate a meeting suggest to sit down and go over your duties. Wedding planning is very stressful and emotional, and sometimes brides won't always know what to ask of her bridesmaids. Here are some basic duties you can expect to carry out that I modified from this article from The Knot.

PRE-WEDDING

• Offer to help with prewedding tasks. Specific things you can volunteer to help with are shopping for her wedding dress, assembling invitations and favors.
  

• Scout out bridesmaid dresses, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories. Give the bride your measurements, and pay for the entire ensemble. Sometimes the bride will pay for your dress! Don't refuse!

• Plan, cohost, and pay for the shower and bachelorette party with other bridesmaids.

• Keep a record of all the gifts received at various parties and showers (so that the bride/couple can write thank-you notes); maintain RSVP lists.

• Attend the ceremony rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. (Keep abreast of all prewedding parties, and go to as many as possible.)

• Purchase a wedding present perhaps with one or several of the other bridesmaids. This provides more buying power, and two heads are better than one when it comes to gift ideas. Sometimes the entire bridesmaid troupe pitches in for one knock-her-socks-off wedding gift.

WEDDING DAY

• Pay to get your hair and make up done. Sometimes you can just use the vendor that the bride is using, or just do it yourself if the bride is not picky.
  

• Run last-minute errands. On the day of the wedding, be on hand to confirm flower delivery times, meet and greet the ceremony officiant.
  

• Stand in the receiving line at the bride's request.

• Serve as auxiliary hostess at the reception by introducing guests, making sure they know where the bar is located, and inviting them to sign the guest book.

• Give the maid/matron of honor a break by helping to carry the bride's train whenever necessary. Bustle the train before dancing begins, and be ready to help fix it if it comes unhooked. Accompany the bride on visits to the restroom, if asked.

OPTIONAL

• Offer to create a bridal emergency kit with make up remover, q-tips, stain remover and other things to get through accidents of the day.

• Offer to bring snacks for the bridal party to munch on in between the ceremony and reception.

• Hit the dance floor when the music kicks in. Dance with groomsmen during the formal first-dance sequence. Also, be on the lookout for toe-tapping guests who might need encouragement and/or a dance partner.

Most importantly, you are the emotional support for the bride. There are many times in life that are about you. This is not one of those times. Don't complain to the bride about the bridesmaid dresses, or about how expensive everything is. Unfortunately you just need to suck it up. You can do this. Many have survived, so can you.

The story behind this blog.

I have been a bridesmaid 4 times. Each time was different and special. However, each time I went through the same processes with the bridal party concerning festivities, costs and etiquette. And each time, I went online to get some much needed help and there was a lot of cheese and bad advice. Or I had to go to wedding pages and click through 3 or 4 links to get to pertinent information specifically for bridesmaids.

"Enough!" I cried. "The world can no longer exist without a website dedicated to bridesmaids and the toil they go through. I must create a blog is dedicated to providing good resources, ideas and tips on being a great bridesmaid."

Hence, the birth of The Good Bridesmaid.

I acknowledge that there are solid websites and blogs out there that do address the responsibilities of the bridal party. My hope is to aggregate all of the great information and also provide a forum in which bridesmaids across the US can commiserate, I mean, share ideas and stories to make the journey to the wedding day a success.

Bridesmaids unite!