Here’s the thing: if you’re planning a bridal shower and you want your guests to have a great time, plan fun games and prizes! Playing games at a wedding shower is one part of the fun, but having great prizes that your guests can win will keep guests engaged and excited to play. Plus, it helps to pass the time while waiting for lunch and encourages guests to converse with one another. In this post, we will explore some of the best bridal shower prizes that will make your guests feel special and that will ensure a more memorable event.
Popular Bridal Shower Prizes to Wow Your Guests
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the following and answer frequently asked questions:
• Bridal Shower Game Prize Ideas
• Bridal Shower Door Prizes
• How Many Prizes Should I Have for a Bridal Shower?
• How Much Should You Spend on Bridal Shower Prizes?
• Where to Place Prizes at the Shower
• How to Wrap Wedding Shower Prizes
Let’s get started, first with our round-up of popular bridal shower game prize ideas.
Bridal Shower Game Prizes
If you’ve ever been to a shower with prizes – and then one without – you know there’s a big difference between the two. One is simply more fun, and yep, you probably guessed that it’s the one with fun games and prizes that wins over guests every time. :) But it’s not just about having prizes available to win, it’s about giving thoughtful, creative, and fun game prizes that will really impress your guests. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend a lot of money, either: most of these prizes for wedding showers are unique – AND affordable. You really can have the best of both worlds.
1. Bath Salt Favors
Ahh, spa favors. Is there anything more relaxing than an item that can de-stress you? One of the most popular prizes are spa-related gifts, particularly bath salts. Guests especially love when the products are all-natural and made with high-quality ingredients, like these bath salt tube favors by What Calls The Heart. Your family and friends will love to relax and unwind with these. They make nice bridal shower favors, too!
2. Scented Soaps
Who doesn’t love handmade soap? Practical, scent-filled, and affordable, these mini soaps are a perfect bridal shower game prize. The soaps by Forests Favors are a fan-favorite.
P.S. Use our code: EMMALINE10 for 10% off :)
3. Pashmina Shawls
When it is chilly outside, these relaxing wraps are like mini blankets guests can take anywhere. Plus, they add an elegance to your formal attire, so guests can bring them along on the wedding day! You can get beautiful pashmina shawls from MyWeddingFavorsCA, a fantastic resource with many colors available.
4. Stationery Gifts
Gifts of stationery always make great prizes for a bridal shower. Consider items like notebooks, journals, fun pens, address books, recipe cards. Shop clearance sections at major big box stores (TJ Maxx always has really cute journals, mini notebooks, and fun pens all year long). Consider those notepads with a magnet on them, as they’re so helpful to have on the refrigerator – especially with grocery lists!
In addition, consider this biggie: planners! Who doesn’t love a fresh yearly or monthly planner to write down tasks and important dates? Another favorite item with this is a bunch of cute stickers. I love the ones from ban.do.
5. Candles
Mini candles are always the first to go on a bridal shower prize table! You can get these yummy wedding cake candles or opt for another scent in the amazing collection at Aria Bella Candles.
6. Kitchen items
Unique and creative, kitchen prizes make good bridal shower no matter the time of year.
Practical and useful, guests will love to have a fresh set of dish towels (go with a seasonal print and pattern to tie into the shower theme), a new measuring spoon set, a set of mixing bowls, recipe cards with a recipe box (this one is adorable), appetizer plates, or potholders. For a potholder gift, you can include your favorite cookie mix inside and add a whisk. So cute! Here’s an example of potholders you can get with different sayings from SeasideSignCo.
As another suggestion, consider small dipping bowls, like these by MyWeddingFavorsCA. They’re a handcrafted, super-unique find!
7. Small Batch Coffee or Tea
Give small batches of coffee from a local roaster, or loose tea leaves from shop, What Calls The Heart. These loose tea leaves make for a warm cuppa anytime they want to unwind.
8. Themed Gift Baskets and Gift Cards
One of the best gifts you can give is homemade, created with love, and made with a theme in mind. You can create small wrapped baskets (use clear cellophane so guests can see the items inside) with different themes, like a kitchen basket with a few bamboo utensils, an oven mitt, a set of dish towels, and a set of cute recipe cards.
One of our family’s favorite type of basket given away at showers as prizes is a “family movie night” theme. It’s a large popcorn bowl like this filled with popcorn kernels, popcorn butter, popcorn seasoning, a mini popper, and a few movie-theater boxes of candy. It’s always one of the first prizes to be picked! :)
And if you don’t have time to put it together yourself, you can get a gift basket that is pre-made. Or choose this variety pack – another crowd-pleaser.
Small, incremental gift cards make wonderful prizes for bridal shower games. Whether you choose a favorite local retailer like Target or Amazon or Starbucks, even a small $5 or $10 gift card will be a nice bonus for the guest to win. Consider alternative places, too, to support local: Etsy gift cards, local coffee shops, downtown cafes, or small boutiques in your hometown are perfect ways to shop small. Plus, they make the most unique game prizes and encourage guests to shop at a place they wouldn’t normally visit.
9. Plants and Seed Favors
How about a gift that is eco-friendly? It’s one of my favorites! Seed packet favors like these or miniature potted plants (hello, succulents!) are always a welcome addition to a bridal shower prize table. Plus, they’re sure to add to the beauty of your guest’s home. These succulents are a perfect option, available in bulk from DesertViewCactus. Many varieties available here.
You can use these succulents or potted plants, fresh herbs, or flowers to decorate tables at your bridal shower. Simply incorporate them as part of your centerpiece design. Then, you can offer the plants as door prizes, which we’ll discuss next. :)
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Next, let’s talk about one additional game that is always a perfect ice-breaker: the door prize!
Bridal Shower Door Prizes
Door prizes are one of the best ways to welcome guests to a shower. A door prize is an item that is given out at the end of the shower, but guests enter by doing something at the very beginning of it.
Guess How Many Chocolates
Some examples of a door prize include a jar with a hundred plus chocolate candies inside, and guests need to guess how many are inside the jar. When they arrive, they fill out a card with their guess and place it in a box. At the end of the shower, the closest guess to the actual number of candies wins the jar – and all the chocolate inside of it!
PRO TIP: Use a sign like this and these guessing cards to make it easy.
Stickers Under the Chair
A simple door prize is giving away the centerpieces on the table to a lucky winner at each one. This can be done by placing a sticker underneath one chair randomly at each table, and once guests have all arrived and selected a chair, you announce the sticker and everyone looks to see if they’ve won.
Scratch Off Door Prize
Or, you can offer scratch off tickets when guests arrive, simply by handing them to each guest when you greet them. They scratch off a portion of the card to reveal if they are an instant winner, and you have one major prize at the ready. It can be something a bit larger than a normal bridal shower prize – perhaps a large basket of cookies, or a fruit basket, or maybe a basket with spa products inside – and is handed to the winner to take home.
You can get cards like these at Printed Party Store.
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Now that you have some ideas, you’re likely wondering: how many prizes should you have at a wedding shower? In this section, we’ll explain!
We mentioned it earlier, but it’s worth noting: you do not have to spend a lot of money to find creative wedding shower prizes. Here are some tips on how much you should spend.
How Much to Spend on Game Prizes
You don’t have to spend a lot on prizes. You can find most bridal shower game prizes under $10. Most prizes are usually around $2.50 to $5 each, upwards to $10 and maxed out around $15. It will depend largely on the type of gifts you want to give and how elaborate you want them to be. Also, how much is in your budget and how many guests are attending?
The Importance of Having Enough Prizes
It’s important to have more than enough prizes, as there’s never just one winner from any game. Most of the popular bridal shower games will likely have at least three winners for each game, and there’s usually a tie.
Make sure you provide a nice, well-stocked prize table that allows for enough winners (without breaking the bank).
Once you’ve narrowed down what kind of prizes you’ll give away and how much you plan to spend, let’s talk about how the prizes work at a shower: where do you place them?
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How to Set Up Your Game Prizes
You should have a game prize table set up at the shower, near the back of the room. Make sure it’s easy to access and view for guests. You can either pass out prizes to winners at their table, or – and I highly recommend this option – invite guests to come up to a table to select a prize from anything they’d like. It makes it fun to choose!
And lastly, let’s talk about one major tip that many people overlook: how to wrap the prizes. Here are some helpful tips to help you decide how you want them to be wrapped up for guests.
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How to Wrap Shower Prizes
Lastly, many people wonder if you should wrap bridal shower prizes. That’s up to you! I’ve seen it done both ways, and I’ve also attended showers where the prizes are half wrapped, half un-wrapped.
You can offer the gifts on the table unwrapped if you want them to know what’s inside, or wrap up a few to make it a fun guessing game. Either way, you can’t go wrong!
In conclusion, games, door prizes, and prizes for guests are all important elements to include as you plan a bridal shower! Keep in mind – the more unique and thoughtful the prize is, the better. It will make for a more memorable experience for your guests. The list above includes some top picks, but they are just a few of the creative prizes you can give out as prizes for wedding shower games. Don’t be afraid to get creative and add your own personal spin on these gift prizes, baskets, and suggestions for your guests.
And before you go, remember: planning a bridal shower should be a fun experience, not overwhelming! Part of the fun is choosing prizes for your guests, so I hope this article inspires you and gives you some fresh ideas as you plan the momentous occasion.
If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll swoop in to help. :)
ON TO YOU: What are some of your ideas for bridal shower prizes? Let us know in the comments section! I’d love to hear what unique ideas your family and friends come up with. In addition, for more content like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter. It’s fun + free!
xo
Emma
