25 Engagement Party Games and Activities Your Guests Will Love

There's plenty of fun to be had at this pre-wedding event.

By
Kristi Kellogg
Kristi Kellogg
Kristi Kellogg
Kristi Kellogg founded Dazzling Digital Marketing Agency in 2017. She also works closely with the digital marketing and SEO teams at Condé Nast.
Brides's Editorial Guidelines
Updated on 11/09/23 09:20AM
guests playing cornhole at engagement party

Photo by Sydney Noelle

Congratulations, you're engaged! This is such a special milestone that you'll always remember for the rest of your life. While it's important to take a moment to bask in the novelty of your new relationship status, it's equally as essential to commemorate this life chapter in a fun and exciting way: That is, with an engagement party!

Engagement parties are a great way to gather family and close friends together to celebrate the love that you and your partner share. They're also easier and cheaper to plan, making them a fun experience for most couples to host once the journey to the aisle begins. But even if planning this party is a low-stakes event for you, that doesn't mean you should skip out on activities for your guests to partake in and enjoy. Sure, it's totally fine to just gather everyone together for drinks and a meal, but planning a few games is an added bonus your guests will absolutely love.

With all this in mind, and to help you plan a memorable event, we put together a list of 25 creative engagement party games and activities that will keep your guests entertained. Read on for more.

01 of 25

Ring Hunt

bride and bride showing off their wedding rings

Photo by Chi-Chi Ari Love

Think of this as an Easter egg hunt, but with rings! Hide plastic rings all throughout the party and ask your guests to find them. Whoever finds the most rings, wins! Don't forget to have prizes handy, like a Starbucks gift card or a miniature bottle of Champagne.

02 of 25

The Nearlywed Game

Bride and groom laughing and hugging outside

PHOTO BY BOKEH PHOTOGRAPHY

Find out how well the couples in attendance know each other by having them play a live version of the Newlywed Game (in the case of the affianced couple, the Nearlywed Game). Give each of them a mini dry-erase board and have them answer questions like, "What would your partner request for their last meal?" and "What's one thing your partner thinks you should take a class in?" Then, read off each question, have each partner answer, and see how close the real answer is to their significant other's guess. Whichever couple racks up the most right answers, wins.

03 of 25

Beanbag Toss

Corn hole board

Photo by Michelle Boyd

Beanbag toss, also known as cornhole, is a perfect game for an outdoor engagement party. You can go all out with bridal-themed boards, or you can keep it classic for an authentic touch. One fun idea is to make couples kiss whenever someone scores.

04 of 25

Ring Toss

ring toss bottle game

Getty Images

Ring tosses are so apropos for an outdoor engagement party. Decorate the plastic rings and/or bottles with glitter for a truly sparkly game (just make sure that half of the rings are a different color than the others). Create two teams and take turns throwing rings at stakes or empty bottles for friendly competition everyone will love.

05 of 25

Two Truths and a Lie

group of people chatting during a beach picnic

Photo by Valorie Darling Photography

Since you might be gathering friends and family together who don't know each other well, why not play the ultimate icebreaker two truths and a lie? The rules are simple: Ask each person to come up with three facts about their life—two facts should be true and one fact should be a lie—then go around in a circle and try to figure out everyone's lie. It's an entertaining and great way to get to know everyone at the party.

06 of 25

Bridal Jeopardy!

bride and groom posing amongst a city skyscape

Photo by Branch & Cole

Craft a DIY Jeopardy! board with questions all your love story. Just like the game show, guests will have to "buzz" in to guess the question that corresponds to the answer (you can also have people raise their hands or ring a bell if you don't have a buzzer on hand). For example, if someone chooses "the engagement" for 300, it could reveal an answer like "13 months," leading someone to buzz in and shout "How many months were the couple together before getting engaged?"

07 of 25

Memory Lane

Two women hugging at an outdoor social gathering

PHOTO BY MARK SPOONER

Ask each guest to write down a memory on an index card, then mix all the index cards in a bowl and read them off one by one. Guests should then start to guess who the memory belongs to, and whoever gets the most cards right wins the game. This is especially fun if most people at the engagement party are already friends and will be able to guess who's who.

08 of 25

Wedding Song Requests

bride and groom dancing

Photo by Bokeh Photography

While this isn't exactly a game, it'll help you and your partner get a jump-start on planning your wedding reception playlist. Ask guests to request their favorite songs by handing out a sheet of paper and having them write down which tune they'd like to hear on the big day.

09 of 25

Charades

wedding couple laughing

Photo by Aaron Delesie

If your friends are big on charades, why not play a few rounds? Here's the catch: Whatever movie or book is being performed has to be related to an engagement. Think: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Bridesmaids, etc.

10 of 25

Giant Tic-Tac-Toe

giant tic tac toe

Photo by Eddie Pearson Photography 

With a fresh engagement, X and O are at the forefront of everyone's mind. Bring the XOXOs to life with a giant, outdoor game of tic-tac-toe. Bonus tip: A game like this would be a big hit at an outdoor wedding.

11 of 25

The Shoe Game

couple playing the shoe game

Photo by Alexa Lena Photography 

An engagement party and wedding reception favorite, the wedding shoe game tests the couple's knowledge of one another and/or their relationship. To play, the couple sits back-to-back, both of them holding one of their own shoes in one hand and one of their partner's shoes in the other hand. Then, a designated host will ask questions like, "Who made the first move?" and "Who dresses better?" The to-be-weds will raise either their own shoe or their partner's shoe to answer the question, with neither one of them seeing the other's answer.

12 of 25

Jenga Love Notes

guests playing giant jenga

Photo by Mark Spooner

Who doesn't love this classic? Make it memorable by having guests sign a tile with their name and a note for your new life chapter. That way, whenever you and your partner play Jenga, you'll always think of your friends and the super-fun engagement party moments. Make the game even better (and suitable for a backyard affair) with giant Jenga!

13 of 25

Tie the Knot

bowl of cherries

Sue-Ann Thalacker / EyeEm / Getty Images

Make a contest out of tying cherry stems into knots. Set out a bowl of cherries and see who can "tie the knot" the quickest in two minutes. For a little extra fun, soak the cherries in vanilla vodka overnight.

14 of 25

Find the Guest

guests laughing outdoors

Photo by Kindred Weddings

Compile a list of fun and interesting facts about each guest at the engagement party. Then, pass out a copy of the list of facts to every guest, and have them go around and find out who is who. This is a great way for your guests to get acquainted and learn more about each other.

To make it more interesting, implement the rule that you can't flat-out ask about the fact directly: Guests will have to make casual conversation to figure out who is who. For example, if a fact is "This guest is an opera singer," you might bring up music and see where the conversation leads.

15 of 25

Message in a Bottle

message in a mason jar

Sonja Rachbauer / Getty Images

This isn't a game, but it's definitely something your friends and family will love doing. Set out a beautiful glass bottle and create a station with pens and slips of paper where guests can write a note to you and your partner to be opened after the wedding. This is the kind of thing that would also make for an excellent activity on the big day itself. It's a chance for people to express how happy they are for you and how much they love you. Plus, the bottle will double as a gorgeous piece of décor.

16 of 25

Mad Libs

mad libs

Photo by Mark Spooner; Stationery by Molly Goldberg Design

Turn your love story into a game of Mad Libs. To make it extra funny, feel free to elaborate and exaggerate details. Then, of course, leave blanks where guests can add in ridiculous adverbs, verbs, adjectives, and nouns.

17 of 25

Couple's Quilt

Couple wrapping themselves in a quilt

ADAM HESTER / GETTY IMAGES

Hand out patches of fabric to each guest, along with fabric paint, beads, and string. Then, have each person create their own patch in honor of your forthcoming union. After the party, collect all of the patches and have them sewn together into a quilt to commemorate the engagement.

18 of 25

Photo Booth Bonanza

Photo booth in a van outside

Photo by KT Merry

For couples who love all things photos and fun, you need to have a photo booth station. Create a theme and ask guests to take photos that align with your designated concept. Then, gather pose-worthy props—like hats, sunglasses, flower leis, clip-on bow ties, etc.—which guests can choose from before posing in front of a bright background. Whoever has the best photobooth photo, wins a prize.

19 of 25

Snapchat Geofilter

wedding guests taking a selfie at their table

Getty Images

You know how sometimes you go to an event, like a sports game or a concert, and there's a special filter on Snapchat that coincides? That's called a geofilter, and anyone can get one. So instead of using a photo booth, have your guests compete and snap their best shots using your personal geofilter.

Pricing is determined based on the size of the usage area, and for a small venue or someone's house, it's actually really affordable (only $5 an hour for a geofilter that's 20 square feet).

20 of 25

Bridal Bingo

bingo card

Tetra Images / Getty Images

For a twist on traditional bingo, create your own bingo cards where all the squares are engagement- and wedding-themed, such as Mr., Mrs., Love, etc. You can even find pre-made ones and just print them out for the activity.

21 of 25

Casino Games

A directly above shot of a group of unrecognizable friends sitting around a table outdoors, they are enjoying alcoholic drinks while playing a game of cards.

Getty Images

Turn the engagement party into a fête fit for Las Vegas! Pull out all the stops and rent casino-style tables, so you can play games like blackjack, craps, and roulette. Your guests are sure to have a blast with this themed activity.

22 of 25

Race Down the Aisle

wedding arch for getting married under for an outdoor ceremony made by a florist

Getty Images

Separate everyone into pairs, tie their legs together (just one leg per person), and set up your backyard for a three-legged race. You can even lay out a "white carpet" to serve as the aisle for everyone to race down.

23 of 25

Guess the Amount of Kisses

A closeup of American Hershey's Kisses, milk chocolate candy in Christmas packaging

Getty Images

You've likely already played this game as a child, and this age-old classic is a great activity for your guests to partake in at your engagement party. All you have to do is fill a jar with Hershey Kisses and ask your guests to guess the amount of "kisses" in the jar upon arrival. Before the end of the night, count the "kisses" to see who guessed the correct (or close to the correct) amount.

24 of 25

Flip Cup

Group of friends playing beer pong

Getty Images

If drinking games are more your vibe, you can never go wrong with a fun game of flip-cup. The premise of the game is to see which team can drink their beer (or water) the quickest in order to receive the title of "flip cup champions". It's an amusing activity that will get your guests extremely excited for the entire celebration. (Check out the official rules and instructions here.)

25 of 25

TikTok Dances

bride and her bridesmaids going a tiktok dance

Photo by DOS MAS EN LA MESA

If you and your friends love all the latest viral dances found on TikTok, set up an area where everyone can show off their movies for the social platform. You can turn this into a competition and see who did the dance best, or you can put together an engagement party compilation to post at a later date.

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