Planning guide
A bridal shower timeline that leaves room for games
A sample schedule for a three-hour afternoon shower. Shift the times to suit, but keep the order: guests are most willing to play after they've eaten and before the gifts.
Updated October 28, 2026
The short answer
A three-hour bridal shower runs: 30 minutes of arrivals, 45 minutes of food, two seated games of 15 minutes each, 45 minutes of gifts with bingo running alongside, then cake, prizes and advice cards read aloud. Play games after food and before gifts, when everyone is seated and willing.
A three-hour schedule
Times are from the start of the shower.
- 0:00–0:30 Arrivals. Drinks, name tags, advice cards on a table by the door.
- 0:30–1:15 Food. Let people eat and talk; don't schedule a game here.
- 1:15–1:30 Game one: a quiz about the bride.
- 1:30–1:45 Game two: the shoe game if her partner is there, or a price guess round.
- 1:45–2:30 Gifts, with bingo running alongside.
- 2:30–2:45 Cake, prizes and the bingo winner.
- 2:45–3:00 Read a few advice cards aloud. Goodbyes.
The games for this schedule
Every game here prints free. To play them on the TV instead, add them all to one event and run them from your phone, so nobody has to tally scores during the cake.
Predictions and bets
Predictions and advice for the couple
Prediction and advice cards for the couple. Guests write, the answers go up on the screen and into a keepsake.
4 prompts · Bridal shower, Wedding reception, Rehearsal dinner, Bachelorette
How well do you know them
How well do you know the bride
Thirty how-well-do-you-know-the-bride questions for a bridal shower or bachelorette, free to print or play live with phones.
30 questions · Bridal shower, Bachelorette
The shoe game
Shoe game questions
Forty shoe game questions for the newlyweds: he said, she said. Print the cards or let guests predict live from their phones.
40 questions · Wedding reception, Bridal shower, Rehearsal dinner, Bachelorette
Shower bingo
Bridal shower gift bingo
Bridal shower gift bingo with thirty items and a different card for every guest. Print the cards or play on phones.
30 items · Bridal shower
A two-hour version
Drop game two, shorten food to 30 minutes, and keep bingo for the gifts. Two hours is plenty for a weekday evening shower.
Questions people ask
- How long should a bridal shower last?
- Two to three hours. Three is standard for a weekend afternoon; two works for an evening or a work shower.
- When do you open gifts at a bridal shower?
- After food and the first games, about halfway through. Opening them last risks guests leaving before the bride gets to thank them.
Play it on the big screen
Questions on the TV, answers on guests’ phones, scores kept for you. Free for up to 15 guests.
Plan a live game