Ten Non-Traditional Wedding Shower Ideas for Couples

So, some of your good friends are getting married and you want to throw them a Couple's Wedding Shower...something that will appeal to both men and women. This is not as daunting of a task as it may seem even if you are planning an event for an extremely unique bride and groom. Here are ten very non-traditional and fun ideas.

1. Sporty & Fun

Rent out a local basketball court (gym), inexpensive community center gym, or simply use a wide open space at a park for a Sport Day. Adults will be huge fans of dodge ball, basketball challenges, indoor/outdoor soccer, or capture the flag. These events are also great for children and are a great way for everyone to have an active good time. You could have Gatorade and water dispensers set up, and even set up a stereo so that you can have music playing.

2. Scavenger Hunt

Break everyone in to teams of two to four people and have them "scavenger" the nearby restaurants and shops (even their own homes or purses/wallets) for certain items related to the bride and groom. Examples: a take-out menu from their favorite restaurant, a photo with either of them in it, a napkin from the place they went on their first date, a quarter from one of their birth states, etc. Participants will have a crazy and fun time not only trying to figure out all the clues, but also getting to those places and back in time. Afterward everyone can gather at a central location and compare finds. You can play some of the more traditional games and questionnaires afterward as well.

3. Movie Theater Rental

Many locally owned movie theaters will rent out an entire room and screen in their theater for a relatively cheap price. You could have the engaged couple's movie of choice playing that night and invite friends and family out to share in the movie and the extreme fun of having a whole theater to yourselves. You could also have everyone dress up as if it were a red carpet event.

4. Time Era Party

Pick an era that is special to the bride, groom, or both. It could be anything from the 20's or 70's, to 18^th Century England, or Shakespearean themed. Guests could dress in clothes or costumes from that time period and perhaps even be encouraged to use the language or mannerisms of that time period (for example: if Jane Austen era is chosen, guests should bow and courtesy to one another upon seeing each other).

5. Casino Night

At your home or clubhouse you could set up a casino night with a Black Jack table, Craps table, Texas Hold 'Em, or whatever Casino type games you like. Many local stores and online sites sell and rent poker tables, equipment, chips etc; you can even hire people to deal for the evening. You can also have games like Gin Rummy, War, and Spades set up for those who don't care for "gambling". To respect a tight budget you could ask certain attendees to be the "dealers" in half hour shifts, or you can hand out fake money or candy for people to bet with instead of chips.

6. Elementary Field Day

At a nearby park or school that leaves it fields open to the public, you could design an old-school Field Day. Participants could take place in three-legged races, sack (trash bag) races, obstacle courses, 50 yard dash, water balloon fights, capture the flag, Red Rover, or any other such games you can remember from childhood. People will really be able to let loose and have fun while reliving Elementary Days. It is fun to have pictures of the bride and groom from elementary school posted at the event.

7. Pot Luck Picnic

Picnics can be done indoors or outdoors and are great for smaller, intimate parties. Assign a certain food to each guest and pack the foods in baskets (with a checkered table cloth and napkins if you wish) and head to location that the bride and groom like to go (or have never been). Discussions, and "how well do you know the bride and groom" type questionnaires and games are fun at intimate events like these.

8. World Travel Night

You could invite guests to prepare a dish from different regions or countries (you could also ask them to dress from that region as well for fun. You could play some "traditional shower games" and ask that guests bring one interesting fact or artifact from the region of their choice to spark discussion during the evening.

9. Track & Field Day

Use an open field (or school grounds if permissible) to set up a track & field day. You could split participants into teams and choose members to compete in sprints, long jumps, shot put and relays. You can even make up races or games of your own. You can add up "points" at the end of the party and award medals to the team that scored the most in all the events. This is a great shower if you have active, good-natured, slightly competitive attendees.

10. Inner-child Fun (indoors)

For this shower you could set up an indoor venue (such as your home, or a rented clubhouse) with board games and card games reminiscent of the bride and groom's youth. Go Fish, Sorry!, Chutes and Ladders, Crazy Eights, Battleship, Connect Four, and many other games can be selected and set up in stations. Games like Taboo and Pictionary are fun modern choices if you run out of kid game ideas.