Valentine's Day Party Games

Soft, romantic music. Delicate candlelight and the scent of freshly picked flowers. Scrumptious chocolate treats and gourmet wines. Add some interesting company and good conversation, and you have all the makings of a fun-filled Valentine's Day party. But go a step further and add one or more Valentine's Day party games, and you might just add the finishing touch to a spectacular evening that will be long remembered.

Valentine's Day party games have added an extra element of entertainment to gatherings I have hosted. The following two games have been especially popular with friends and guests. Try them and make any changes or additions to suit the particular interests of your group.

Game #1 Several couples can play this game. They can be married or dating. The goal is to have each couple realize how much they are in tune with each other or discover interesting new information about each other. Questions should be prepared ahead of time and should include a mixture of inquiries for individual and/or partner response. These can include categories such as favorite color, favorite restaurant, and favorite romantic song. They can also include multiple responses and interesting hypothetical situations. There should be at least seven to ten questions for you to start with, although it is a good idea to have more on hand because guests often enjoy the game and want to play at least a second time. Also, the better you know your guests, the more customized you can make the questions to appeal to their interests. Additionally, you may want to include an optional question that the individual partners might want to ask each other. However, be sure that the questions are not intrusive or otherwise make the guests feel uncomfortable in any way.

The game can begin by asking the ladies, one by one, to respond to some questions you have prepared. Inform them that you are going to ask them about their own as well as their partners opinions, preferences and interests. Let them also know you will write down their responses so that they can be discussed when the couples come together again later.

The men can wait until you are finished and then they can have their turn. Or you can have your own partner, or another individual not playing the game, ask them the questions at the same time you are working with the ladies. However, you will want to have the men and women in different locations so they do not overhear each other as they answer.

Examples of questions you might ask include the following:
1a) There are numerous challenges facing married couples today. In your opinion, what is the greatest of these? Why?
1b) What would your partner say is the greatest challenge? Why?
2a) Describe in some detail your idea of the most romantic evening you can imagine.
2b) Describe in some detail what you think your partner would say is the most romantic evening he could imagine.
3) What would your partner say is your most appealing quality?
4) If you had one question you'd like to ask your partner tonight, or one thing you'd really like to know better about your partner, what would that be?

After everyone has provided responses, bring them back together and discuss their answers. After the discussion, if they want to play the game again, start over with a different set of questions. When the group is finished playing, end on a positive note. For those couples that have given mostly accurate responses about each other, congratulate them on how well they seem to know each other. For those couples that have given mostly inaccurate responses about each other, congratulate them also and remind them how special their relationship is, and that they have just learned a little more about each other tonight.

Game #2 Couples dance to a combination of fast and slow, romantic songs that involve freezing in the positions they are in when the music stops. This game is particularly entertaining because participants often have a difficult time staying in one position for any length of time as well as trying not to break out in laughter. Each time the music stops, the first couple that cannot maintain position or starts laughing is asked to leave the dance floor. The last couple left on the dance floor wins. The rules should be adequately explained before the game starts. Additionally, offering a small prize to the winning couple can provide added incentive for more serious competition.

You do not need to provide many games or games that require long periods of play in order to provide fun and stimulation. The real challenge is to appeal as closely as possible to the interests of your guests, thereby really customizing the play for your participants. The more effectively you can do this, the more successful your Valentine's Day party games and ultimately your party, itself, will be. Good luck and happy partying!