Looking for wedding cocktail hour games? We may know a trick or two!
A while back we wrote an article listing 32 wedding reception entertainment ideas and it was gold! But we’re not stopping here!
This time, we’re going even deeper, sharing some ideas for wedding cocktail hour games, both for outdoors and for indoors.
Here’s our list of 15 wedding cocktail hour games! This is the time right after the wedding ceremony and dinner, when canapés and nibbles are being shared, together with some fizz and drink, of course! The cocktail hour usually lasts for 2 hours but it’s not a rule. It depends very much on the type of wedding and the venue.This is a list of the most popular games ideas you can use to entertain your guests during the cocktail hour.
Wedding Cocktail Hour Games Outdoors
Ping pong
Yes, there’s venues who have a ping pong table for you to use or you can even bring one yourself! Some people love a ‘friendly’ match of ping pong and a wedding day is no reason not to!
The only thing to keep in mind is weather, obviously, in case the table is set up outdoors. Rain or wind will not make for a very fun match of ping pong during the cocktail hour but rather a very wet one!
Croquet and Mini Golf
There’s countries where Croquet is a religion! Having everything needed for your guests to play croquet during the wedding cocktail hour is not only a very good idea but also a necessary idea – especially in England!
Some people love croquet, some love golf, so why not have something for both? You can get a set of mini golf for the wedding day and hopefully it will stay intact and you can have it for many years to come!
Giant Garden Jenga
This is such a fun game for any age and any weather actually. Giant Garden Jenga is such a fun way to have groups of people playing together and interacting! Kids can definitely jump in, too, to make it more fun/ confusing!
Bouncy Castle
While this is more of a wedding entertainment idea, I would still add this to the list of wedding cocktail hour games. Again, a really fun thing to have for a Summer wedding especially, with kids and grown ups jumping about! There could even be a competition who can breakdance or jump the highest, too!
Connect Four
While you usually see connect four games at playgrounds, we’ve seen them quite a few times at wedding venues. A great game to have as a venue to offer to your couples!
Life-Size Chess
A very light and fun form of entertainment for your guests during the cocktail hour – every venue should have a life-size chess outdoors. Some people may take this more seriously than others, but it’s a good wedding cocktail hour game for passing the time in a very pleasant way!
Jumping Sacks
You can already imagine the fun, isn’t it?! While this wedding cocktail hour game may not be for every sort of attire, it’s definitely one of the most fun ones! all you need is some sacks, a finish line , someone to organise the competition and people crazy enough to compete! And I have a feeling the girls will jump in, too! Yet to see this at a wedding but how fun would it be!!
Bowling Pins
No matter the season, anyone can play a game of bowling pins outdoors, during the cocktail hour. Another fun option for your growing list and also very budget friendly!
Ring Toss
Simple games can sometimes turn into the most fun opportunities for a competition between your wedding guests! Another budget friendly and really easy to plan wedding cocktail hour game!
Limbo Set
This is probably one of my favourite outdoor wedding ceremony sets because it’s just so dang fun! Especially if your grandma is joining in the fun!
Piñata
There’s several ways to use a piñata for your wedding day- they all involve candies, though! One of them would be as a game, where your guests (children included) would have to try and hit it blindfolded.
Have you decided what’s on your list yet for wedding cocktail hour games ? Were this outdoor options helpful? Here’s some indoor wedding cocktail hour games options, too!
Wedding Cocktail Hour Games Indoor
Beer pong
YES! A must have, I’d say! So much fun and so easy to plan ( you could use a normal table as well, doesn’t have to be a ping-pong table! The perfect girls vs. boys competition game for your wedding!
I Spy Wedding Game
This game make take a bit of time to plan but it’s such a fun one to involve your entire wedding party! Simply make up a list of things people could find during the wedding day or in that particular location and let the party begin! It can be something as simple as ” I spy someone wearing a pink dress” to something a bit crazy like ” I spy an insect with many legs”.
Here’s some more ideas for an “I Spy” wedding game:
– I spy someone wearing red lipstick
– I spy a purple flower
– I spy a Samsung cellphone
– I spy a striped tie
– I spy a milk bottle
– I spy polka dots
– I spy a slice of cake
– I spy a diamond ring
– I spy a round pebble
– I spy an insect with many legs
– I spy a chef’s hat
Wedding Bingo
This is a game that the elderly might especially love (and it’s always good to include all ages when planning the wedding entertainment).
Simply order a game of Bingo online and get someone who’s got lots of charisma to organise it!
Picture Scavenger Hunt
The picture scavenger hunt game is quite similar to the I Spy wedding Game but few of the rules differ.
For this one, you’d need a list made and either give to a team of people or to people who want to play, individually. If you have the budget for some polaroid cameras it would be fun to use them, otherwise people can use their phones and share using your wedding hashtag!
Here’s some ideas for the picture scavenger hunt wedding cocktail hour game :
– something pink
– something tiny
– something special
– something with no hair
– something alive
– something sticky
– something dirty
– something tall
I believe you get the idea by now. You’d be amazed of the silly things people would come up with when they think of any of those things on the list! Makes for good fun for everyone!
Phewww! This has been a long one, again! But we’ve condensed lots of ideas to help you plan your wedding games cocktail hour so people have something to do rather than empty the bar in 2 hours!
Don’t forget there’s lots more wedding planning tips and ideas on our blog!
All photographs by Cotswolds wedding photographer: Green Antlers Photography
Hey, we’re Diana & Sam!
We are a photographer husband and wife team based in the beautiful Cotswolds area. We love the outdoors and shoot primarily non – traditional barn weddings and elopements for the adventurous wild at heart couple. We help remove the stress and pressure from your wedding day and do our best to make you feel at ease and extremely relaxed in front of the camera, so you will dearly remember your experience. We are also founders of
Mad Hat Photo Booth, a wedding and events photo booth hire in the Cotswolds, Birmingham, Gloucestershire and beyond!
