[Survey Results] Do We Really Need Games at After Parties? What Are People Actually Doing?

2019.01.22 published

Is the game at the after-party important?

At wedding after-parties, it's popular to have games so that guests can win prizes!

Games should be:

☑ Quick to play

☑ Not time-consuming; time should be predictable.

☑ Fun for large groups

☑ Enjoyable in teams

Such content is preferred! ♡

If you search for "after-party games," you'll find various game ideas and lists, but...

What kinds of games are actually played at real-life after-parties??

Is it absolutely necessary to have games at an after-party??

You're probably curious about what other newlyweds did!

☑ Whether games were played at the after-party

☑ If so, what games were played

☑ If not, why not

I conducted a survey through marry, so please use it as a reference! ♡

➡ If you're choosing a venue for your after-party, consider consulting "LINE Advisor" ♡ You can get recommendations for venues that meet your criteria from carefully selected after-party venues by marry!

@wdmzre

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 1

We played the "Guess who drank sour water" game. The sour water was made with citric acid.

We selected five representatives from among the guests in advance and surprised them on the day by having them come up front.

Then we handed each of them a cup filled with clear water and asked them to drink it simultaneously. All five acted as if they were drinking sour water, but only one person actually did!

The remaining guests had to guess who that one person was. After the performance, I distributed voting papers (I used name tags I had previously given to participants) and asked participants to drop their guesses in the box of the person they thought really drank the sour water.

We held a raffle among those who guessed correctly and gave gifts to a few of them and the person who really drank it! This way, everyone could participate, and it was fun (laughs)!

I thought that a game that doesn’t take much time could be a good idea!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 2

In previous after-parties I attended, they had games that offered prizes, so I thought if I didn't do that, it would make me look stingy, so I decided to do it.

The games I’d experienced at past after-parties include quizzes about the bride and groom, bottle chugging, puzzle games, and bingo.

The game "The engagement ring was stolen by KID! Find KID!" was particularly exciting at a wedding of a couple who were Conan fans.

(This game involves guessing who has hidden the bride's engagement ring through clues such as the color of their clothing, whether they wear glasses, etc.)

In my case, since my fiancé is a chef, I considered a grading check, but I was also worried about making guests feel awkward if they guessed incorrectly.

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 3

Rather than a game, we held a raffle!

Guests took Polaroids at the reception, wrote their names and messages on them, and then the bride and groom alternately drew Polaroids, allowing those guests to pick prizes!

It was exciting for everyone in the venue, and the Polaroids served as nice keepsakes, so it was great! ☺️

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 4

① Traditional bingo game,

➁ A speed drinking championship using randomly selected guests.

③ We prepared questions and gathered phone numbers for both the bride and groom and the after-party organizer to call and let the person who gets connected answer the questions!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 5

Honestly, I'm not very comfortable with the vibe of after-parties; they tend to be youthful and crude.

Many games are quite indecent, and even just watching can be tough. If I end up getting picked and have to go in front, it would be the worst...

Since I'm not at an age to share lovey-dovey stories about the bride and groom, we opted for regular bingo.

Since bringing home prizes can be heavy, we made everything in the form of vouchers or cards.

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 6

We didn’t have prize-type games.

The reason was that I thought managing time would be difficult, and it was hard to prepare prizes given the varied age groups and occupations of the guests.

Instead, we prepared a beer server for ourselves and had the guests carve up a roast chicken we prepared,

Since my husband is a moving company employee, we also had some of his colleagues show off their strength with squats. ☺️

While it wasn't primarily our after-party, it was a warm and happy event full of the kindness of those around us!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 7

While I thought about games, since I had some friends I hadn’t seen in a while and some who had moved departments or regions,

I wanted to spend time leisurely chatting with everyone, so we held the party mainly as a social gathering! ★

This method was extremely well-received!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 8

We held an after-party for about 130 people over three hours.

I heard that parties like after-parties can become dull without an event every hour, so we had a bride and groom quiz and the bride and groom perform music!

The rest of the time was spent having the bride and groom mingle with friends and socialize.

The quiz included questions related to the couple's relationship, hobbies, etc., in addition to a mini-Indian game (a game where gifts are passed around with music).

We prepared prizes such as Disney couple tickets, alcohol, snacks, gift cards, and more.

Since both the bride and groom can play instruments, they performed a well-known song for a short time.

I think it's better to have at least one event (not limited to games, but things like a profile movie) than just chatting, as it gives more contrast and can be a good conversation starter.

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 9

I think games are necessary. Many people seem to expect there to be games.

And I occasionally hear stories like, "I want to make back what I spent on prizes!"

I did a quiz and bingo!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 10

We did bingo, but the most exciting part was the ranking check for the response postcards!

Normally, it's customary to remove the "go-hon" from the sender’s name on the response postcard and change "to us" to "to Ms./Mr." However,

Surprisingly, many people don’t do it, so we turned it into a game to study how to do it correctly (﹡ˆᴗˆ﹡).

We took photos of everyone's response postcards, put them on the computer, and displayed them in order from best to worst!

Since everyone couldn't remember how they replied two months ago, there were exclamations like, “Oh no, ours isn’t showing!” and it became wildly entertaining!

We gave some recommended snacks to those who drew illustrations, while those who did nothing had to eat wasabi cream puffs in a Russian roulette style. ☺️

As a result, the characters who were usually teased ended up being the ones who had the worst manners, making progression easier for me. 😂

Most girls drew illustrations, so they were pleased with the snacks!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 11

We held a ranking check game.

For instance, we distributed a 500 yen wine and a 10,000 yen wine to each table, and they had to guess which was more expensive.

Teams were formed at each table, and they gave their answers. We also compared professional photos with those taken by the bride's mother and,

Since it was close to Valentine's Day, we compared cheap chocolate with high-quality chocolate, which surprisingly turned out to be lively! ☺️

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 12

The bottle chugging game.

I was selected to be on the drinking side, and the male guests knelt down and desperately sucked from baby bottles filled with... Calpis? Or milk? 😂😂

Apparently, the desperate look of the men made it an entertaining game, but

the women who were feeding were teased, “# is super fast! The women are more skilled at giving drinks!” 😂😂

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 13

Games like Finger Coliseum (Pointing Game) and quizzes about the bride and groom are so popular that I think it's good to play them.

In the pointing game, we pre-selected representatives from the bride and groom, chose four people, and had the other guests guess who would win!

The rules were standard, but with prizes involved, it boosted excitement as everyone cheered!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 14

We requested an after-party coordinator to handle the event.

The proposed game was a coin hunt.

We hid coins every where in the venue (with the bride and groom also holding some), allowing guests to look for them.

Instead of having a time-restricted game segment, we set it up as free time where everyone could search for coins while mingling, taking photos, and eating... allowing for a relaxed and enjoyable time. 😊

When handing out prizes, since the coins had numbers on them, the prizes changed based on the numbers... making it feel more like a game and creating great excitement!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 15

We played a treasure hunt game!

We hid papers with numbers written on them all over the venue and had participants draw lots in numerical order to win prizes ^_^

Everyone walked around enjoying it like children!

One was hidden in the groom's breast pocket, and another was hidden in the bride's cleavage, among other places!!

Hiding them was equally fun!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 16

We held the after-party at a restaurant with karaoke!

We prepared two types of games.

The first was a game for everyone to participate without feeling isolated.

We took Polaroids at the reception, divided into four groups of six, and had each group sing a song.

We gifted prizes to the group with the highest score!

The second plan was to have bingo, but due to time constraints, we chose to give prizes to those who won rock-paper-scissors against the bride and groom!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 17

Since there were few guests at the after-party and we wanted everyone to have a relaxed time, we didn’t plan any games.

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 18

To be honest, I think after-parties are enjoyed more with games (with prizes), food, and drinks, so it’s better to have them for both hosts and guests!!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 19

We played rock-paper-scissors train and bingo!

Many guests were looking forward to the prizes, so I believe it’s better to have some kind of game!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 20

We played the classic bingo game and held a candy bouquet toss! (From the bride and groom to all the guests)

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 21

I prepared prizes and held a raffle!

When guests arrived at the after-party, they chose a number we provided and placed it in a box, which the bride and groom drew from!

Bingo tends to drag on, so we kept the rules simple! 😊👍

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 22

We had a cola chugging championship! … I, the bride, participated with the male guests and won!!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 23

Episode bingo ♥️

Photo contest ♥️

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 24

At a senior colleague's after-party, there were games!

We had a group drawing competition, which was a lot of fun, and there were prizes for the top groups, making it a memorable experience.

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 25

We hosted the after-party and acted as the MC ourselves. lol

We prepared some prizes and had guests write their names next to the products they wanted to vote, then the bride and groom announced the winners.

The winners got the right to answer a quiz about the bride and groom → If correct, they earned a prize!

If they were wrong, they got a small candy as a participation prize!

Guests appreciated being able to receive what they wished for! ✨

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 26

We did name bingo ❤️

Although there was a lot of chatting, I think having a bit of game added some nice contrast! ^ ^

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 27

At the after-party, we played classic bingo! We had many prizes so that about 40% of the participants would win!

The MC facilitated smoothly, allowing for a great flow and enjoyment!

The best prize was a couple's ticket to Disney or USJ, and other luxurious prizes included Dolce Gusto coffee machines and robot vacuum cleaners!

Although those who didn’t win were disappointed, there was a rescue event afterward!

It was announced that the person with the least number of bingo holes would also win a prize, and excitement rose once again!

In the end, there were three people with only seven holes, and they played rock-paper-scissors with the groom, with the loser receiving the day’s grand prize (a domestic hot spring couple's accommodation voucher). 💗

They were very pleased and turned from being unfortunate to the luckiest person! 😊

After that, there was a bride and groom quiz! For this prize, cash collected during registration was given to the last person remaining.

Of the ten questions, when just one person remained after the ninth, they decided to become the ultimate bride and groom master! So, they challenged the last question!

When they were wrong, the rules were changed to donate a gift to the bride and groom, which they purposely missed, offering it to them instead. 😂

The person who did something so classy was the number one bride and groom master! 💗 lol

I believe after-parties are definitely more exciting with games involved!!

Since we also set aside time for chatting and greetings from the bride and groom to everyone, it ended up being a very fun after-party without boring the guests!

Here's what we did at our wedding after-party game! 28

I am a prospective bride planning an after-party with only friends and organizing bingo!

Instead of just revealing numbers, participants will have to answer quizzes or do kendama challenges to open up the numbers,

so that everyone who wants to see the number opened will carry the expectations of the challengers and cheer them on, creating a sense of unity in the venue, which I hope will make everyone enjoy!

May the games at the after-party be a hit!

☑ Whether games were played at the after-party

☑ If so, what games were played

☑ If not, why not

We learned from some brides ♡

By the way, the results of the YES/NO survey showed that about half of couples had games at their after-parties, while the other half did not!

It seems that there are also many couples who skip the games!

"What should I do for after-party games~~?"

"What kind of after-party games should I have♡?"

"Do I really have to have after-party games? Are they necessary?"

I hope this helps newlyweds who are pondering! ♡

If you’re looking for an after-party venue 💬

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Selecting an after-party venue can be as challenging as choosing a wedding venue, so I’d be delighted if you could use this service effectively! ♡

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