I hate the clinking glasses thing, but I do love trivia, so I figured Id get a box of Trivial Pursuit cards.

We hosted a game night wedding reception so it could be more interactive for everyone.

We bought most of the prizes on sale, but still saved a lot by not hiring a DJ or band, which comes with an added cost of a dance floor and lights.

When you won a round you got to pick out a board game prize in lieu of favors.

I was able to get some good deals on sweet vintage games on Ebay, and we are using them as our centerpieces, so everyone can participate.

Im thinking there will be lots of betting and a few new drinking games will come of it.

Heres the game play: blow up balloons to a pre-determined size (we test with a bucket; if it fits in the bucket, its too small.

Everyone gets a balloon with a 3 foot piece of string tied to it.

They tie the other end of the string to their ankle, leaving the balloon trailing behind them on the ground.

Determine the out of bounds, then when the referee yells GO everyone tries to stomp on everyone elses balloons.

Last person with an unpopped balloon wins Seriously, this game is aggressive.

Make sure adults watch out for flower girls and ring bearers so they dont get trampled.

Also, watch for cheaters who try to hold their balloons in their hands or will wrap the string around and around their ankle in order to keep the balloon closeboth of these are against the rules.

One game, my brother went and stole a helium balloon from a display so that his just floated behind him, unstompable.

If youre playing outside, you ought to use a smaller balloon requirement anyway because grass seems to prematurely pop balloons that are blown up really huge (ie, thin).

As for blowing up the balloons, we dont blow them up ahead of time.

Anyone that wants to play grabs a balloon and blows it up themselves (hence the test for cheaters).

Little kids need help, but other than that we just blow them up as needed.

My partner doesnt like to dance and we wanted an afternoon wedding, so Bingo was a great (and cheap) alternative.

For our mix of guests it was more inclusive than dancing (no one was left sitting on the sidelines) and our guests of all ages, physical and mental abilities, etc.

We also put out board games but they scarcely got used because Bingo was so fun.

We played the shoe game (I think recently highlighted on OBB) as a break from Bingo.

During the meal, if a table clinked their glasses they had to correctly answer a trivia question about us before wed kiss.

The questions were on the table so they served as a handy little conversation starter.

Dont be afraid to supplement a dance or go completely without.

Wedding Reception Games For Mac