I tended to be an “over planner” for my Tampa Bay wedding. I wanted my guests to be entertained every minute of the wedding and joked that I was going to have every minute planned out just as any good activities director would. Due to my penchant for planning, I couldn’t just let my guests eat dinner with their own conversation and dinner music as entertainment, so I was going to orchestrate “The Shoe Game.” (The sad part is I over planned my planning and didn't execute the game! At least the band was great!)
I know some brides cringe when they hear “wedding” and “game” together, but it is possible to include a game in your Tampa wedding reception without it being juvenile or cheesy.
During “The Shoe Game” the bride and groom remove their shoes and sit with their backs together. They are asked a series of questions and, without looking at each other, answer by raising that person’s shoe. So if the question is “Who is the better driver?” and the bride wants to say herself she will raise her shoe, if she wants to answer her husband, she’ll raise his shoe.
Since you may be meeting your new spouse’s friends and family for the first time on your wedding day, this is a fun way to “introduce” yourselves to them. If you want a more personalized game, put your bridesmaids or groomsmen in charge of writing the questions since they know the two you best (but let them know not to go too R-rated since Grandma will be in the room). Check out this YouTube video of the wedding Shoe Game in action at Pittsburgh area wedding:
Photo courtesy of Tampa wedding photographer Jason Angelini Photography
Tampa Bay bride Miranda Kuzmicki and her husband Dan was surprised with “The Shoe Game” at their summer Grand Plaza wedding by Tampa wedding DJ Rob Vollmar from Grant Hemond and Associates.
Rob turned off the music and said my husband and I needed to come on the dance floor. He asked us to give each other one of our shoes and explained the game.
Some of the best questions were “Who made the first move?,” which we both said ourselves and the crowd laughed. “Whose family is the craziest?” “Whose friends are the craziest?” “Who made the first move? “Who passes gas the most?” “Who will fall asleep first tonight?”
The most memorable moments were when we answered his friends as the craziest and they went wild cheering on. We both said my family was the craziest and they cheered! It allowed the crowd to have some fun instead of sitting in their chairs watching us dance and listen to speeches all night. It truly made the atmosphere in the ballroom a little more relaxed on a really emotional day. I would tell every bride to use this game.
Do you have any games planned during your wedding reception?
