Bridal bingo is a bingo game that is played at bridal showers. It is played in the USA far more than it is in the UK, but the game is catching on over here and it is therefore worth looking at if you happen to know someone who getting married in the near future.

Bridal bingo cards are based on 75 ball pattern bingo cards, but they tend to be quite a bit bigger. Each card shows a five by five grid with the centre square being marked as a “Free Square”. The five columns are headed B-R-I-D-E instead of B-I-N-G-O, and words related to weddings (aisle, cake, ring, bridesmaid, etc.) appear in each square instead of numbers.

The hostess of the bridal shower picks words at random from a bag (or reads them from a randomly generated list if the game is bought online) and players mark of the word if it appears on their card. The winner is the first player to mark a complete line vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

If the idea of playing a game of bridal bingo sounds a bit too saccharin for you, an alternative is to take the bridal shower to an online or offline bingo club instead. Before playing, consider making an agreement that all winnings will be shared equally between each of you, as this will make the evening more of a celebration (as it should be) than anything at all competitive.

Should you decide to visit a regular bingo club, be sure to tell the management that you are a wedding shower party. Some clubs will treat you to a bottle of wine or – if you’re lucky and regular players – a bottle of champagne. The bride to be might also get a mention over the PA system and a round of applause, making the evening memorable even if none of you are lucky enough to win the bridal bingo game itself.

30th April 2008