Tie Breakers for Bridal Shower Games and Baby Shower Games

All 67 tie-breakers

Bridal shower 20

How many balloons did the host blow up for today? Count as you go. One that popped still counts.
How many buttons are on the wedding dress? The bride's count is the answer, and zero is a fair one.
How many contacts are saved in the bride's phone? The bride looks it up in her phone when the tie comes up.
How many days ago did the bride choose her dress? The bride finds the date, and the host counts forward to the shower.
How many days ago did the shower invitations go out? Count back on a calendar to the day they were sent.
How many days are left until the wedding? Count them on a calendar the morning of the shower.
How many days has the bride worn her engagement ring? Count on a calendar from the day of the proposal.
How many envelopes did the couple address for the invitations? The bride's count of envelopes mailed, not of people invited.
How many letters are in the couple's two full names, added together? Write both names out and count. Middle names are in, spaces are not.

Show all 67 tie-breakers (58 more)

Bridal shower, continued

How many miles apart did the two of them grow up? Measure between the two home towns on a map.
How many miles is it from this room to the wedding venue? Look up the driving distance on a map before guests arrive.
How many pages of the bride's wedding notebook have writing on them? The bride counts every page she has written on.
How many people have seen the wedding dress so far? The bride counts them, herself and the shop's fitter included.
How many people were invited to this shower? The host's own guest list has the number.
How many pictures has the bride snapped since she woke up today? She counts them in her camera roll when the tie comes up.
How many plates, cups and napkins did the host buy for today, all together? Add up the counts printed on the packs.
How many seconds long is the song for the first dance? The running time printed beside the track, turned into seconds.
How many songs are on the playlist for this shower? Read the total off the playlist before guests arrive.
How many states or countries are the wedding guests traveling from? The bride counts from the guest list. Her own state is one of them.
How many things are on the couple's gift registry? The registry's own total, read the day before the shower.

Baby shower 15

How many alarms are set on the two parents' phones, added together? Each parent opens the clock app and counts every alarm, on or off.
How many books did guests bring today for the baby's library? Count the stack once the gifts are open.
How many buttons and snaps are on the outfit the baby will come home in? A parent counts them on the outfit itself.
How many days have the parents lived in the home the baby is coming to? Count on a calendar from the day they moved in.
How many diapers are in the diaper cake? Count them as the cake is built, before the ribbon goes on.
How many hooks, knobs and handles are in the nursery? A parent counts every door, drawer and wall.
How many letters are in the baby's full name? The parents count. A name that is still secret gives away only a number.
How many miles is it from this room to the baby's nursery? Look up the driving distance to the parents' home on a map.
How many miles will the farthest grandparent travel to meet the baby? Measure on a map from that grandparent's town to the parents' home.
How many minutes is the drive from the parents' home to the nearest grandparent? A map's driving time, looked up before the party.
How many numbered steps are in the crib's instructions? Read the last step number in the booklet.
How many pages are in the thickest picture book on the baby's shelf? A parent counts the pages, covers left out.
How many people are in the family group chat that will hear the news first? A parent opens the chat and reads the member count.
How many sleepsuits are washed and folded for the baby? A parent counts the drawer the night before.
How many wheels are on the baby's gear, counting the stroller and every toy? A parent walks the house and counts before the party.

No preparation 16

How many bags and purses are in the room? Count the ones on chairs, on tables and on the floor.
How many cards came with the gifts? Count the envelopes on the gift table.
How many chairs are in this room? Every seat counts, taken or empty.
How many flowers are in the centerpiece on this table? Count each bloom. Buds and greenery are left out.
How many gifts are on the gift table right now? Count them together once the guesses are in.
How many guests are in this room, counting the host? A head count settles it.
How many guests are wearing something blue? Any blue that shows counts, down to a watch strap.
How many letters are in the first names of everyone at this table, added together? Go round the table and add them up on paper.
How many minutes have passed since the start time on the invitation? Check the invitation against a phone clock.
How many names are signed in the guest book? Count the signatures, not the pages.
How many pens were handed out for the games? Collect them and count.
How many phones are lying out on the tables right now? Count every phone in plain sight, face up or face down.
How many steps is it from this chair to the front door? A neighbor of the tied guests walks it and counts aloud.
How many treats are still on the dessert table? Count whole pieces only.
How many windows and doors does this room have? A double door counts as two.
Without looking at a clock: what time is it, to the minute? The host's phone has the answer. Closest in minutes wins.

Quick play-offs 16

A coin toss, called in the air One tied guest calls heads or tails while the coin is up. A right call wins the prize, a wrong one hands it over.
A spare prize, so both win Keep one small extra prize wrapped. When no play-off suits the moment, each tied guest takes one home.
Draw it with eyes shut Tied guests draw a bouquet or a stroller without looking. The guest of honor picks the winner.
Guess what is in the next gift Tied guests write a guess before it is unwrapped. The guest of honor names the closer one.
Guess which hand The host hides a ring or a pacifier in one fist. Tied guests point together, and a wrong pick is out. If that settles nothing, hide it again.
The guest of honor thinks of a number She writes down a number from 1 to 100. Tied guests guess aloud, and the closest takes the prize.
Longest list of flowers or baby animals Tied guests write until the host calls stop. The longer list wins, and a misspelled name still counts.
Name it in turn: things a baby's room holds Go back and forth, one thing a turn. A repeat or a long pause loses.
Name it in turn: things seen at a wedding One thing each turn, no repeats. The first tied guest to stall is out.
Neatest ribbon bow Each tied guest ties one bow. The guest of honor picks the neatest.
One more question from the game that tied Read a question nobody has seen. The first tied guest with the right answer wins.
Rock paper scissors, best of three Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock. A matching throw is played again.
Spell it right The host reads out a word such as boutonniere or bassinet. Tied guests write it down, and a wrong spelling is out.
Who set out from farthest away this morning? Tied guests name the town they woke up in. The longest trip wins.
Who walked in first today? The tied guest who arrived earlier takes the prize. The host's memory is final.
Whose birthday is nearest the day of the shower? Each tied guest says a month and a day, no year. The nearest date wins.

How this list was compiled: 67 tie-breakers for shower games in 4 groups: 20 closest-guess questions for a bridal shower and 20 for a baby shower (5 fit either and stand in both groups), 16 counts made in the room and 16 quick play-offs. The list was made for this page; nothing was copied from another site. The questions state no facts: each answer is a number the host, the bride or the parents-to-be look up or count, and the line under a question says where it comes from. Two play-offs are traditional games whose rules were read in Wikipedia on 2026-10-12 (text under CC BY-SA 4.0): Rock paper scissors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_paper_scissors) for which shape beats which and for playing a matching throw again, and Coin flipping (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin_flipping) for the call of heads or tails. The other play-offs and the closest-guess rule (the nearest number wins, over or under) are this site's own: one way to settle a tie. No line is about a body, a weight, a due date, the birth, an age, money or what anything cost, and none is a couples or dating question. Each line was compared with every other list on this site, the two over-or-under sheets and the two shower question decks among them, and none repeats one. Licence: own work

How it works

These tie breakers for bridal shower games are closest-guess questions: tied guests each write a number, and the nearest wins. The line under each says where the host finds the answer. The tie breakers for baby shower games ask for numbers the parents-to-be can count.

Read the full guide

Get the answers before the party

One tie breaker for each game with a prize is plenty. Take off the questions that do not fit this couple with ×, press Print this list, and write each answer beside its question. A question the bride settles from her phone can wait for the day.

When two guests tie

Read one question to the tied guests alone. Each writes a number, and they show them together. The nearest wins, over or under; equally near, and you read another. With no answers ready, choose No preparation or Quick play-offs in the box: those are settled in the room.

Say how ties are settled before the first game, so the tie breaker comes as no surprise.
Rock paper scissors and a coin toss settle two guests. For three or more, read a closest-guess question or name things in turn.

Questions and answers

What is a good baby shower game tie breaker?

A closest-guess question about something the parents can count: how many diapers are in the diaper cake, or how many letters are in the baby's full name.

What are fun tie breaker games for a baby shower?

Quick play-offs between the tied guests: name things a baby's room holds in turn, guess which hand hides the pacifier, or draw a stroller with eyes shut. Quick play-offs in the box lists them, each with its rule.

What are tie breaker ideas for bridal shower games?

Ask for a number about this wedding: how many days are left until it, how many buttons are on the dress, how many miles apart the two of them grew up. The closest guess takes the prize.

Is there a tiebreaker for baby shower games that needs no preparation?

Yes: count something in the room. Tied guests guess how many gifts are on the gift table or how many guests are wearing blue, then everyone counts together. No preparation in the box lists these.