Mrs. Gummi Bear, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 25, Japanese Importer/Illustrator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Game Developer/Programmer
Engagement Date: April 15, 2006
Wedding Date: October 13, 2007
Blogging Since: June 19, 2007
Venue: Organic farm an hour from San Francisco
About Me: I live for anthropologie, design blogs, sweets, japanese zakka, and vintage goods. We just bought our first home together and live with our two puppies and cat - it's a strange mixture of vintage, high-tech (we have 7 computers and 21 video game systems in all), and a whole lot of fur. Our wedding tries to embody the Japanese idea of "slow life", which is truly taking the time to enjoy food, company, and your environment!
Games Games GAMES!
October 2nd, 2007 @ 9:32 am by Mrs. Gummi Bear
As I mentioned before, Mr. GB and I decided to avoid dancing altogether and go with have a picnic style lounge area and games. We’re recommending to all our friends and family to bring their handheld games. Since Mr. GB worked in the industry and I, for some reason, only know dorks and even more game industry folk, we’re expecting some serious wireless gaming. Bring your spare batteries people, we don’t want any dying systems and a “well, I totally woulda won…” bullshit. Just bring it. Bring it HARD.
For our guests who aren’t bringing their own gaming hardware because they suck… or are not game saavy and want to be turned onto the world of wireless gaming, the new fangled pong machines, or the glory that is loco roco…. we have extras. This is really just a symbol of what consumer whores we are, how easily suckered we are by the marketing term “limited edition” and how much pink is integrated into our lives.
Ok, fine, if they really are unable to get into the idea of beeps and boops and lights on a screen, then we are having other more analog options:
We’ve got croquet, lawn bowling, and badminton… and for board games we picked up Cranium, Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Set, Chess, Checkers, Uno, Scattergories, and you know, some cards. I plan on thoroughly destroying Mr. GB in Scrabble like I always do, further ruining his manly image in front of all his family and friends. I like to set a good tone for our future together by beating him in all games.
Are there any game essentials we’re missing?
43 Responses to “Games Games GAMES!”
Catch Phrase is always so much fun! A group of about 6 people is the perfect size, but it works with huge groups too!
I HEART you and your posts. Not in a creepy, I know where you live way and I know what you had for breakfast this morning…. I just wish we had gone through with what we had wanted to do for our wedding originally, which was somewhat similar to your plans. Can’t wait for pics
And by the way, your home is beautiful. Jealous, jealous I be…
If you like “Apples to Apples” and “Scattegories,” get “Wise and Otherwise”! Along those lines is the game “Malarky.”
Taboo is fun with a group.
I think Balderdash is really fun, especially for a group of friends that likes to bullsh*t each other, like mine
boggle!!! a new fave… less effort than scrabble but just as competitive.
oh miss gb, your wedding sounds like loads of fun. i had to stop myself a few months ago from buying a pink nintendo ds… i think i only really wanted it because it was pink.
What? No Twister? Great for photos.
http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/twister/
I also second the Boggle suggestion.
not another suggestion for a game… but incredibly jealous of your Pikachu yellow DS
Another vote for Taboo! I love that game, and it’s really easy to understand the rules even if you’ve never played before.
What about Trivial Pursuit?
Damn you, I’m so jealous. Mr. P, who loves to sit around playing Mario Kart, WoW, Guitar Hero, etc. and is otherwise a gaming whore is still, in other ways, a traditionalist and is doubtful about even letting me set up a Monopoly station at our Monopoly-themed wedding. He blows.
Where did you get the carpet that is in all of your pictures? I love it!
Lol….it seems like you guys have it covered. You guys have like a gazillion handhelds…:)
I second Balderdash!
Where did you get the yellow DS??
I’m a big fan of Cranium, myself. Or maybe in addition to handheld games, you could have some more group-friendly games, such as Wii Sports or Guitar Hero?
Awesome idea for a wedding, btw!
Ohmigawd I love my PSP!! I finally just got Toast so I can download shows from my Tivo. So I’ll be the dork with the giant noise-cancelling headphones watching Bridezillas on BART. =)
I love your posts! they are so fun and creative and funny- and I can’t wait to see pics from the wedding. It all sounds too cool for school.
Plus I want to live in your kitchen, gorgeous and sweet!
What about a game of cornhole (bean bag toss). Totally addicting and all ages can play!
We just found Curses. Very fun. Highly recommend it and it’s appropriate for all ages.
I cannot show my FI this post. He’ll want to set his own game area at the wedding and I want people to dance. Maybe for the RD…
Great idea!
Ladder Golf, Bocce, depending on how active your guest want to get I’d have a football, soccer ball, and volleyball out.
Mancala, Dominoes, Cribbage, Poker tournament, horse shoes
I love the game idea. Are you carrying it out throughout your entire ceremony?
TWISTER!
and cranium is hilarious with a big group of people!
I love it–we play lots o games at our house.
If you are going to have dominoes, Mexican Trains is fun and very easy and good for groups–we have a set of dominoes and some weird rubbery aliens instead of actual trains. Also, I vote for Outburst, or Pictionary as well.
chutes and ladders, candyland, sorry
This is such a cool idea! I visited your other post for the first time and that left me drooling. Any chance you want to invite a complete stranger from Washington?
The picnic baskets are great! Are you going to have the food/dessert in them or are people going to choose their goodies from a buffet of picnic edibles?
Games: I love, love, love Aggrivation. It’s an easy to learn marble race game that brings out the competitor in me.
Card games…I’d have to go with cribbage. Big-time cribbage fan here.
No Pictionary?
What, no Slingbox? Just kidding. I love this idea SO much, that I might steal the board game idea and make that a part of the “hometown” reception we’re having at my parent’s place for relatives and family friends. No one drinks nor would they want to dance so that is an AMAZING idea.
Could also add the old classic, Taboo . . .
another vote for taboo! my friends and i play that all the time and spend most of the time lying on the floor dying from laughter. that and randomly buzzing each other between turns.
i also like the cranium pop 5 edition. and the bf recently turned me onto pickle in a jar where you have to convince other people if something can fit into something else. weird but you should have seen the arguments that came up as we tried to rationalize whether or not you could fit a fridge in a couch.
What a fun idea!
How about Jenga? A friend used to have a set, and at her parties everyone would inevitably pull it out and play Jenga all night. It’s easy enough for kids, especially fun for drunks, and overall kind of addicting!
PUERTO RICO, just trust me on this one Miss GB, get Puerto Rico
I was going to suggest Mexican train dominoes too. My husband and I are very competitive too and have to beat each other at every games. Sometimes he’s surprised and amused at how ‘competitive’ I get and have to just completely obliterate, destroy him into a pool of jello, or at least try. Why play if not to win, right? 
I drool at all your game collection. We are finally caving in and buying a game console after years of behaving ourselves to save money. Ditto on other readers that I just HEART everything about you! I’ll try not to be a stalker.
p.s. For someone who asked about her rug, it’s from Anthropologie. And I know this not because I’m a stalker, but because I was drooling at the same rug when they first came out. I have love/hate relationship with Anthropologie.
Don’t forget the monopoly!
Jenga, Tamboo, and CLUE!! I love my DS. Hmm, maybe I should have a NDS party one of these days for fun…
what about a scavenger hunt, or something the whole group can play before scampering and doing their own thing?
Definitely Taboo and Pictionary! They are so friggin fun!
Oh gosh, that sounds so excited, I want to come!! Phase 10 is also pretty sweet.
Oh, and you might want to assign someone to make sure all of the peices get put back where they belong. Especially with the little stuff that gets lost so easily.
Question…are these games going home with guests at the end of the night or are they going to be part of the bride and groom’s game collection (with guests just breaking them in for you)?
Just because it’s your wedding- I vote for the game of life!
I forget whether you were having kids at the wedding — maybe add some super kid-friendly easy games/toys, maybe even just balls they can kick around, maybe wiffle ball?
Q&A time! 
Games: I think Taboo defnitely won out, possibly Twister for photo opportunities.. and I’m thinking of getting some traditional Korean games for my family. We want to push them to play!!! I wanted Jenga, but the grass lawn is too uneven I think. 
They are coming home with us, I think, unless someone desperately wants one!
the yellow DS: It’s the pikachu edition from Japan! If you want to know where to get it, you can find it on ebay or import sites for a lot of money, or you can try and win it on auctions in Japan.
the ruuuuug: Anthropologie! It’s the Coqo floral rug - I pushed for the ditte sofa, but I think it’s too tall for our room.
Picnic baskets: We’re filling them with some of the lap blankets for modesty, some snacks, and some of the smaller games. I figure the large games will be stacked in a basket for people’s choosing.
If I missed anything and people want to know, just give me an email message. Last couple weeks, so I am everywhere at once and want to be more responsive than I can be!
liar’s dice!
if it were my family, we’d totally have to do Mah-jong. Although it would probably take hours to pry them away… once we start it’s all night long!
oOOOOo…I was about to write traditional Korean game and I read your Q/A post. What about a game of Yut or Yoot (sp?)? It’s simple (my non Korean husband plays) and super fun imo. It can be as short and as long you want it to be.
