You can hear the guys sigh from a mile away while the jie meis snigger in the corner – all ready for that beautiful torture session that bruise egos all for the sake of winning the bride over. At Knotz, we believe that while it is all in the name of fun, sometimes these little pranks and activities can get a little out of hand. And we really don’t want our groom and his boys to be vomiting on their new shirts, or suffer from a pulled muscle for doing extremely strenuous workouts (because that would really spoil the entire day).
So what can you as jie mei do to make it challenging for the groom and groomsmen, yet not completely humiliating and hazardous to their health? We have some super cool ideas to share with you.
Dec 2022 – we’ve updated this blog post with new ideas for 2023 weddings! We don’t know about you, but we’re getting a little tired of seeing the same old gate crash games year after year – spelling out words with yoga poses, putting makeup, shaking out ping pong balls, the list goes on. Here are our suggestions for interesting and meaningful activities that won’t leave the poor groomsmen questioning their life choices.
Perfect "Proposal"
Give the groom and his groomsmen 10min to come up with a powerpoint proposal deck of why he deserves to marry the bride. Proposal should include:
About Me
Why Choose Me
What I can bring to the table
"Revenue" Forecast (of how well the groom will treat the bride for the years to come)
Decipher the code
This will be the ultimate test for the groom to see if he understand the hardest language in the world - The women's language. Have a series of commonly said phrases and scenarios and test the groom to see how well he responds to them. Sample questions such as:
If you're going out for a boy's night and she says "FINE JUST GO". Do you go?
If she says "I don't want to eat McDonalds", WHAT DO YOU DO?
If she asks "How do I look in this dress? Does it make me look XXXXX?" How do you respond?
The bridesmaids will be the judge to the answers.
Cook off
The wedding day is a long one, it’s important to start it with a hearty breakfast! Instead of feeding the groomsmen all sorts of nasty concoctions, why not get them to prepare breakfast? Challenge the groom to prepare a dish in 30min with his groomsmen acting as the sous chef and kitchen assistants. If you’re feeling nasty, or if you know at least one of them is a competent home cook, you can step up the challenge by increasing the number of portions or dishes.
In the old days, Peranakan families used to assess the bride’s worthiness by how well she could use the mortar and pestle to prepare spice pastes. Flip the script in 2023 by getting the groom to pound spices for a quick and simple fish curry, or put a modern twist on it by preparing pesto to go with pasta or bread!
The meal needs to not only taste good, but the presentation must also be on point. Jie Meis will be the judges for the meal. Fun tip! Prepare cute and funny aprons for them! It protects their shirts and can also look pretty entertaining on camera.
How to prepare:
Research recipes online that can be completed in 30min. Think cupcakes and muffins to feed the whole bridal party, or pancakes, french toast, maybe a full English breakfast with bacon and eggs.
Prepare and shop for ingredients
If you’re nice, measure out the ingredients required for fast and easy cooking
If you’re not so nice, have the groomsmen do the chopping and cutting of ingredients
Paint my love
Unleash the artistic side of the groom and his groomsmen! Give them a canvas and paints, and 10 minutes to do a painting of the blushing bride. But here’s the twist – it has to be based off their own memory! It will be interesting to see what are some of the things they remember about the bride. Is it the bright smile, or big eyes? Who knows?
How to prepare:
Prepare canvas, paintbrushes, and paint
Set up on the morning of the wedding
Alternatively, get them to paint the bride’s favourite animal, favourite objects, or favourite holiday destination. The results may turn out hilarious and unexpected!
How well do you know your bride
This is a classic gatecrashing activity. It shows how much the groom understands the bride. The classic way would be a 10 question quiz which the groom will need to answer and get at least 8/10 correct before proceeding to the next activity.
Question example:
When did you first meet the bride?
Where did you bring her to on your first anniversary?
What was the first gift she bought for you?
When is your anniversary date (trick question – it’ll be the day of the wedding!)
What is her favourite food?
What is her favourite colour?
What is her favourite hobby/pastime?
When was the first time you held her hand?
How tall is the bride?
Which household chore does she like the least?
10 reasons why
Another classic. Give the groom 2 min to state 10 legitimate reasons why he loves the bride. Groomsmen are allowed to help share ideas. Answers that seem superficial like “Because she’s pretty” will not be accepted. Remember, it has to come from the heart.
Write a poem
Unleash the inner Shakespeare by giving groom and groomsmen 10min to write a love poem. It can be as simple as “roses are red, violets are blue” or a complex one that is completely original. Here’s a twist to make it even more challenging: Prepare keywords that represents the bride for the groom and groomsmen to incorporate into the poem.
Start a band/Play an instrument
This will be a fun one! Instead of having to just sing a love song, give the groom and his buds that once in a lifetime chance to start a band! It can be an acapella boy band or a rock band with instruments. Not to worry about the instruments though, you can always grab anything around the house to make some noise!
Things to prepare:
Research on a love song you’d like them to sing
Prepare “musical instruments”. This can be pots and pans around the house, or plastic toy trumpet and recorder from your nephew’s toy stash.
Give the groom and groomsmen 10min to plan and prepare the song before their final performance.
Change the lyrics
Another music related activity! This time, groom and groomsmen will have to change the lyrics of a song and make it into an original for the bride. Groom and groomsmen will have 5min to select an appropriate song, 10min to change the lyrics, and another 10min to perform. The song does not have to be complete. Just the first verse and the chorus will suffice.
Lip sync battle
Arguably one of the most watched performances on Jimmy Fallon. Challenge your groom and groomsmen to a lip sync battle where jie meis will have to pick a song for the boys to lip sync and dance to. Give the boys 15min to prepare and perform.
Here are some suggestions:
I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
Don’t Stop Believin by Journey
Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen
When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge
My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
My Girl by The Temptations
If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
Ain’t No Other Man by Christina Aguilera
Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen
A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton
Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, Pink
I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys
Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj
I Swear by All-4-One
I’ll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men
She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars
Wannabe by Spice Girls
Thinking out loud by Ed Sheeran
Do I look fat in this dress?
Groom will have to guess which clothes belong to his bride. This would test his knowledge on her fashion style, as well as how observant he has been over the last few years.
How to prepare:
Have all the jie meis prepare 1-2 sets of clothes (up to 5, and loose fitting if possible), It can be as harmless as a blouse, or as raunchy as lingerie. Your choice.
Prepare 5-10 outfits from the bride’s wardrobe
Present the 2 outfits (one from the bride, the other from a jie mei) for the groom and groomsmen to choose
If the answer is wrong, they will have to put on the outfit.
Flower arrangement
Possibly the most heartfelt and loving activity, have the groom design and put together a bouquet of flowers for the bride. This could be the last activity of the day. The flowers can be used as the actual bouquet for the wedding, or tossed to the next lucky bridesmaid.
How to prepare:
Buy fresh flowers (4-5 varieties, mixture of small, large, and filler flowers)
Buy wrapping paper and twine
Do you have more gatecrashing game ideas? Let us know in the comment box below!