There are many party games which are great at a wedding shower party, but few of them are as lively or as raucous as the game known as For Sale. When you and your guests play For Sale, you create jokes and hilarious turns of phrase which will stick in your memories and make you laugh for months to come. The rules are easily learned, and the game is appropriate for all ages, although it can be as racy as your participants want to make it. The game requires no preparation in advance, and there are no expensive supplies needed to play. All you need is paper, writing instruments, and some guests who are ready to have a lot of fun. Given these facts, it is little wonder that so many wedding shower hosts decide to play For Sale at their parties!
The basic premise of For Sale is similar to the well-known game of Mad Libs. To begin the game, pass out pieces of paper and a pen or pencil to each player. Then, don't tell them anything about the rules except that they need to make up and write a classified ad as though they were selling something that they own. This object can be anything from a toy to an old microwave oven to a car to a spatula or anything else under the sun. The only rule in selecting an object is that it cannot be a living thing, but instead must be an inanimate object.
Once everybody has silently selected their object, it is time to start the game in earnest. Have each person write a classified ad as though they were selling their object. Encourage your guests to be very specific in their descriptions, because the more specific each description is the more fun the game will end up being. As an example, let's say that one of your guests writes an advertisement featuring a board game for sale. Rather than just saying "one board game for sale" the advertisement should include as many facts as possible, such as "the board game for sale is missing one small piece" and "the board game is in a bright green box." Each guest should write a classified advertisement which is about a paragraph in length.
Once everybody has written their advertisement, it is time to let your guests in on the surprise twist of the game which makes for all of the fun. Each guest should take a turn reading their classified advertisement aloud, but instead of saying the name of the object that they are selling, they should replace the name of the object with the Bride or Groom's name! This means that the example description for a board game for sale which was written as "the board game for sale is in a bright green box" should be read aloud as "John Doe is in a bright green box" or "Jane Doe is in a bright green box" instead. This will make for a lot of hilarious, absurd phrases which will tickle the fancy of all of your guests.
The For Sale game is a wedding shower classic which is fun and inexpensive. It can be a great icebreaker at the beginning of a party as it will get all of your guests laughing and talking.
When you play For Sale, even shy guests won't be able to resist joining in the fun and merriment. Because For Sale is so easy to get going, it can also make for a great spontaneous mid-party game if things hit a lull.