It's no secret that wedding traditions vary widely across the world - for example, in Germany, games are a key element of the wedding reception, as they help guests get to know each other better. In Ireland, we don't need much help getting acquainted - a few pints in and we're all best friends - but we are quite partial to a round of wedding speech bingo!

This beloved wedding table game works like this: couples issue their guests with specially-made bingo cards, featuring phrases and clichés from the wonderfully weird world of wedding speeches, and the first person to complete a full line wins a prize!

To help you, we've created a free download of printable bingo cards, plus a handy step-by-step guide. You can even use the cards to make a table drinking game (if you don't mind your guests getting extra tipsy during the speeches, of course!)

Image by Paul McGinty Photography via One Fab Day

How to Play Wedding Speech Bingo

Step 1: Download the .pdf below. It contains 16 wedding speech bingo cards in total, each with a different combination of phrases and clichés. Print the document off as many times as is necessary for your number of guests.

Step 2. Place one card at each place setting, and a pen or counters. This should be done before dinner to provide a talking point for guests who don't know each other.

Step 3: Arrange prizes for your winners. These can be joke prizes, or even a bottle of champagne or round of drinks for the table.

Step 4: Set the rules. You may decide to give a prize to the first person to complete a vertical line, the first person to complete a horizontal line, or both!

Step 5: Ask the first speech-giver to explain how it's going to work. They should tell guests;

• To keep their eyes and ears peeled for any of the phrases or clichés on their card
• To mark off each one as it happens
• To shout "Bingo!" when they complete a vertical or horizontal line, depending on the rule you've set.

How to Play a Wedding Speech Drinking Game

To turn wedding speech bingo into a drinking game, simply complete Steps 1 and 2, and for Step 4, ask the speech-giver to explain the following rule: every time a phrase or cliché from your card appears in the speeches, drink!

Image by Claire Brown via One Fab Day

Designing your Own Wedding Speech Bingo?

You may prefer your stationer to design bespoke Wedding Speech Bingo cards to fit in with your themes and colour palettes for the big day. Or you may have your heart set on a spot of DIY. No problem! We've printed our favourite wedding speech phrases and clichés below for you to use. Just remember to use them in different combinations to make the game more competitive!

• A reference to the hen night or stag 'do
• A shady comment about an ex
• Accidental innuendo
• Intentional innuendo
• A guest heckles
• The speechgiver is unable to read their own writing
• You're crying
• The speech-giver is crying
• A joke falls completely flat
• A famous quote
• Marriage advice for the newlyweds
• Admission of nerves
• A reference to how gorgeous someone looks
• A how-we-met story
• Celebrity namedrop
• Wine spillage
• Rhyming verse
• Someone explains why their joke is funny
• Use of a prop
• A child under five has a meltdown
• Someone bursts into song
• Pop culture reference
• "Thank you"
• "I'm going to keep this short"
• Cringeworthy childhood story

Image by Sheena T Photography via One Fab Day

Download your Free Wedding Speech Bingo Here!

Please note that this free printable is copyright of One Fab Day and not for commercial use.

DIY Wedding Speech Bingo Download

Looking for a stationer to create gorgeous paper goods for your wedding? Check out our favourite stationers here!