Susanne & Evan's wedding puzzle
Weddings can be a tricky place for a game because they're so tightly scheduled, and it can be difficult to wrangle the attention of attendees who are busy eating, drinking, and catching up with old friends. But I had assurances from the bride and groom that this crowd of friends and family loved games and were up for the challenge. Together, we came up with a fun backstory about their beloved dog, who would sadly be missing from the festivities, and who designed a mini escape room for her beloved humans.
At the start of dinner, every table was given a box with a combo lock and a note from the dog, which introduced the story.
The torn pieces were logos of board games and snacks. Teams had to ID the logos, then take the first letters in order. Together they spelled ASK FOR A DOGGY BAG. When teams made that request to their water, they were given a McDonald's to-go bag containing a box of medium “fries”. (The bride works at McDonald's HQ so this was a joke that everyone got immediately.)
On each fry from the “doggy bag” was a nonsense phrase that contained a dog breed hidden inside of it — with an extra letter. (e.g. SWAMP NOODLE = POODLE + N.) In addition, on each fry was a symbol that matched a symbol on the inside of the fry box, giving teams the order for their extra letters.
Taken in order, these letters spelled GET A GREYHOUND — which is both a dog breed and a cocktail. When they asked the bartender for a Greyhound, teams were given a blacklight. Teams had to then figure out what to use it on. The answer was their table cards — each one had been inked with one or two words. Organized the right way, they made this message: HOW MANY FIRE HOUSE DOGS ARE IN MOVIE? Or, organized the wrong way…
That's a clue for those 101 famous Dalmatians, and using that number on the combination lock opened the box with a special prize inside.
I love projects like this, because it allows for experimentation with different physical elements, and building stories that mean a lot to the client — and the players. Also any time I can embed dogs into a puzzle, I'm happy.
Get in touch
Want a game like this for your wedding? I'd love to help. Click this link to get in touch:
