The shoe game is one of the few wedding games that almost every guest enjoys watching, because it is really a five-minute story about the two of you, told in shoes. Nobody else has to do anything, and it needs nothing you won't already be wearing. Here's how to run it, and 60 questions to pick from.
How to play the wedding shoe game
- Two chairs, back to back, in the middle of the room or on the dance floor, where everyone can see.
- Each of you takes off one shoe and swaps it with the other, so you each hold one of your own and one of your partner's.
- Someone reads the questions: the MC, the DJ, a best friend or a sibling. Who's the better driver?
- You each raise a shoe, your own for “me”, your partner's for “them”, without looking round.
- The room reacts. When you raise the same shoe, the room cheers; when you don't, it laughs. Either way, the next question.
That's all there is to it. No points, no winner — though plenty of couples have been asked to explain an answer afterwards.
60 wedding shoe game questions
Pick 15 to 20, mostly easy ones from the first groups, and end with one from the last group. Everything is written so it works for any couple.
Who's more likely to…
- …be late to their own wedding?
- …cry during a film?
- …get lost with the map open?
- …forget an anniversary?
- …start a conversation with a stranger?
- …spend too much on holiday?
- …fall asleep first on the sofa?
- …sing in the shower?
- …adopt another pet without asking?
- …win at a board game, and gloat?
- …be the first on the dance floor tonight?
- …order for both of you at a restaurant?
- …lose their phone, while holding it?
- …cry first today?
- …plan the next holiday before this one is over?
Your story
- Who made the first move?
- Who said “I love you” first?
- Who knew first that this was it?
- Who was more nervous on the first date?
- Who picked the first restaurant you went to together?
- Who fell asleep first on your first holiday?
- Who started the first argument?
- Who apologised first?
- Who planned the proposal more carefully?
- Who had the idea for today's venue?
- Who wanted the bigger wedding?
- Who cried at the proposal?
- Who's the bigger romantic?
- Who remembers your first date better?
- Who's more excited about the honeymoon?
Life at home
- Who's the better cook?
- Who does more of the washing up?
- Who takes longer to get ready?
- Who hogs the duvet?
- Who controls the TV remote?
- Who's tidier?
- Who's the better driver?
- Who's the early riser?
- Who's in charge of the money?
- Who's more likely to kill a houseplant?
- Who leaves cupboard doors open?
- Who has more pairs of shoes?
- Who's the better gift-giver?
- Who gets more hangry?
- Who's the boss?
Just for laughs
- Who's the worse dancer?
- Who takes more selfies?
- Who snores louder?
- Who would survive longer in the wild?
- Who has the stranger family?
- Who's more stubborn?
- Who tells the worse jokes?
- Who had the worse haircut when you met?
- Who would win in an argument with the other's mother?
- Who will have more to say in their speech?
To finish on
- Who got the better deal today?
- Who's luckier to have found the other?
- Who will love the other more in fifty years?
- Who will be the first to say “I do” again?
- Who's the love of the other's life?
The last group is meant to end with both of you raising the same shoe, or each raising the other's. It's a lovely moment to finish on.
Tips for a shoe game that lands
- Fifteen to twenty questions. About five minutes. Stop while the room still wants more.
- Choose the reader well. Someone who knows you both and can ad-lib a little when the answers don't match.
- Mostly easy, a few personal, nothing embarrassing. Your grandparents are in the room. If a question needs a warning, leave it out.
- Add three questions only your friends could write. The holiday story, the dog's name, the thing you always argue about. They get the biggest laughs.
- Timing: during dinner, between the main course and dessert, or just before the first dance, when everyone is seated and looking the same way.
- Microphone for the reader, and chairs where the back tables can see.
Variations: Mr & Mrs, the newlywed game and more
- Paddles instead of shoes. Two paddles each, one with each of your faces. Easier to see from the back, and no stockinged feet.
- Let the guests vote first. Before you answer, guests raise their hand for who they think it is. Then you reveal.
- Mr & Mrs. In the UK and Ireland the same game usually takes the name of the old TV quiz, Mr & Mrs — or Mr & Mr, Mrs & Mrs. You hold up paddles or answer on cards instead of shoes, and every question on this page works for it. At a hen or stag do, film one of you answering a week before and pause the video for the other to guess.
- The newlywed game. Instead of raising shoes, you each write your answer on a card; points when they match.
- At the engagement party or the shower. A good warm-up months before the wedding — see engagement party games.
- The anniversary version. Play it again at your tenth, with the same questions. It's surprising how many answers change.
Getting photos of the shoe game
The shoe game happens fast, in front of the whole room, and usually while your photographer is somewhere else. The faces you make when you raise different shoes are worth keeping, and your guests are already holding their phones.
If you're running a photo challenge, add a prompt for it: the shoe game, the moment they disagree. Guests scan the QR code on their table, take the photo and it lands in your gallery with everyone else's. To be clear about what this is: the shoe game is about the two of you, and a photo challenge is about your guests. They just go together very well.
Looking for more? See 25 wedding games for guests.
Frequently asked questions
What is the wedding shoe game?
A game for the couple: they sit back to back, each holding one of their own shoes and one of their partner's, and raise a shoe to answer questions like “who's the better cook?”. Guests watch and react when the answers match, or don't.
How many questions should the shoe game have?
Fifteen to twenty, which takes about five minutes. Mostly easy, a few personal, and one sweet question to finish on.
When do you play the shoe game at a wedding?
When everyone is seated and facing the same way: during dinner between courses, or just before the first dance. Avoid the middle of the dancing, when half the room has gone to the bar.
Who asks the shoe game questions?
Usually the MC or the DJ, or a best friend or sibling who knows the couple well and can add a line when the answers don't match.
What happens if the couple raise different shoes?
The room laughs, and the reader moves on to the next question. There are no points to lose: different answers are what makes the game fun to watch.
Does the shoe game work for every couple?
Yes. The questions on this page are written for any couple, whether you call it the shoe game, Mr & Mrs, Mr & Mr or Mrs & Mrs, and all you need is a shoe each. Paddles with your faces on them are an easy swap if you'd rather keep your shoes on.
Get photos of the shoe game, and everything else
A photo challenge gives every guest a small photo mission and sends every shot to one gallery. The test run is free for up to 5 prompts.
Create my photo challenge