In desperate need of some suggestions!?

I am planning my engagement party. does anyone have any ideas for games or giveaways? it is to b held the end of july at a lake. we have a pavillion reserved and will just have a cookout w/ hamburgers hot dogs chips sausage potatoe salad etc. i want cheap and simple but nice. well have a boat and theres swimming and playareas and sand. Now I am going to provide ice water lemonade and iced tea is it wrong to tell guests if they want soda to bring their own? its just it is expensive and some ppl r hoggish about it. i will provide a cooler w/ ice for their soda but i am recommending they mark their names on it. is this cheap or wrong for me to do? also, would it b lame if i decorated the tables w/ baskets w/ fresh cut wild flowers and deep candle holders w/ tea candles (so they wont blow out for when it gets close evening). what do u think about have 50/50's or chinese auctions. we just 2wnat to have a fun time. open to all suggestions! thnks!

In desperate need of some suggestions!?
The drink plan is fine, in fact, on the invitation you should list what will be provided and suggest that guests are welcome to bring anything else they may prefer to drink or eat. No need to provide for their soda, people will bring a cooler if they are planning on cold drinks if you word it this way. Doing it this way though, if you object to alcohol, or it isn't allowed at the park, then you need to be sure and note "No alcoholic beverages, please!"



For the tables, get those cheapo plastic tablecloths in pretty colors at the dollar store and bring along duct tape to fasten the ends to the underside of tables. Public tables tend to collect icky stuff including bird droppings!! Yuck ! Place a beach towel catty whompus (diagonally) across the cheap table cover and you have a very pretty, fun table cover. Add a couple folded hand towels for hot dishes or drippy wet pitchers and you are good to go! For centerpieces, I would recommend to NOT use real flowers because they will attract unwanted picnic guests like bees. Instead, pick up some clear glassware at this same dollar store (I don't know what I did for parties before the dollar store, lol) , at the lake, fill with water and then add a couple of "feeder" goldfish to each. At the end of the party, have a drawing for who gets to take them home. Make sure you put some gallon or quart size ziplocs in your party bag for them to be taken home in! Leftovers or unwanted fish can be let loose in the lake. Feeder goldfish are 10 cents a piece at pet stores (these are the little fish like we've all seen at fairs and used elsewhere as food for other critters! that is why they are cheap) and walmart where I live. Also, it fits right in with your nature, lake, picnic theme and it's a giveaway event! For another game, pass around brown or white paper lunch bags. Group your guests with a small pile of crayons or markers per every 4-6 and ask each group to decorate one bag based on any theme they want. Give them 10 minutes to do this. Then take turns guessing what theme each group was trying to present. This can get really funny if your guests have a sense of humor. Give a small prize each to the winning group. I usually have a box or basket full of dollar store prizes (candles, bath salts, books, candy-just not chocolate cuz will melt outside, frames, whatever appeals to you) and let each winner choose one. Group your guests in small groups again and give each a piece of paper and pencil and have them write down the titles to as many songs as they can think of that have the word LOVE in their title. Give them 5 minutes. The reason for playing games in groups is that people have more fun, it's a great ice-breaker for people who haven't met, and no one ends up feeling left out or dumb. Once again, have them read their answers and bring out the gift basket for the winners. If your attendees are really fun loving, have a sand castle building contest, by group, lol, once again. Use your games and activities as a way to transition from one period to another, like, arrival fill out a paper slip for the fish drawing, assemble to build castle in sand to get to the swimming, after swimming, to reconnect as a whole, use the bag game, grill and eat, then on to love songs for after dinner fun. Meanwhile, those bags they decorated? You have a pal fill them 1/3 with sand (when game is over, of course), then put one of those dollar store candles in a tin or jar down into the sand up almost to the rim and place around the tables. The bags keep them lit by blocking the wind and the sand and sinking keeps the bag from burning. Your guests designs will create a pretty glow as dark falls, especially if you used crayons and not markers.



If you notice the guy party goers getting all, well, whatever guys get, lol, about the games, have your fiance lead them in a rock skipping contest or get them in the water as teams (you know, one on the others shoulders) and let them wear off some manliness, lol. The kids and ladies can watch and vote on winners for, best approach, best form, best trickery, best fall, etc......! I leave the kids out of playing the actual game because experience has taught me that inevitably a child gets an ouchie, or insulted, or feels picked on and then has a little fit, then the mommies or daddies get upset and so on, and it ruins the atmosphere of your party. The men on the other hand won't whine about ouchies becuz it isn't macho. Or they'll get extra female attention and still be happy, lol. Ladies are left out for the same reason as kids, sorry, lol, and becuz that ripped off bikini top can be a bit embarassing around the kids!



One last idea which I use at every single party that includes kids, is the clean up game. Whichever kid collects the most trash for each trash bag, gets a prize. Just assign 3-4 teens to hold trash bags and estimate how much each child has brought in. It's the same theory as caught being good. The kids love it because they know they are getting a prize and it is competitive. Obviously, teenagers will opt out, but then, that is why they get to be the bag holders-and bag holders get prizes too!!



Congratulations on your engagement and I hope your party is a blast !!
Reply:I do not think it is wrong to ask the guests to bring their own soda, from the sound of it, it sounds like you guys are paying for everything!



Water balloon fights are always fun, cools everyone off!



A volleyball contest would be excellent!



Who has the funkiest kite would be really cool!



Have races or contests for the kids, like a hoollahoop contest for the girls and a three legged race for the boys, and a potatoe sac contest for everyone!



If someone has a caryokie (sp) machine, have everyone sing along!



I hope this gives you some ideas!
Reply:first of all think PRACTICAL!



i would check the internet for fun games. personal items such as manicure sets, shaving kits, cds, dvds, novels, candles, fragrance sets are great prizes. a grand prize of all those items would be nice as well. 50/50 raffles are always a hit.



since this is an outdoor affair, sodas are not a good idea anyway, nor are they a thirst quencher! u have the right idea going with the water. so dont even mention the sodas or the coolers. but make sure there is more than enough of the beverages you will provide. that goes for the food too. the last thing you want you guests to say is, "it was a nice party but they didnt have enough..."



the flowers and baskets sound nice as well. and i would get lots of tea candles just because they do go out so fast. the deep candle holders are practical too. but dont light the candles until the sun starts to set. and i would have several of those long handheld lighters so you and a couple of volunteers could light the candles when it is time to do so.



it all sounds very nice to me. and nothing sounds cheap or lame at all. hope you have fun!
Reply:. Fresh cut flowers on the tables may attract lots of little bugs, near food, which you'll want to avoid.



. You also may want to just get some cheap pop (depending on how many people there are it shouldn't be any more expensive then the ice tea? --Just don't buy as much but it will still give room for people to have options).



. Beach volleyball would be fun on the sand.