Wedding fortune tellers: how to make one
Turn the paper fortune teller from school into a wedding game, with photo challenges, dares and advice for the couple. Folding steps and a free template.
By Lou, founder of Make Our Memories · Updated 2026-10-24
The short answer
- A paper fortune teller (some people call it a cootie catcher) is a square of paper folded so it opens four ways.
- Guests pick a word, then a number, then lift a flap to find their task.
- Inside, write 8 things: photo challenges, small dares, or questions for the couple.
- You need one square of paper per table. Our free template prints the words in the right places, so you only fold.
How to make a paper fortune teller
You need a square of paper. From A4, fold one top corner down to the opposite edge to make a triangle, cut off the strip below it, and open it out. Thin paper (80 to 100gsm) folds best. If you're using our template, print it, cut along the solid line, and lay it print side down. The dashed lines show every fold.
- Crease the centre. Fold the square in half corner to corner, both ways, and unfold. You now have an X through the middle.
- Fold the corners in. Fold all four corners into the centre point, where the X crosses. You have a smaller square.
- Turn it over. The flat side is now facing you.
- Fold the corners in again. Fold the four new corners into the centre. You have an even smaller square with 8 triangles on this side.
- Write the inside. Number the 8 triangles 1 to 8. Lift each triangle and write one task underneath. Skip this step with the template: it's already printed.
- Fold it in half. Fold the square in half to make a rectangle, with the numbers inside, then unfold and fold in half the other way.
- Write the outside. Turn it over. The 4 square flaps on this side each get a colour or a word (Bride, Groom, Cake, Bar).
- Pop it open. Slide your thumbs and first fingers under the 4 outside flaps and push them together into a point. Pinch and open it one way, then the other.
How to play. A guest picks one of the outside words. Spell it out, opening and closing the fortune teller once per letter. They pick one of the numbers they can see, and you count it out the same way. Then they pick a number again, you lift that flap, and they have to do what it says.
What to write inside
Each fortune teller holds 8 tasks. Pick one theme per table, or mix them. Keep each to one short line so it fits under a flap.
Photo challenges
- A selfie with someone you met today
- Your whole table, mid-laugh
- The cake before anyone cuts it
- Your shoes on the dance floor
- The guest who travelled furthest
- Recreate the couple's engagement photo
- A toast, glasses raised
- The couple, when they're not looking
Small dares
- Ask the DJ for the couple's song
- Teach someone at the next table your best dance move
- Find someone with the same birthday month
- Get a high five from the best man or maid of honour
- Learn the name of everyone on your table
- Do your best impression of the couple's first dance
- Start a round of applause for the caterers
- Swap seats with someone for one course
Questions about the couple
- Where did they meet?
- Who said "I love you" first?
- Who's the better cook?
- What was their first date?
- Who takes longer to get ready?
- Where did the proposal happen?
- Who's more likely to cry today?
- What's the name of their first pet together?
Advice for the newlyweds
Leave the flaps blank with a prompt ("Your best advice for year one", "A song for their kitchen disco", "Where they should go on their first anniversary") and collect the fortune tellers at the end of the night.
Words for the outside flaps: Cake, Bar, Vows, Dance. Or the couple's names and two words from their story, like the venue and the town they met in.
One email a month with new ideas. Send me ideas
Using them on the day
Put one on each table with the place cards, or hand a stack to the ushers. One per table is plenty: it gets passed round.
Stand it next to your photo app QR code. If the tasks are photo challenges, put the fortune teller right beside the QR code on each table. A guest does the challenge, takes the photo, and scans the code to upload it there and then, so it doesn't sit forgotten on their phone. With Make Our Memories, every photo lands on your shared wall.
They work for hen dos and big birthdays too. Swap the questions for ones about the bride or the birthday girl. For more ideas, see our wedding table games.