How to Get Out of Attending a Wedding
It’s that time of year again, when it seems like all your old, long-lost friends decide to get married. Here are some ideas of how to avoid yet another wedding.
Up next in Wedding Etiquette & Advice (32 videos)
Everything you need to know about engagements, bridal showers, and weddings, whether you're the bride, the groom, or a guest.
You Will Need
- An unwanted wedding invitation
- A good excuse
- The ability to lie
Steps
-
Step 1
Express excitement over the invitation
When your invitation first arrives, be sure to express your excitement. RSVP yes.
-
Trying to get out of the wedding too early could lead to suggestions about how you could get out of your alleged 'conflict.'
-
Step 2
Decline a few weeks prior
Act as if you can’t wait to attend--until a few weeks prior, when you suddenly announce the terrible news that you can’t make it. Be crestfallen.
-
Step 3
Blame work
Consider saying you’ve been called away on an urgent business trip. While this is a fairly common excuse, you will need to keep track of the lie in future conversations with friends and friends of friends.
-
Step 4
Fake a family reunion
If a business trip isn’t plausible, say you’re suddenly being forced to attend a last-minute family reunion. Just make sure no relatives are going to the wedding!
-
Step 5
Play sick
If you need to cancel at the very last minute, claim you’ve contracted a contagious disease. Make it serious but not deadly, like a rare strain of conjunctivitis.
-
Waiting until the last minute means the couple will be stuck paying for your meal, making them very unsympathetic to your fictional illness.
-
Step 6
Send a gift
Whatever excuse you give, be sure to send a gift and an apology note to further pretend like you care. Unless, of course, you want to end the friendship--in which case, ditch the polite routine and blow the whole thing off. You won’t hear from them ever again!
-
Ancient Romans broke a wedding cake over the bride’s head as a symbol of fertility.
