Common Excuses for Not Going to a Party or Event

It happens to everyone. You get invited to a party or event and you desperately don't want to attend. What to do? You must give an excuse to get out of going to the party. There is an art to creating the right excuse for the occasion. Read on to find out how to get out of going to a party or event.

Sick
One of the most popular ways to get out of something is to claim sickness. As much as one third of people who call in sick to work are not actually sick. When using the sick excuse, make sure to make it believable without going overboard. Claim a contagious illness without giving too many details. Say you are sick and coughing or vomiting, but don't commit to a name of an illness unless you have the paperwork from a doctor visit to back it up. It may be harder to use the illness excuse for a party than it would be for work because often you are invited to a party well before you are expected to attend. You cannot claim illness at the moment of invitation. Wait until the day of the party to call in sick. Be careful, though, this excuse has a habit of manifesting itself in actual illness.

Broke
Another common excuse for missing an event is that you cannot afford it. This is an excuse that has a high likelihood of being true. It can be hard to confess your lack of funds, but if you really want to get out of the party or event, it is best to be truthful about it. This works for an event where there will be a cover charge or travel expense, such as a concert, restaurant, or wedding. The downside of this excuse is that someone may well offer to cover your costs if you claim low funds, and turning that down is hard to do without being rude.

Tired
This is an extension of the sick excuse. If you're too tired to attend the event, you can use it as an excuse. With all excuses, be as truthful as you possibly can. Including elements of truth makes every excuse more valid. The more you have to lie to cover an excuse, the harder it becomes to carry it along. If you are tired, fess up and say it. This isn't a very strong excuse, though, and the party host may easily be able to talk you out of it with promises of coffee and good music. Have another excuse lined up if you think this one won't carry you through.

Don't know anyone
Sometimes you genuinely don't want to go to an event because you are worried you won't know anyone there. Your host can offer to set you up with new friends or possible romantic interests, but if all you can imagine is an awkward night of standing in the corner, you might want to beg out of the invitation. Ask your host if you could spend some time together some other day, instead.

You have plans
This excuse works best if you can arrange to actually have plans. Even if you don't, it is a good excuse to use if you've had an invitation sprung on you at the last moment. "I have to work" is the golden excuse. It works at any event but a family birthday, wedding, or funeral. That said, never use the excuse of a sick relative or funeral if one doesn't exist.


Misha Anatolia is a wedding and bridal shower writer. For more unique bridal shower ideas and other bridal shower information, go to bridal-showers.org If you want more articles, visit our site and click on the Contact Us link.Note: You can reprint this article in your ezine, blog, or website as long as the credits remain intact and hyperlinks remain active and do follow.