Wedding Coming Up Need Excuses

[ISolemnlySwearImUptoNoGood]

Ok so we've decided to keep this pregnancy a secret for as long as we can. I'm only 5+4 but it's already becoming really difficult not to tell people especially my mum who we spend a lot of time with.

We have a very good friends wedding coming up, we are day and evening guests so I will be expected to be drinking, there will obviously be table wine and reception drinks. I'm already dreading it I don't drive so can't use that as an excuse and I don't want to go down the antibiotics route, I think it's a pretty obvious excuse and everyone will guess.

Please help me come up with a good excuse for me not drinking.

Stomach bug that makes you puke when you drink?

Just nurse your champagne and get OH to discreetly finish your drinks and then have mixers.

Being hungover from the night before is often a good one!

I went to my cousin's wedding at around 9-10 weeks which was a whole weekend with all drinks provided. I picked up a glass of bubbly and just carried it with me everywhere. No one noticed I hadn't actually taken a sip. Occasionally I swapped it with DP when he had half a glass or less left. At dinner we filled our glasses with red wine and again I just didn't drink any of it. DP kept his glass on the 'wrong' side of his plate so he could easily pick mine up now and again instead so it looked like both were going down. In the evening I drank tonic water with ice and a slice so it looked like a g&t. We managed the whole weekend like that and no one realised.

If someone does comment that you're drinking slowly, a water infection is a handy excuse that doesn't invite further questioning - also explains frequent loo trips!

Congrats to you! It's so hard those first few months and they seem to really drag! I had loads of hen dos in that time and found that if you just have a glass of wine in your hand or in front of you no one notices! If you can have a few sips every now and again and get your husband to discreetly swap drinks with you that will help. or say you fancy a drink from the bar and just get tonic. My friends are all drinkers and I was surprised how it easy it was! I agree the antibiotics line isn't easy and gets people suspicious! Good luck and all the best with your pregnancy.

Diet? Just go to the bar instead for Gin and tonic but just get the tonic

On a health kick? Or tell them you're trying to cut down on sugar due to persistent thrush, that should stop any more questions!

Yep vodka and coke /coke from the bar!

Weddings are quite easy. Get dh to get you mixer with lemon and ice every time he goes to the bar even though you'll be asking for vodka and coke (or whatever).

happily accept the alcohol but just don't drink it (fake sipping it). in fact, if wine is on the table, be the one to do the pouring. subtly swap glasses with dh during the meal so it looks like you're drinking.
Make sure you have table water too so you can sip from that. You only have to pull tricks for a while as once everyone else starts to get tipsy, they wont really notice what you're doing.

Do lots of mingling too. The best way to not drink a drink is to leave it on another table.

I've got all this down to a fine art now, as I just don't like to drink. Its easier to fake it than succumb to the peer pressure. People often comment how I never get hangovers .

Just as a tip, I drink ginger beer (with pretend vodka in it). When I was pregnant, it was great for all day morning sickness. Also, it when it does have vodka in it, its hard to tell as the ginger is so strong. People have tasted my 'vodka' and ginger and not picked up that it doesn't have any alcohol in it.

Allergy testing? Bit complicated but you could say you had a bad reaction to something wine-related (not just a hangover!) and have been told by doctors to stay off wine/gin/normal drink of choice until they've ruled it out as the cause...

Or... carry your wine glass around with you then put it down and forget where you left it, swap glasses with DP (if can be done subtly) so looks like you have drunk some...

Or... claim you have gone right off >insert usual drink< after a bad hangover and keep going to the bar for short soft drinks which look like alcoholic ones (vodka cokes, gin and lemonade etc) instead of taking wine at the table... If anyone offers to buy you one, you're not ready for another yet, or if they get you one, spill it/get DP to drink it...

Btw if you go for the faking drinking route, remember that by some point you will have to appear a bit tipsy!

Great suggestions. Thank you!

I'm just totally paranoid about anyone noticing me being sneaky at the table! If anyone's going to notice, it's our friends, most of which are big drinkers and will be offering to buy rounds of drinks and shoving glasses of wine at me!

I thought about leaving my glass and 'forgetting' it's whereabouts. I also considered nipping to the loo and pouring it away or quietly 'feeding' any nearby plants or floral arrangements

I think I'll have to tell DH that he needs to be prepared to get very drunk!

Pretending to drink, esp at a wedding, is much easier than trotting out the old 'I'm on antibiotics' line. I got through a wedding at 6 weeks with no one noticing, just had drinks in my hand and then DH would swop ours over once he'd had half so it looked like I'd been drinking too. Once people have had a few they're really not going to notice.

DP still looks back fondly at the first trimester as his 'drinking for two' phase

You'll trip yourself up making excuses! Just accept drinks and then mingle and swap

Carrying on dry January.

If you're comfortable with it, you can also say you're trying to get pregnant so you don't want to get too drunk

Don't make excuses, they always sounded hollow to me when I tried it.

I was at a family wedding at 8wks and nobody guessed. I just nursed a glass of champagne for a bit, drank soft drink alternative and said I was pacing myself. At the meal I had a half glass of wine in front of me so i said I'd just topped up or was going to finish the glass before anyone topped me up. I didn't make a big thing of it and to be honest nobody really paid any attention.

I did this at 3 events between when I was 4 - 13 weeks. Stupid husbands job includes going to things like this!

One was a wedding and the other two evening balls / charity events all at a table of ten people.

Keep it casual - always keep your glass over half full so people don't fill it for you. Let people see you pouring drinks and offer to fill other people's glasses as they will assume it's because you need a drink too. Also pick up your wine and hold it, pretend to sip it. People will assume you're drinking it.

Swap empty glasses with hubby, order 'vodka and coke' from the bar from him early on 'just coke' but ask for it in a slim glass or you get the big obvious pint glass in some places.

Later switch to water and just say you feel a bit yuck from all the food and drink.

People are too wrecked themselves by them to care.

Good luck.

If you are travelling there and back on the day just say you drew straws and you are the designated driver.

If staying over, just nurse drinks. An odd sip here and there is totally fine, and lots of loo trips!! During the meal just drink the water "am just so thirsty!" As it will be harder to hide.

Dryathon then given up alcohol for lent

As others have said its amazing how easy it is to get away with it! I've never been know to drive rather than drink and I realllly enjoy my wine yet I managed a meal with my two oldest, best friends and their partners without either of them noticing! I had a glass of wine, took a few sips when they were watching and the DH drank it. They had no idea.

elderflower and soda in a wine glass looks like a spritzer, I drink it like that so it feels like I am having wine with everyone else :)