My Decathlon coworker invited me to their wedding in September, but honestly I don't feel like going and I can't come up with a good excuse. We just get along normally at work, they're not a close friend. How do I decline without hurting their feelings?
It's annoying this situation. Honestly, you just gotta be direct but honest - don't make up some excuse that doesn't hold up because he's gonna feel it and it can be even more awkward at work after. Just tell him you have a scheduling conflict or that you can't free yourself up in September, that's it. You can add something nice like "I would've liked to be there but it's not possible" so he doesn't think it's personal. Most people get that not everyone can come, even with an invitation. It's normal, we get invitations from coworkers that we can't/don't wanna honor, zero drama.
What's important is that you do it early, not like two weeks before. Contact him quick by message or face to face at work, tell him straight up, and then boom - you keep being cool with him at work. Don't drag it out or feel guilty about it, it's really not a big deal. The guy's gonna have tons of other guests, he's not gonna ruminate on your answer. People cancel weddings all the time for all sorts of reasons. Just be respectful telling him quick, and then we move on.
The best approach is to be honest but nice about it. You don't have to make up some big lame excuse, you can just tell them something like "Thanks so much for inviting me, that's really nice, but I'm not gonna be able to make it" without going into details. People get that you can't go to every wedding, especially when it's not a close friend. Tell them soon rather than waiting around, that way they can invite someone else instead, and boom it's sorted.
Just tell him the truth but politely! Like, you tell him you have an important obligation that day, you found out after getting the invitation - it's not completely lying since you have to manage your farm and it's never predictable! The important thing is to tell him early enough so he can invite someone else in your place. People understand that you can't go to every wedding, even from nice coworkers, and honestly it's better than forcing yourself and pretending all evening, you wouldn't be into it anyway!
Honestly I agree with what they're already telling you, no need to make up some lame excuse. The thing is just tell him quickly and nicely, like "Thank you so much for thinking of me, but I won't be able to come in September, sorry" - without giving like a million explanations. He'll understand it's just not possible and that's it, yeah it might be a bit awkward but honestly it's way less worse than having to face him at work after because he finds out you lied. And you can always add something nice like wishing him an amazing wedding, it shows you just regret not being able to be there.
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