So I’m having a little birthday “movie night” party at my house this evening. This is actually the first party I’ve ever planned for myself (I’m in my mid-20s), as I’ve struggled with social anxiety throughout my life (emotionally abusive parent, socially isolated childhood, lots of therapy, yada yada yada), and am only now in a place where I feel comfortable coordinating and inviting multiple people over to my house.
Since this is my first time planning a party, I decided to keep it relatively chill: a double feature in my living room with no more than around 10 guests (this was also to ensure that everyone could get good seating). I sent out invites 1-2 weeks ago and nearly everyone said they could make it, which was great! Unfortunately, 4 of the 9 people who said they could attend live in the same house, and a couple days ago, one of them let us know that she tested positive for COVID. Since she immediately started quarantining and her roommates said they hadn’t had extensive recent contact with her, I thought maybe they’d still be able to come–but lo and behold, another one said they tested positve this morning. So to be safe, none of them will be attending.
So now nearly half of my RSVP list isn’t coming, and I’m wondering if it would be appropriate to make some last-minute invites? There are definitely people I would’ve invited earlier had there not been a guest limit, but it feels kinda rude to send a party invite the day of said party, especially since, because it’s a watch party, I want people to arrive at a set time (as opposed to a more normal houseparty where it’s usually acceptable to arrive late). Thoughts?
I should probably also mention that a big part of this dilemma comes from the fact that I’m afraid having only 5 people at my party will make me look kinda pathetic, or make for a bad party. I know this likely anxiety rearing its ugly head again–but is there any merit to these fears?
3 comments
Sure- just keep it casual and don’t be upset if they have plans already. I was invited to my neighbour’s bbq same day and had a great time.
Instead of ‘formally’ inviting them, mention it casually to see if they’d be interested. And please don’t say it’s because you top picks of friends are sick. They might have plans and expect to hear no, but they might be into it.
Also, I see you mentioned you have a strict arrival time to start the movie, have you considered that you could have a half hour buffer time to snack and chit chat with your guests before starting the movie? It saves the awkwardness if anyone is running late.
Having 5 people isn’t pathetic at all for a quiet movie night.
Depending on the level of friendship, it might be hurtful to invite people on the day if they find out others had plenty of notice.