Why is it that whenever you are organizing a party, no matter how careful and inclusive you want to be, you always wind up with people that feel insulted because you did not invite them? It doesn't matter that you explain to your uncle or friend so-and-so, that -- hey, this was not your type of party, word always spreads around that the party was great -- and you left them out.
This is the problem I face, being part of a huge family --- where even if you are a cousin five-times-removed you are still considered family! Naturally this presents logistical problems, as there are several generations involved, and sometimes a party for the younger set, may not appeal to the older crowd. And there are times that a compromise just doesn't work. You also have the questions of in-laws and friends of all involved, which if we invited everyone, would require us to book a stadium!
So it falls, usually to me, as I'm always elected to make the guest list, to decide who is invited or not -- depending on whose occasion is being celebrated. Naturally this puts me on the spot, as word quickly spreads about any party, with people calling me to make sure that their name is on the list. However, it isn't always possible or desirable to invite everyone. So I choose the names carefully.
Over the years, I have learned that there are people that want to be invited to a party, just so they can snub you and not show up. Or there those people that want to be invited just so that they can feel popular, but they also never show up. The way I have learned to deal with these kinds of people, especially if it's a catered affair or at a party hall or restaurant, where you pay per person, is that I send them invitations, but don't include them on the list I give to the caterer, the party hall, or the restaurant.
This way I don't get aggravated because I'm not paying for people that have no intention of showing up to the party. This, of course, while saving me money and aggravation, makes some of these no-shows angry, when they find out that....no, nobody missed them, because they were not ever put on the list of actual guests. But, you know what? I don't care, because these are the kind of people that if they do show up to your party, will complain about everything and try to ruin it for everyone else. So who needs them!
