Q. I recently celebrated my CP (civil partnership), having been with my boyfriend for almost 21 years. I had planned it for months and arranged a flamenco evening at a smart venue in St James’s in London. We were restricted by the number of people we could ask, so I expected that all those who RSVPd in the positive would definitely show up. Can you imagine how disappointed I was when several people didn’t show up? Some had illnesses, and I could fully understand those, but one or two had lame excuses about baby-sitters and missing a train. Should I forgive them, as not only did I have to pay for them but I could have asked someone else in their place? What do you think, Mary?
M.K., Mildenhall, Wilts
A. There is a law of party dynamics which dictates that no matter how many people have RSVPd to such an important invitation in the affirmative, on the day in question a typical three in 100 guests will drop out for an unavoidable reason.
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