Imagine planning your child's first birthday party — a casual celebration at a neighborhood park — and accidentally inviting hundreds of people, including strangers.
"I just made an Evite for my daughter's first birthday party and on Evite it says, 'Import contacts' and I thought it meant import to select through (the names)," Emily King, 30, a mom in San Jose, California, said in a viral TikTok video with more than 12 million views.
"No — it imported all 487 of my contacts and invited them to this birthday party," continued King, a teacher. "Not only did it invite my boss, all of my coworkers (and) all of the people that have ever been stored in my phone but it sent invitations based (on) how they are stored in my phone."
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"I want you to just take a second and think about everyone stored in your phone and how they're stored in your phone," she said. "And then imagine someone receiving an invitation ... 'Derek Eye Roll.' He received an invitation (and) 'Jess Hit Her Car In Parking Lot.'”
“Anyways, I have to quit or get a new identity,” said King. “I don’t even know.”
More than 23,000 people commented on TikTok.
- "I would be SPIRALING."
- "I would die if 'Mark STILL OWES ME $100' came to my son's birthday."
- "Rita 'Annoying co-worker' accepted (the) Evite."
- "I went on a date with a man and saved him under his dog's name. His dog's name is Margaret."
- "I wonder if 'Table on FB Marketplace' will attend?"
- "I would actually be honored if 'Tampa Rental Place' showed up."
- "I wonder if 'Blocked & Dead to me' would make it?"
- "'Possible stalker' would definitely show up."
- "'DO NOT ANSWER!' Regrets to inform you he will not be able to attend."
- "'Lawyer I owe money to' is definitely going to find out where I live now."
- "This birthday is about to be lit."
"It was hilarious and terrifying," King tells TODAY.com of the mishap. "I was mortified and in shock."
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This week, King got an early start on planning her daughter's first birthday party in June.
"I was really excited — because I am 20 weeks pregnant, I wanted the day to be all about my daughter," says King.
King designed a "Lord of the Rings"-themed invitation and planned to email 50 guests, expecting approximately 35 would attend.
According to King, she clicked "Import guests from previous parties," intending to cherry-pick friends she had invited to her gender reveal gathering, then clicked "Import (phone) contacts" to locate a specific person.
"When I typed 'Dad' it showed he was already invited," she recalls. "I thought, 'Weird.'"
That's when King saw the 487-person guest list. She panicked and was able to delete the invite within several minutes of the error — but it was sent. "All the blood drained from my body," she says.
Scanning the public guest list, many with emojis she had selected for each name, King saw old contacts stretching back 15 years.
There was "Derek Eye Roll," a grad school tutor who was "kinda annoying," King says, and a cute guy named "Justin Delta Sky Lounge" who she flirted with en route to New Zealand when she was 21. King's high school science lab partner received an invite, as did all her ex-boyfriends, including "Cute guy from bar.”
King was hoping to never hear from "Jess Hit Her Car In Parking Lot,” whose car she dinged outside of Trader Joe’s, but says, "Now I'm worried she's going to follow up."
A spokesperson from Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com.
The next day at school, King's students — 70 of whom were invited — were gossiping about the party. "There were a lot of, 'I wasn't invited but you were’ conversations,“ says King.
King painstakingly uninvited her colleagues — including “New science teacher I think?” and "David parking lot attendant," as well as her vice-principal.
"I am a very social person and I ... never delete my contacts," King explains to TODAY.com, adding that she often uses shorthand cues to remember people.
Olivia Pollock, Evite’s senior director of brand marketing, tells TODAY.com the company added a new function in King’s honor.
“Emily’s journey inspired something we call the 'Emily Hotfix' that removes the 'Select All' function on iOS apps," Pollock told TODAY.com in part. "We’re always learning from our users, and hope this update is a help for other users too."
Fortunately, says King, many guests didn't RSVP — she assumes they understood the error or were just embarrassed — however, she invited dozens more to the party, because, she says, why not?
To help pay for the bigger party, Evite sent Emily and her husband a $250 DoorDash gift card.
"I have a pretty good sense of humor ... I’m glad I could bring joy to people," says King, adding, “My second daughter’s birthday party will be just as cool.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
