"Couple friends"

I was watching a re-run of a sitcom last night, and the main topic was how the main characters (a married couple) had lost their "couple" friends, and were trying to find new "couple friends" to hang out with. Funny, ridiculous and in a way, semi-true of what happens when you find yourself in a relationship.

Sure, you still have your friends, and your significant other also has his friends....but after your relationship becomes steady, you find yourself saying things like, "Hey, we should all (as in me and my BF and you and your BF) have dinner sometime," or "Maybe we should ask (your friend and his significant other) to go to that show together." Suddenly, "we" isn't just you and your significant other, it's you two and your "couple friends."

It's like this little fraternity for couples only. Sure, single friends can tag along, but everyone has been in that position, and being the seventh person with three couples isn't always the most fun. I remember thinking going out with one of my college roommates and her BF would be fun....and each time, it wasn't all that great. And mainly because they were all over each other the entire time. Which is probably one of the reasons that when you are in a couple, you seek out other people who are also in a couple and whose company you enjoy.

Of course, the problem with this is that it gets a little tricky if your couples friends break up. What do you do then? Who do you become friends with? How do you avoid being in middle? I think the best option for that is to stay out of it, and be friends with both....while hanging out with your other couples friends on the side! : ) I think my BF and I have a good mix. We have our couple friends and we have our singles friends., and for the most part, luckily, our friends all hangout in a big, couples-be-damned way.

Have you found it to be true, though, that when you are in a couple, does most of your social time include hanging out with couples or single friends? And how do you include your single friends in the mix?