Husbands are difficult

My husband is celebrating the big 6 0 this month, and knowing him, as I do, I began planning a fabulous birthday party for him back in January. I designed a special bingo set with cute little words that described him. I put together a wonderful movie-ish slide show about his life, and I started decorating the house.
THEN he told me "I don't want a party."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"I'm sure."
Like a dummy . . . I believed him. I planned a nice intimate dinner at one of his favorite eateries, for family only, and we were good to go. UNTIL yesterday.
"I have decided to invite a few more people." The word few more people doubled the guest list to 40. In my world 40 is a party.
Switching the party back to my house wasn't possible, because after being told there wasn't going to be a party at our house, I slacked off thinking we had plenty of time and no reason to rush. His favorite eatery can't accommodate 40 on his exact birthday, and the other locations he would be willing to eat at, don't have television sets, so they can't play the slide show I made for him.
Why are husbands so difficult? Why did I listen to him? When will I learn - husbands don't mean what they say!