That was very poignant and so accurate for a lot more people than you may realize. I myself often find myself doing nothing on my phone just to pass the time at weddings where I know no one. You may not feel comfortable in social events where n>1 , but you undoubtedly thrive in more sparsely populated situations, e.g., home. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. But you obviously deeply desire that feeling of anxiety-free functioning at weddings, etc. I don’t know if you’re looking for suggestions, but if I would direct you to make conversation with any one person at a wedding, it would be that woman sitting at a table staring at her phone and looking just as ill-at-ease as you feel. Which is basically the advice you gave us.
That friend of yours sounds so special. If only we could manufacture people like that in a factory.