One woman, who spent 15 years trying to file for separation from her husband, threw a d!vo-rce party complete with cakes and balloons when she eventually became separate. Area manager Catherine Navarro, 34, from New Jersey, was just 20 years old when she married her first love, Marc, in May 2005 after making a very last-minute decision only the week before the event itself.
The relationship soon became toxic, and Catherine filed for divorce.However, Marc refu*ed, before d!sappe-aring, leaving Catherine having to prove she had searched all over for her husband before the court could grant her a d!vorce in his absence. At first, Catherine thought Marc was joking when he suggested they tie the knot while at another friend’s wedding. However, she managed to pool together her friends and family to organize a last-minute wedding.
Catherine and Marc’s wedding ceremony was at City Hall in New York City with witnesses including Catherine’s friends and her mum. Following the official ceremony, the wedding party drove back to New Jersey for an !nti-mate party at Catherine’s parents’ house. Unfortunately, the relationship became increasingly tox!c and Catherine soon realized that their relationship was full of secrets.
In 2012 Catherine filed for separate but Marc refu*ed. Unfortunately for Catherine, Marc disappeared entirely so she had to prove that she had searched all over for her husband before the court could grant her a separate in his absence. After years of proving Marc’s absence, Catherine was finally granted a d!vorce on March 18, 2019, and she was so pleased that she decided to organize a ‘d!vorce party’ with the help of her friends. The ‘d!vorce party’ was a celebration of Catherine’s new beginning which had been years in the making.
Around 30 guests enjoyed a cake decorated with the words ‘straight out of marriage’, cupcakes topped with phrases such as ‘boy, bye’ and balloons with ‘happily d!vorced’ written across them. ‘Marc and I decided to get married at my cousin’s reception a week prior,’ Catherine said. ‘Honestly, I thought he was joking at first because we’d been dr!nking and were on a dance floor at that moment, but a few days later he followed up about my dress and flowers.
‘I immediately called my best friends – who all attended my d!vorce party – before heading straight to the shopping center with my mum,’ she said. Catherine purchased her ‘stunning’ wedding dress for about $100. ‘I ordered a two-tier white cake with lilies on the side. As I’m always multitasking, I ordered it while getting my nails done and instructing my best friend to pick up lights and decorations that would ultimately set the mood for a reception in my parents’ living room.
‘On the day, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect, it was an absolutely gorgeous day for a ceremony at City Hall in New York City. Witnesses included my best friends, my bridesmaids, and of course, my mum.‘Afterwards, we all drove back to New Jersey for an !ntim-ate gathering at my family’s house. It was a simple affair that came together perfectly in such a short time-frame.‘I realized not long into the marriage that I didn’t know him at all and there were too many secrets.
The first separate proceeding started approximately seven years ago, and lawyers were involved, but he refu*ed to agree to the terms. ‘So, it goes in blind love, I eventually gave up on the idea and instead vowed to continue working on our marriage. Ultimately, we separated and during that time, which spa-nned nearly a decade, I tried to f!le for d!vorce multiple times, but he refu*ed to sign the papers. ‘When things fell apart again, the road to the final d!vorce was quite the journey. Marc van!shed off the face of the planet and I didn’t hear from him or have any idea where he was.
‘When this sort of thing happens, when you can’t find your husband anywhere, and desperately want to c-ut legal ties, there’s an option to file for d!vorce in their absence – but you have to prove you’ve looked everywhere,’ she explained. Catherine had to prove that Marc was nowhere to be found and once she had the formal ev!dence, she was granted a d!vorce in March 2019, much to her gratitude.
Shortly after her d!vorce was finalized, Catherine and her friends had a party to celebrate putting the unhappy marriage behind her on April 6, 2019. Every element down to the cake decorations and the balloons made a reference to being ‘happily divorced’. ‘It had been years in the making, but the day I finally got d!vorced, my closest friends, who’d seen me through this whole journey, and I decided it was time to manifest the occasion with an incredible party that would celebrate my new beginning,’ Catherine said.
‘I was so excited to finally have my maiden name back and be rid of him. It made me so happy. As soon as it was finalized I felt like I was 20 again and had a new chance at love. ‘Party highlights included a decadent cake which had ‘straight out of marriage’ written on it, surrounded by happy photos of me when I was single. We had cupcakes with custom made toppers that had cheeky phrases on them, such as ‘boy, bye’.
‘The balloons said, ‘happily d!vorced’ and there was a cinematic ‘finally d!vorced’ sign which served as the photo back-drop. Of course, we also had loads of festive props, and my favorite was a sign which read ‘we didn’t like him anyway’ because my friends didn’t. ‘Party food was simple, composing of light bites, a meat and cheese platter, fruit and chicken wings. We ate, laughed and danced the night away. It was fantastic.
‘I’d definitely recommend a divorce party to anyone else if it’s a happy occasion which brings joy, rather than dru-dging up old memories.‘Everything happens for a reason, and for me, in the end,vo it all happened for the best. Don’t dwell on the past and instead accept the lessons that every experience provides.‘Life is too short to be in a relationship which doesn’t make you happy – lawfully or not,’ she said,
This Article First Published On DAILYMAIL