A few days ago, “White Stripes” singer-musician-actor Jack (Gillis) White (35) and his current spouse, model-singer-songwriter Karen Elson (32), announced their plans to divorce. They also announced their divorce party to family and close friends, which took place on their sixth wedding anniversary. June 10 was “[a]n evening together in Nashville to re-affirm our friendship and celebrate the past and future with close friends and family.” The invitation stated their desire to “celebrate together this anniversary of the making and breaking of the sacred union of marriage with our best friends and animals.”
White and Elson were married in 2005 and have two small children together — son Henry Lee (3) and daughter Scarlett Teresa (5). The divorce party was intended to celebrate the time this couple shared as husband and wife, and the time they will spend in co-parenting their children. So that the guests arrived with the proper mood and mindset, the party invitations included the message that there would be “dancing, photos, memories and drinks with alcohol in them.” Is the divorce party just another way for the newly single to celebrate their “freedom”? Or is there a true benefit to easing family and friends, and the children, into a post-divorce reality? Keeping Social Circles Intact after Divorce. Certainly, divorce puts a strain on relationships with friends and family, who often feel they have to choose one spouse over the other. In a press release last month, Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil, Phd, a well-known family therapist who has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today Show, Fox, CBS, CNN, to name a few, had this to say about divorce parties: “I think throwing a [divorce] party for your friends offers an olive branch to friends, family, and extended family members giving the message that the divorce doesn’t have to signal side taking and estrangements among loved ones… [H]aving a social event that portrays the couple as cordial, working together as a team, and refusing to pit friends against their Ex is a step towards bridging the loneliness gap that so many divorcees face… While I recommend therapy for most divorced individuals, there is much to be said for social support during the healing process. Keeping instead of losing friends is key during this difficult time of transition for divorcees.” No Celebration for the Children. As Dr. Stacey Scheckner, psychologist, pointed out, moving past the divorce and embracing life again is a very positive transition. As long as the divorce party does not become an ex-bashing free-for-all, these celebrations of past time together and new times ahead can be very helpful for everyone. She warns, however, that the needs and feelings of the couple’s children should be the foremost concern. “It’s absolutely not a celebration for them, so you have to be extremely careful.” Theme Divorce Party — Ex-Bashing. There is a complete line of divorce party favors and supplies and theme anti-wedding cakes. There’s a blood-spattered (red frosting) cake with a bride at the top and a prone groom at the base. There’s the tiered cake with a groom standing straight and tall, with a prone bride at his feet. There’s even the broken heart cake, one half with all the property and the other with a tent and camping supplies.
Although we can’t really help you plan a divorce party, we can help you plan your divorce. If you need answers and solutions, contact the Law Offices of Scott David Stewart today and schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced family law attorney.
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