Divorce party trend picks up momentum.

Could Columbus divorce be cause for celebration?

Divorce isn’t an event many want to consider – let alone consider celebrating. But over the past few years, party planners from Vegas to Manhattan have seen a surge in both divorce parties and divorce showers.

While graduation parties, wedding showers and other celebrations have always been commonplace, many party planners are viewing divorce simply as another milestone.

“Traditionally, every major event has a celebration — marriage, graduation, whatever — but when you’re divorced, you’re on your own,” Christine Gallagher, the owner of the Los Angeles-based events company Divorce Party Planner, tells the New York Times. “A divorce shower or a divorce party are ways to create a ritual where you’re supported by friends and family. I look at it as really healthy.”

Divorce parties have taken off so much that there are now divorce party planning specialists, websites and divorce-themed favors. Warren Berkowitz, owner of the company Forum Novelties, tells New York Magazine that his company’s “Divorce Diva” line is selling like crazy. “There is more interest in the line as time goes on,” he says. “Unfortunately, there’s a growing need for this.”

Janet Morante LaFauci, owner of one of Forum Novelties’ top retailers, tells New York that sales have climbed 30 percent in three years. “The trend is really picking up. I’d say out of ten orders, seven of them are divorce,” she says.

Party-planning company Vegas VIP tells TIME that bookings for divorce parties have picked up by 70 percent, “a result of more people finding out about celebrating divorce by throwing a wild party or a laid-back night out with a group of friends,” it says.

In addition, Marcy Blum, an events planner and an author of “Weddings for Dummies,” pointed out to the New York Times that as more gay men and women receive the right to marry, they will also have the right to divorce, potentially leading to even more divorce showers.

But these events are more than a celebration; for many, divorce parties can be cathartic and signify the start of a new life chapter. Fifty-year-old flight attendant Mari-Rene Alu planned her divorce party after her husband’s extramarital affair ended their 13-year marriage. Alu tells USA Today that she threw the party “to renew myself and to get back to a point where I could be happy again.”

However for some, the showers take a more pragmatic turn: restock the home with basic utensils lost in the divorce. No matter the reason, it looks as if divorce showers and parties are more than a trend. Whether part of the grieving process, or an excuse to have a good time with the people who have been supportive along the way, they’re here to stay.

If you’re looking for the right Columbus divorce attorney, get in touch with the lawyers at Weis Law Group today.