‘You kind of lose yourself’: Woman marks end of 14-year-marriage with divorce party in Orlando

By Michelle Meredith

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    ORANGE COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — Becky Rietze celebrated her new beginnings with a lively divorce party in Orlando, complete with music, champagne and a positive outlook on her future.

Rietze’s life took an unexpected turn after 14 years of marriage and two children.

“Cause I only knew how to be a wife, you kind of lose yourself, and then you become a wife and a mom, and so that was all I knew how to be,” Rietze said.

Rietze marked her new beginning with a celebration attended by some of the same people who were at her wedding, including her parents.

She paid to have her hair and makeup done and even wore a sash.

“Yes, we were all celebrating, and we were all happy and dancing and cheering because they got to see me come back to the person I had lost,” Rietze said.

Divorce parties are becoming increasingly popular. According to Evite, there has been a 22% increase in divorce party invitations since 1999, reaching an all-time record in 2023.

Mental health counselor Shantala Boss, who has over two decades of experience, believes these parties can be liberating.

“I think it’s liberating because it is expressing this is a positive shift in your life and that you’re going to move towards better things,” Boss said.

Rietze’s bold approach to change has put a new spin on the phrase “living happily ever after.”

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