So many people get married with big, elaborate ceremonies. There’s all that pomp and circumstance and expense, and for what? Given that over half of all marriages end in divorce, you’re just flushing money down the drain for when you split up. Personally, I’d rather elope and spend that money on a down-payment for a house, or an awesome honeymoon or something. However, when it comes to divorce? That’s something to celebrate, hence the rise in divorce ceremonies in Japan, complete with pomp and fancy dress!
The divorce ceremony is the brainchild of Hiroki Terai, who started a small divorce mansion some years ago and now will conducts an elaborate (and binding) divorce ceremony for about $600 in American money. “I started this ceremony in April last year thinking that there should be a positive way to end a marriage and move on by making a vow to restart their lives in front of loved ones,” said Terai, Japan’s first divorce ceremony planner. The ceremony, with culminates in a ring-smashing with a giant frog-shaped hammer, is said to give both bride and groom a fresh start and a renewed outlook on life by giving the marriage as dramatic an ending as it once had a beginning.
It reminds me of an old joke. Why is divorce so expensive? Because it’s worth it!
Image: The Great Divorce
Tags: divorce ceremonies, unusual ceremonies, divorce, Tokyo, Japan, Japanese start divorce ceremonies, anti-wedding celebrations, Hiroki Terai, divorce mansion