The divorcing couple invited 50 people to the ceremony, which was followed by a wine and cheese reception. They spoke about the hopes they had when they first married and how they still cared for and respected each other. Then they burned a copy of their marriage certificate in a glass bowl using the candle they had lit at their wedding. Guests were invited to contribute a flower to a special \u201cbouquet of love and affection.\u201d\u009d At the end of the 45-minute service, the parting couple gave their weddings rings back to each other. There wasn\u2019t a dry eye in the house.<\/p>\n
If the idea of spouses dissolving their marriage in such a loving way sounds radically enlightened, well, even Meighan admits to a twinge of divorce-ceremony envy. When she split from her first husband more than 20 years ago, \u201cthere was too much pain\u201d\u009d to formally mark their parting, she says. \u201cBut when I did that ceremony, I saw what a powerful healing process it could be.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Forty percent of Canadian marriages end in divorce. Those who go through it commonly describe the experience as one of the most painful of their lives. Yet there are few established rituals that offer the emotional and spiritual closure couples often need. Some argue that marriages start with ceremony and should end the same way \u201d\u201d that marking this significant life event can help prevent adversarial and costly court proceedings, reduce the emotional impact on children and allow the couple to move on. Separation rites can also help church communities when they find themselves caught in the middle of a marriage falling apart.<\/p>\n