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Wedding season can be rough for anyone, but if you’re newly divorced, it can be full of potential emotional land mines.
What if someone who doesn’t know asks where your ex is? Will you be able to sit and smile about someone else’s happy new marriage after how wrong yours went?
Fear not!
Thanks to the many newly divorced people who have weathered wedding season before you, here are 4 tips for making it through largely unscathed:
1. Choose Invites Carefully
You aren’t obligated to attend every wedding to which you’re invited.
If you feel that a wedding may pose a problem for your emotional state, stick to only RSVPing “yes” to the weddings of close family and friends.
This way, you can pick and choose the events where you’re likely to feel the most support and love rather than risking an uncomfortable question from that person you had one class with in college.
2. Find an alternate plus-one
Did your invite come with a plus-one intended for your ex spouse?
Nothing says you have to take a romantic partner to a wedding!
Enlist a friend or close family member to attend with you. You get a built-in dance and conversation partner who can help run interference if things start to get awkward for you.
3. Leave when You’re ready
There’s no hard-and-fast rule that you have to remain at a wedding until the cake is cut and consumed, or the open bar closes down.
Instead, choose when you’re ready to leave.
Depending on how you’re feeling, that could mean you quietly bow out sometime during the ceremony. That’s OK. You can always send a note or text to the bride and groom letting you know that you’re happy for them but you needed to go.
If you feel like dancing all night, go for it! You get to choose when you leave, not someone else.
4. Be prepared
No matter how hard you try to avoid it, expect that someone’s going to approach you – innocently or not – and ask about your ex or your divorce.
There’s no law that says you have to divulge your entire life history to someone you haven’t seen in decades just because they asked. Instead, a simple, “We’re no longer together” will suffice.
You don’t need to volunteer any further details unless you want to. Just be careful to avoid any salacious details or gossip, as those things can spread like wildfire.
If you’re not yet ready to deal with people asking you about your ex or your divorce, it may be best to just skip the wedding.
Experienced divorce representation in Washington, D.C.
Divorce can be difficult and emotionally draining. You need a partner in the process who advocates for your best interests, helping you resolve the matter satisfactorily.
At Lopez Law Firm, we have years of experience guiding individuals through the divorce process. Schedule a consultation today!