One woman, who spent 15 years trying to file for divorce from her husband, threw a divorce party complete with cakes and balloons when she eventually became a divorcee. 

Area manager Catherine Navarro, 34, from New Jersey, was just 20 years old when she married her first love, Marc, in May 2005 after making a very last-minute decision only the week before the event itself. 

The relationship soon became toxic, and Catherine filed for divorce. However, Marc refused, before disappearing, leaving Catherine having to prove she had searched all over for her husband before the court could grant her a divorce in his absence, reports the dailymail.co.uk. 

At first, Catherine thought Marc was joking when he suggested they tie the knot while at another friend’s wedding. However, she managed to pool together her friends and family to organize a last-minute wedding.

Catherine and Marc’s wedding ceremony was at City Hall in New York City with witnesses including Catherine’s friends and her mum. Following the official ceremony, the wedding party drove back to New Jersey for an intimate party at Catherine’s parents’ house.

Unfortunately, the relationship became increasingly toxic and Catherine soon realized that their relationship was full of secrets. 

In 2012 Catherine filed for divorce but Marc refused. Unfortunately for Catherine, Marc disappeared entirely so she had to prove that she had searched all over for her husband before the court could grant her a divorce in his absence.

After years of proving Marc’s absence, Catherine was finally granted a divorce on March 18, 2019 and she was so pleased that she decided to organize a ‘divorce party’ with the help of her friends.

The ‘divorce party’ was a celebration of Catherine’s new beginning which had been years in the making. 

Around 30 guests enjoyed a cake decorated with the words ‘straight out of marriage’, cupcakes topped with phrases such as ‘boy, bye’ and balloons with ‘happily divorced’ written across them.

‘Marc and I decided to get married at my cousin’s reception a week prior,’ Catherine said.

‘Honestly, I thought he was joking at first because we’d been drinking and were on a dance floor in that moment, but a few days later he followed up about my dress and flowers.

‘I immediately called my best friends – who all attended my divorce party – before heading straight to the shopping center with my mum,’ she said.  Catherine purchased her ‘stunning’ wedding dress for about $100.