The music was deafening, and conversation was impossible. The dance floor and ceiling at Drai's Nightclub in Las Vegas lit up in flickering colors, with focus on a disco ball that closely resembled the New Year's orb in Times Square. My twelve closest friends and I had been dancing for hours. Sweat trickled down my back, but I'd never felt so good in my life. This was my divorce party, and I wanted to enjoy every minute.

It turns out, that party in Vegas was just the first of many. Since that night, I've celebrated this new chapter in my life again and again — in Las Vegas, Europe, and Thailand. Each one reminds me of how far I've come since my marriage ended two and a half years ago.

I didn't go out much when I was married. After seven years with my controlling husband, I asked him to leave. I was only 30 years old, with two kids. I agonized over the choice for years, but once he left I never looked back.

It's been a while since divorce carried a serious social stigma, but I see so many people openly celebrating theirs, like I did. Part of that is likely due to my job; I'm a bartender in Vegas so I meet new people every day and they all want to tell me their stories. The women I meet are starting over, setting aside their pasts. Vegas is a great place to do that. Divorce parties seem almost as popular as bachelorette parties now. It's part of the culture.

Naxira Vanessa Luna

There are plenty of new businesses cashing in on this cultural shift. Women can hire a company, like Vegas VIP to plan their divorce party. Packages typically include limo transportation and table service at a night club. Others like to customize their parties: I heard about one woman who hired a planner to throw a golf-themed party, because she figured out her ex-husband was cheating when she found his dusty clubs after he'd been on several "golf outings." Instead of being bitter, she and her friends decided to laugh about it. At the party, they dressed in golf clothes and took a lesson from a professional golfer. I've heard of women spending up to $25,000 on their divorce parties. It's like a whole other wedding — in reverse.

When I left my husband, all I wanted to do was party. I suddenly felt liberated and empowered. I felt alive. It was all so fun that once I started celebrating, I didn't want to stop. It's been two years since the split, and on the nights when I'm not with my kids, I am out on the scene.

Naxira Vanessa Luna

It's just one way to show that I'm moving forward, but it's not the only one. I recently started a business developing my own fragrance line, called Evoke. The first perfumes are named Abundance, Freedom, and Love, which is, of course, no accident.

I don't know when I'll stop wanting these parties to celebrate my life. They help me leave the painful past behind, appreciate this free moment, and get ready for my hopeful future. They're preparing me for my next love, because whomever I meet now can see only the happy, laughing, disco ball-lit person.

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