'I threw myself a $45,000 divorce party. I have no regrets.'

When business coach and influencer Sabrina Philipp realised she was getting a divorce, she went on a sad bender, crying to her friends over bottles of wine. But as her 30th birthday approached, she decided to close the chapter with a bang – in the form of a $45,000 divorce party.

Sabrina and her ex-husband tied the knot in Copenhagen during the height of COVID, with her parents watching via Zoom. "I remember crying as I said 'I do,'" Sabrina wrote in a piece for Grazia.

"Everyone thought it was because I was so happy, but I was actually thinking, 'What have I done? My parents aren't here.'"

Her family had never liked her ex, and she felt they'd been hinting to her that she didn't have to "go through" with the wedding. But they tied the knot, all the same.

Fast forward to a very unhappy marriage, a separation, and a finalised divorce in March 2024, the result of which saw Sabrina pay out a significant sum of money to her ex-husband. 

In fact, she said she paid him four times what she had originally been quoted in legal fees. 

"If I'm going to pay out all of this money, then I should get a party to celebrate myself," she shared. 

"People choose to invest in a wedding because they think it's an important moment in their life. I didn't get to have that during COVID, so for me, the divorce party was that investment – and I spent $25,000 to $30,000 [$37,000-$44,000 AUD]."

"I have no regrets."

The lavish Miami Beach celebration.

The party, which Sabrina pulled together in six weeks, took place in Miami Beach over four days. And to say it was extra barely covers it.

Things kicked off with a $3,700 family welcome dinner, and a $5,200 pre-party at the W Hotel  — complete with a lingerie photoshoot and a "hottest ex-wife ever" cake.

Sabrina wore a $3,500 Clio Peppiatt dress (the same one Taylor Swift wore on her 34th birthday) Louboutins, and had her hair and makeup done professionally.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sabrina Philipp | Multi-7-Figure Business Coach (@sabrinamphilipp)

The most expensive element, though, was a four-course dinner for 18 people, costing around $17,700. The menu included Dom Perignon, caviar, seafood towers, flaming Tomahawk steaks, and $800-$1,000 cakes.

But the real kicker was when Sabrina sling-shotted her wedding band into the ocean before they sat down for their meal.

"It was a bit emotional," she admits, "but my glass of Dom Perignon afterwards moved me through it. It was really healing."

The response to the party has been mixed, with some calling it "gross" and saying she should have given the wedding band back. But as Sabrina said, "I paid for it. It's mine."

Changing attitudes towards divorce.

Now, Sabrina is on a mission to reset the narrative around divorce. 

"Divorce is something we can really celebrate and mark as a momentous occasion in your life — not a moment of shame, but a moment of transformation," she shared.

The reframing of divorce from shameful or even sacrilegious is a shift in attitudes more women are embracing. 

Instead of going through divorce under a heavy cloak of shame, many are celebrating the having liberated themselves from bad relationships. It's about owning decisions and facing new beginnings with the same pride and joy you applied to your wedding.

Model Emily Ratajkowski recently caused a stir when she repurposed her wedding ring into two "divorce rings".

In a series of images posted to Instagram, Ratajkowski posed with two chunky diamond rings, being her engagement ring from Sebastian Bear-McClard.

Emily Ratajkowski. Image: Instagram.

The post, simply captioned "divorce rings", quickly racked up more than a million likes.

"The rings represent my own personal evolution," Ratajkowski told Vogue. "I don't think a woman should be stripped of her diamonds just because she's losing a man."

"Personally, I find it chic to be divorced by the age of 30," she captioned another TikTok video.

White Stripes frontman Jack White and his ex-wife Karen Elson also celebrated their divorce with a joint party to "re-affirm our friendship and celebrate the past and future with close friends and family". And there were rumours Hazel Hawke had a big bash days after her ex, Bob Hawke, married Blanche d'Alpuget.

Divorce parties: a growing trend.

Throwing a themed divorce party like Sabrina did is a rising trend. And it's not hard to see why.

You had an engagement party, a hen's party, and a wedding… it seems only fitting that you mark your new chapter with a party of its own.

As divorce parties grow in popularity in Australia, the party planning industry is stepping up, offering events with bands, bars and even divorce cakes.

A quick look around TikTok also brings up dozens of ideas for the unique celebration, from playing darts on a life-size cardboard 'devil man' to dressing up in a tiara and 'divorcee' sash.

@partysoposh Divorce parties are a thing! Party with posh and calls us when yours finalizes 😉#divorceparty #elpasotx #elpasotexas #elpasoballoons #balloondecor #divorcedaf ♬ We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

There are even event planners who cater specifically to those looking to organise a divorce celebration.

Sabrina's message to women going through divorce is a powerful one: "The bravest thing you will ever do is choose yourself."

She added, "The thing about divorce is you can't rush the healing. You have to be in your season. And then one day you wake up and you're happy again.

"I think women need to know that sometimes it feels like your life is burning down or you're breaking, but you're not. I would burn down my life all over again to end up exactly where I am."

Feature image: Instagram/sabrinamphilipp.