Nicole Niesner, 36, of Saskatchewan, Canada, never imaged the day her divorce was finalized would become one of the best memories of her life.
“When I received a letter in the mail letting me know that I would be divorced as of December 16, 2017, it got me thinking, ‘How am I going to spend that day?’
I had three choices: live it like every other day, cry and be miserable all day or celebrate a new beginning, a second chance. I decided I wanted to celebrate and acknowledge the day. I mentioned wanting to have a ‘Divorce Party’ to a friend. She immediately jumped on board and started planning. My only job was to be at my house at 6:30 p.m. My amazing friends started to arrive with food, wine, gifts and their wedding dresses!
![seven woman gathered closely in wedding gowns in a home](https://lwm-a2.azureedge.net/uploads/2018/01/Divorce4-860x574.jpg)
I dug my dress out of my storage room and we all got dressed up, had a blast taking pictures and reminiscing about our weddings, children, families and friends. It was all positive and meant to lift me up. They wanted me to know that I am loved by many and that I’m going to be okay. This is what friendship is all about — supporting each other through the good and the bad.
![women sitting on a couch with wedding dresses on each holding their own bottle of wine](https://lwm-a2.azureedge.net/uploads/2018/01/Divorce1-1600x1200.jpg)
I’m so grateful for that night and I’m ready for the next chapter. I’m going to live it to its fullest!”
![woman lying on the ground in a wedding dress with a bottle of wine held tightly to her chest](https://lwm-a2.azureedge.net/uploads/2018/01/Divorce5-860x645.jpg)
Eoanna Tatoulis, 37, is one of Niesner’s best friends. She photographed the entire party, but was dealing with her own personal struggle at the time.
“When I was invited to my friend Nicole’s divorce party I was really excited to go. When I heard they wanted to wear wedding dresses to help celebrate, my heart sank. I just couldn’t do it due to recent life events, however, I still went. I arrived to the party upset and trying to fight back tears which failed. Wearing my wedding dress was not an option for me that day, so instead I decided to take the photos and put my photography skills to good use to make some beautiful memories for us! I came there crying but ended up laughing, smiling and feeling so loved by such a great group of girls! We loved making positives out of negatives, even if the dresses didn’t zip up all the way anymore.”
![train of three women trying to zip and button up each others wedding gowns](https://lwm-a2.azureedge.net/uploads/2018/01/Divorce2-1600x1200.jpg)
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Eoanna Tatoulis, 37, of Saskatchewan, Canada.
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