Charles Bronfman
You've heard of the divorce party, in which the freshly un-hitched gather a group of friends and toast their new-found freedom from their ex. (And maybe burn a few mementoes of their ill-fated marriages.)
The trend has now been topped by a divorce party hosted by both exes - together. You can thank members of the powerful Bronfman clan if this trend takes off.
Charles and Bonnie Bronfman are gathering 100 of their closest friends to mark the end of their three-year marriage, according to the New York Times.
The son of Canadian patriarch Samuel Bronfman, Mr. Bronfman is the former chairman of the Seagram Company. He and Mrs. Bronfman, an architect, explained that their "friendship is stronger without being married" and that they wanted to thank their friends for the support, reports the paper.
In a joint phone interview last week, Mr. Bronfman, 79, told the paper: "Our differences were in everything we do. We thought those differences could mesh, but we found out the opposite. So we thought, why not tell our friends and thank them for helping us out?"
On the invitation, the couple, who live in New York City, wrote that they looked forward "to continuing these relationships with everyone."
New York media is abuzz with the news.
Although it may seem like an odd choice, the very public denouement accomplishes quite a few things. In its way, it's some of the first good news the family has had in a while. Mr. Bronfman's nieces, Clare and Sara Bronfman, have been very publicly involved in an organization NXIVM (pronounced Nex-ee-um), which has been described as being "a potent cocktail of ideas derived from self-help, therapeutic hypnosis, Scientology and the writings of Ayn Rand-all delivered through the classic mechanisms of the pyramid scheme first employed with Consumers' Buyline."
Then there is Edgar Bronfman Jr., who was convicted this year of insider trading, among other business stumbles.
By putting a happy face on the end of their marriage, it's as if the ex-couple is saying, "Don't look for dirt here, folks."
But on a more personal note, the party will also send the message that the Bronfmans hope their friends don't feel they need to pick sides and trash the other ex. And that they hope those who celebrated their wedding with them a mere three years ago won't hold it against them.
Do you think the divorce party is a good idea? Would you feel awkward as a guest?