Brides Guide Magazine and Bride's Guide.com

DECIDING TO CHANGE YOUR NAME AFTER YOU WED

                This was never a dilemma before, but now it’s an issue among many brides-to-be.  Most of our mothers and grandparents thought “of course I will take the name of my husband.”  However, things have changed a lot, especially in the last decade or two.  Women use to get married younger and not have a career yet.  They were thrilled to have their  husband’s last name.  But as it will forever do, life changes!

                You have options today.  It is not unusual for women to keep her maiden  name professionly and to use her married name socially.  Whether or not to change names may be one of the first decisions a couple needs to make.

                There is also the common possibility of hyphenating your name.  Jane Doe-Smith is an option, and you haven’t lost your birth name.  However, there is a concern that this can  create confusion for some people and computers, especially if one of the names is quite long.  It might become an initial instead of the full name.

                It still isn’t uncommon that both people decide to use their husband’s last name.  Sometimes,

 but not as common, some couples have strong feelings about using the wife’s last name.

                Sometimes couples chose to both retain their birth name.  This choice is a popular choice when you both have established professional identities.  Some women who choose this option use their husband’s name for social purposes.

                Couples in many Spanish speaking countries give their children both their father’s last name and their mother’s maiden name to preserve the heritage of both families.  When marrying, a women has the option  of keeping all her names and adding her husband’s last name or dropping her mother’s maiden name. 

                Some couples use their last name to create a new name.  For instance,   using the first initials of one and the ending of another:   Jane Simble and Mike  McMan made their name Siman.

                When you have children you may need to discuss what you will name them.  One couple who were each keeping their professional  names agreed that they would name their child with the man’s last name and make his or her middle name the mother’s maiden name.  The key here is that you both agree on what to do so that you are both happy with the outcome…and this will be your continual commitment.

CHANGING YOUR NAME

                If you decide to change your name after you get married, here are the places you need to contact about your name change:

                -Social Security Administration

                -Driver’s License

                -Automobile registrations and insurance

                -Work related information

                -Insurance policies

                -Bank accounts

                -Utility bills

                -Credit Cards

                -Passport

                -Medical records

                -Wills, legal documents

                -Organization memberships

                -Voter registration

                -Landlord or Mortgage Company

                The best time to start the name change process is after you receive your certification of marriage.  If you’re honeymooning out of the country you will have to wait until you get back from your honeymoon to change your passport.  Use your maiden name when traveling on your honeymoon so all your I.D. matches; make your flight reservations in your maiden name.