Marriage is one of the greatest life changing events in our lives. While a large majority of women dream of getting married and having their own family, very few consider the idea of a name change in future. Society has mandated that women must adopt their husband’s family name post-marriage and most of us do not think otherwise. This change in name is generally permanent unless you petition the national judicial system for a legal order, or get a divorce.
Changing your Last Name
Although changing your last name after getting married may sound like the only option, you can alternatively choose to keep your maiden name, if you so prefer. If you happen to be the last member of your family to carry forward the name or if your professional life is closely associated with your name, opting against changing your last name sounds only logical.
Steps for Changing your Legal Name
In the case of a change in name, keep in mind the following two necessary steps:
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Keep photocopies of the name change decree that you will receive from the court after the judge grants your request for the same. You will require this decree to change all your necessary legal documents.
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Remember to inform all concerned government, business and financial institutions about your new name. Some of these include government agencies issuing legal documents, office, banks, school, creditors, your attorney, post office and your mortgage lender. Most institutions will require you to submit a written notice along with the necessary legal documents.
Hyphenating your Last Name: Some Advantages
Hyphenating last name after marriage has been extremely popular since the 1970’s. This allows you to add your spouse’s family name to your own maiden name. This practice of using both the surnames makes it less troublesome for friends, colleagues and clients to follow you, and your work, after you get married. Using a hyphenated last name is quite beneficial at times as you can use both the surnames interchangeably. Although you will have to use both names to sign all legal documents, you can occasionally skip either when introducing yourself. This way, you can easily forgo of the twisted feel that hyphenated last names often create.
Lastly, the biggest advantage of hyphenating last name after marriage is that you can now safely change your middle name to your maiden name, thus saving yourself from the embarrassment of a horrible middle name!
Conclusion
You may choose to keep your maiden name, hyphenate your current last name, or share a totally new name between the two of you, as per your preference. No matter how serious and important the act of changing your last name, post-marriage, may sound, what really should matter is how happy and loving the marriage ultimately turns out to be. Hence, when you fill in the portion in the application for your marriage license, keep in mind that at the end of the day, it will all be about the life that you are choosing to share together in the coming years.
After all, there’s a lot in a name!
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