Changing Your Name Due to Marriage

Barbados Destination Weddings Onsite Magazine

After the principal commitment of marriage, comes another challenge ... One of the most major changes in a woman's life is the decision to keep or not to keep her maiden name.

There are many factors which may come into play when making this decision, at the end of the day it is an issue which should be discussed extensively between the couple involved, so they can reach a conclusion that they are both comfortable with.

For some women it is an absolute no-no, they have decided from very early that they wish to keep their birth name. This lady would have her reasons, sometimes she may just prefer her own name or alternatively dislike her husbands name or how it sounds with her Christian name or she may just want to retain her own identity. If this is acceptable between the couple and it works, then it is of course your right to do so.

For other couples it is a case of the traditional route, putting forward the case that taking the name of your husband is the ultimate symbol of your bond of unity, thus becoming one.

In another instance, a woman may decide that she would keep her name professionally, opting to use a new marriage name socially. This is often suitable in a situation where a person is widely known by their name before marriage and it would be difficult career wise to change it, for example: in the case of celebrities, high end executives and other professionals, reality stars and personalities etc.

YOUR OPTIONS

You are by no means restricted when it comes to your choice concerning a name for your new life.

The traditional and most widely used is for the woman to change her name to her husband’s; as a result they both use the same name
The new wife can choose to retain her former name
The new wife can use her birth name as a middle name
The couple can use each other's birth name as a middle name
You can opt to hyphenate your maiden name with that of your new husband
Sometimes in the case of a wife coming from a high profile family, the husband may choose to change his name to the wife's family name
You can symbolize the newness of your unity by making a fresh start by choosing a completely new name of which you both can use

The final decision is entirely yours but whatever the outcome, make sure that you're comfortable with it and that it does not cause confusion.

THE PROCESS

There is help available, you can even obtain name change kits online which will help you with the paperwork
and streamline the procedure.

Timing is very important when deciding to change a name due to marriage. If you are leaving immediately for your honeymoon it would be better for you to do the process when you return. It is very important that your documents stream and can also be very expensive trying to change the name on tickets etc. which is really not necessary at this stage. Most of the name changes will require a marriage certificate for legality and that will not be available immediately. However if you're honeymooning some time after the wedding, you may have time to properly deal with the change.

DOCUMENTS AFFECTED

Passport
Drivers license
credit cards, (they would need to match your airline tickets for electronic check-in and hotels or you could use that your husband)
Medical Dr. and other healthcare providers
Insurance agencies
Voter registration
Bank accounts
Business correspondence
Legal issues
Post office
Property issues and titles
Leases
Car loans
Employee records
Investment accounts
Creditors
Utilities
Tax forms
Clubs and memberships
Social Security
Discount clubs
Mortgage

Browse the list to see which issues pertain to you, some are essential if you are changing your name, others are up to your discretion as to whether you want to and how far to take them.

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