Comments (26)

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  I just got married 6 months ago and it took forever to change my name! Slow paper work.... so keep on them! But emotionally, changing my name was fine. I kept my maiden name on Facebook and added my new last name (so my old friends were not confused and new ones could fine me), but I don't use both as my legal names. I am going to be a teacher so I was excited to change my name to something simpler (kowalski -> watson). Just writing that makes me feel warm and tingling. It's like one of the greatest signs of affection. (some might say possession, but I don't see it that way.) We did argue over if I should be a Ms. or Mrs. at school. I don't feel old enough to be a Mrs.! but at the same time, it's kind of nice too and it might help me get more seniority, at least from my students. I am 23 by the way. ;-) good luck with all your wedding planning! Let me know if you need any help. Report Spam Posted by megawats at 8:17 AM on 11/22/08

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  LOL.I NO.CUTE AND CHUBBY Report Spam Posted by hancutie261 at 8:24 AM on 11/22/08

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  I've been married for 7 years now. And yes, it was difficult. I recall telling my hubby that it seemed like a death to me. It was such a part of my identity and I am very close to my family too so it felt as though that part of me was leaving. Even though I was happy to be married there was a time I "mourned" my old name, by getting nostalgic about it from time to time. After a while, you get acclimated to the new name and after awhile it becomes your identity too (especially when you have children together). Nothing really changes about you or your ties with your family - I think it's just an adjustment in how we think about ourselves. :) Good luck with your wedding! Report Spam Posted by weslee at 9:26 AM on 11/22/08

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  I'm not married, but i've already thought about name changing. I would want to keep my last name. My mom mentioned i could always do the hyphen thing if i was set on keeping my last name. As in Slither-Carrick. Just another option. Hope your wedding goes wonderful!! Report Spam Posted by ashleydoom at 9:29 AM on 11/22/08

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  P.S. Your guinea pig is SO adorable! Report Spam Posted by weslee at 9:30 AM on 11/22/08

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  I'm not married yet, but I will be so happy to change my last name to a simpler one. It is sad in a way though because I am one of the few left with my last name. Report Spam Posted by quebebran at 9:53 AM on 11/22/08

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  Hi!I just got married in August and so I'm still going thru all the paperwork, lines, fees and applications to get my name changed over - Yuck! I have to say that it does feel a little strange to be taking the name of my husband's family. His family is GREAT so it's not that but...I do find myself wanting to know more about this new last name, especially as I am so familiar with the history of my maiden name (I am writing a book for my father about his life so it really hits home to be changing names). All-in-all, I'm happy to be now included in a wider family of people with wonderful lives! Like Weslee above mentioned, my identity will be stronger when we have children together! A beautiful thought!Enjoy your wedding! PS...we posted our wedding pictures on Smugmug. For a small yearly fee you can post hundreds of pictures. You can order prints from the site for really reasonable prices and choose to pass those prices onto your family who may want pictures too. I have seen professional photographers use this site but mark the prices up drastically so having your own subscription allows you to set your own price! Report Spam Posted by gleaming1 at 10:26 AM on 11/22/08

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  Ok first off, yay for the cute guinea pig! I love his roly, poly tummy! My guinea pig, Boo, is a little chub, too :DAs for getting married and changing my name, it's a lot of paperwork but I think it's worth it. I tried to get everything done ASAP-I got married on October 15th and I already have my new license, SS card, passport, bank name/card/checks, car title name, etc etc. Whew. Name changing is no cakewalk! ;) I didn't have any emotional trouble changing my name, but a big part of that is that I've been having some issues with my father lately, and since he's the 'source' of my maiden name, I wanted to distance myself a bit. Plus, I like my married name and it's an easy one, so it works for me. I thought about doing the hyphen thing, and my hubby actually offered to take my name, but I didn't want to complicate matters.Happy wedding! And good luck changing your name, if that's what you decide to do! :) Report Spam Posted by maliciousgnome at 10:41 AM on 11/22/08

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  I'm getting married in July; I thought about doing the hyphenated thing but it just doesn't sound right- my last name is Garvey and his is Ketterman so....Kristy Garvey-Ketterman....just sounds odd! lol Anyway I think I've decided to take his last name. I've heard that doing the hyphenated thing can get a bit complicated with diff. types of paperwork and official things. Plus, then my name would be Kristy Ketterman, kinda cute right? (His name is Kyle, heh) Report Spam Posted by kristy_k at 11:08 AM on 11/22/08

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  I'm getting married next year, I'm well known for my last name, my family is all very proud of it etc. But I'm just really excited and thrilled to become an Andermann. To me it's gaining something new to be proud of. You'll always still be a Sliter, don't worry. In my family we say we are our last name, because of our distinct personalities etc. & I know those traits won't change even if I get married. =] Report Spam Posted by prettykerosene at 11:32 AM on 11/22/08

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  That graphic is so funny lisa... I have two first names also, and i took my hubby last name because i also had 2 last names lol So no my name is shorter no , i just have a first name and a last name... wich is cool... Report Spam Posted by marliw at 11:35 AM on 11/22/08

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  You'll come naturally to hearing your new name. Trust me. And, oh, how do I love thee Gus? Let me count the ways... ;-) Report Spam Posted by vntgbabe at 11:45 AM on 11/22/08

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  congrats! :) good question. when i got married (in 2001), i didn't think too hard about it. i mean, it did take getting used to - just like saying, "my husband" or "my wife"! lol i liked my full name prior to marriage, but it still sounded fine with his last name too (& i wanted his name to be a part of mine anyway). my solution was to drop my original middle name & move my maiden name to it's place (ie i was SLH pre-marriage, now i'm SHF - & i use the new, FULL, version most of the time).i'm not hyphenated though which throws people off b/c they think they need to put the "-" in there (even my mom does this & i've told her 1000 times, no!). lol as far as i recall, it wasn't a big deal in terms of paperwork - i thought it was fairly simple - done via mail - but maybe it's different for different states (& that was over 7yrs ago so things could have changed too). *shrugs* at any rate, i love my new name & am happy i took it! ♥ =] Report Spam Posted by shananc at 11:53 AM on 11/22/08

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  Hey girlie! So I've been married for a lil over two and a half years now. I was actually excited to change my last name! I'd been in love with my husband for years, so finally sharing his last name meant so much to me. It was one of the things that tied us together. Even before we were married, in my letters to him, I'd sign my name with his last name for fun.. Lol.. Anyway, it's custom for my maiden name to become my middle name, so I still had a piece of my family with me. But yea.. I'm proud of having his name! Oh, and I have two first names too!! So do my siblings and my cousins, it's a Filipino thing, lol. So my whole first name is Elizabeth Maryrose! Makes my name on my social security card reallyyyy long. Lol.. I never use the second name, but I liked it so I kept it. =) I feel my second name also makes me who I am! My parents used to have a license plate that said elizmr. Lol. Consider keeping your second name, tho I never knew it was hillbilly-ish.. Lol.. But it's rare to have a second name so you're unique, and it's part of your identity too =) Report Spam Posted by lizzieizzie at 11:54 AM on 11/22/08

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  I like Garvey-Ketterman, actually!I've thought about this as well. I'm pretty independent and changing my last name kind of freaks me out, but at the same time I would want to take my husband's last name! Parts of me are traditional but parts really are not at all.I wanted a beautiful black wedding dress and red roses everywhere except my boquet would be like white lillies or something and all my bridesmaids would wear white or red or something like that, and my boyfriend thinks its crazy! He is like no way, white dress, the end. He feels the same about a hyphenated name.Of course 1.We're def not talking about getting married. And 2. I don't care what he says. (:I guess it's all circumstancial! Report Spam Posted by lindsayryan at 12:02 PM on 11/22/08

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  I don't really have an attachment to names and I don't think they have to define us. They're just useful ways to differentiate one person from another without using SSNs. My father and I are estranged so getting rid of something that connects us is a bonus. I'm really close to my mother's family and people frequently refer to all of us by that family name so I wouldn't worry that people would stop referring to you as the little Sliter if you do decide to make the change. Report Spam Posted by alicatstrut at 1:12 PM on 11/22/08

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  When I got married, I was excited to take his name. When I got divorced, seven years later, I wanted to keep my married name because I wanted the same last name as my son and also because it's a part of me,...of who I am. When I asked him if I could keep his name....he said "sure...as long as you keep it out of the newspaper." lol Thankfully, he & I get a long really well. When my current fiance & I get married, I am going to hyphenate the two...so I will still have the same last name as my son..or at least part of it. Report Spam Posted by pinkdaizy at 1:41 PM on 11/22/08

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  Oh...your guinea pig is really cute...i used to have one a long time ago but he peed all over the carpet. I like that you have 2 first names....it's different. :) Congratulations...i hope your wedding is every thing you've dreamed of! :) Report Spam Posted by pinkdaizy at 1:48 PM on 11/22/08

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  I'm not tied to my last name (as I'm not close to my dad or his family) so I'll be happy to change it when I get married. The only thing I'll miss is how my first name and last name "flow," but I can get over that. Congrats on the wedding! Report Spam Posted by mamor at 2:20 PM on 11/22/08

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  Haha I saw this graphic and thought of this post!MyHotComments Report Spam Posted by lizzieizzie at 7:35 PM on 11/22/08

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  It was hard for me cause my hubby's name was long, hard to pronounce and even harder to learn how to spell!!! But I totally understand about the identity thing---while it is true the both of you will lose a small part of your respective selves, you will also be gaining a new part--- a fusion of "Us"... Yes, it's a bit scary (at first) but also quite exciting! Report Spam Posted by chryssy67 at 8:22 AM on 11/23/08

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  i'm not married, but i think that you should only change your name if you want to. if you're uncomfortable with it, don't do it. Report Spam Posted by xxchokeonhappinessxx at 3:57 PM on 11/23/08

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  I just got married a year ago today (!) and I'm proud that I kept my married name and added my husband's name. He's Cuban, and I'm Anglo, so it felt weird for me to drop my last name and use only his, like I would have an entirely different identity. So my new last name is Donaldson-Lopez, which is a handful when you add my full first name of Jacqueline. It took several months for me to remember to say both last names and sometimes I just use his last name when I don't need to identify myself properly--Jackie Lopez is short and simple enough for others to remember. But in my work and other professional/legal situations, I am proud to use my hyphenated last name. Report Spam Posted by maxandevelyn at 9:46 PM on 11/23/08

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  I couldn't deal with the decision at the time and now its 2 months later I still havent; decided - I thought I would jump at the chance but it seems like quite a big deal now. sorry, no help to you am i! best of luck. Report Spam Posted by shibuya_baby_jewels at 1:50 AM on 11/24/08

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  I am someone who didn't change their name and I regret it. My Father is the one that didn't want me to change my last name....it didn't seem like a big deal to me, but now that I have children I would like to have the same name as they do. I plan on changing it to match the rest of my family :) I didn't have the option of the hyphenated name Esposito-Paradiso just doesn't work (two long Italian names) ! Report Spam Posted by tespo13 at 8:41 AM on 11/26/08

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  My surname is long (Barkhordarian) and adding my fiance's surname (Hartley) makes my whole name 37 characters long. It doesn't fit on so many forms as it is, let alone adding another surname! I cannot wait to be Mrs Hartley, but I don't really want to let go of my name. I am fiercely proud of my family and my heritage, and while I adore my fiance's family, I don't want my surname to disappear. It's uncommon as it is, without me getting rid of it. Plus, my fiance doesn't want me to keep my name, he's quite traditional. When we have kids, they will have his surname, but he thinks it distances me from the family (rubbish!). I'm in the same place as you, confusion! Good luck x Report Spam Posted by x0xsharicex0x at 8:18 AM on 01/17/09