The Name Game

I remember the debate with my husband before we were married regarding the name game. I wanted to hyphenate my maiden and married name and my husband was very adimant that I take his name. I soon realized that I would have six "n"s in my name and that would look like chicken scribble! Honestly, I saw how much it meant to my husband that I accpet his name and eventually let the feminist within subside and accepted his name. The choice is totally up to you AND your husband, but here are some tips for changing your name.

The inside scoop on navigating the name-change process with ease.


Name change is a hot topic these days with both brides and grooms. Do you change your name completely, hyphenate, not change anything or find some way to compromise? We asked Danielle Tate, founder of www.MissNowMrs.com, an online name-change service for brides and newlyweds, what wisdom she would share with couples.


1. Many couples forget to discuss name-change before their weddings, which can lead to some tense newlywed discussions. Take some time prior to your wedding to discuss both of your views on name-change and work together to come up with an acceptable plan.

2. How can you compromise on name-change without hyphenating? Depending on your state of residence you could take your maiden name as a new middle name, elect to have two last names without a hyphen or have your husband change his name.

3. Most brides do not have enough time to change their names before their honeymoon, so avoid potential travel disaster by booking your honeymoon and travel documents in your maiden name or be sure to let your fiancé know that he should.

4. Order two or three certified copies of your marriage certificate after your wedding. You will need these certificates to file many of your name-change forms; waiting for one form to be processed before you file the next form is a huge waste of time. You may also need a copy of your marriage license to travel over seas if the arrangments were made in your married name and you have not changed your driver's license, passport, etc.

5. Don’t be afraid to use a name-change service. www.MissNowMrs.com was designed to guide brides and newlyweds through the entire name-change process while saving them hours of time and filing frustration.

6. Enjoy your new name! Once you’ve made your name-change decision and filed your paperwork, celebrate with a new monogrammed item or stationary. There’s nothing like being a new Mrs!