Wedding Dilemma: The Name Change

Finding the man of your dreams, having him propose to you, and planning a wedding were difficult enough. Now you have another major decision to make: whether to change your name. These days, changing your last name upon marriage is no longer a given. There are many reasons to keep the name you have. Here are some things to take into consideration when making this very important decision.

Convenience:
Keeping your own name will make your life easier in some ways, and more difficult in others. By not changing your name, you don't have to worry about getting a new driver's license, and changing your name with every company you have ever dealt with including PayPal, Ebay, Visa, your favorite internet forums, and your favorite online shopping websites. The list of name change notifications you may have to make could be in the hundreds.

Convenience, The Flip Side:
On the other hand, not changing your name will confuse a lot of people after you are married. People will not always be sure that you are indeed married, and may not know how to address your spouse. Since I did not change my name, the postman refers to my spouse as "your husband, or whatever."

Your Children:
When you have children, you will face a whole new dilemma if you have not changed your name. Either you children will have a different name than you, a different name than your husband, or a hyphenated hybrid.

Professional Reasons:
If you have a career, and are not fresh out of college, chances are you have spent some time building a professional network of contacts. It may become difficult for clients and job contacts to track you down if your name is suddenly not the same.

Attractiveness of the Name:
The unfortunate reality is that nice-sounding may affect people's perception of you. If you have always hated your last name, getting married may be the perfect chance to start over with a new, attractive name. On the other hand, not liking your new spouse's name could also factor into your decision. If it is a name that you will spend the rest of your life trying to teach people how to pronounce, you could save yourself a lot of aggravation by just keeping your own.