When do you change your name? - The PASH Wedding Forums and Message Boards

Mrs.Levitt · #1 03-06-2006, 11:20 PM

I am planning on changing my last name to his. When do I do this. Some people say I should be doing it a few months before the wedding so once we are married all my stuff is already changed. Others say I CANT do it until after the wedding. Our state allows us to put in our marriage license application 6 months prior (i will to mine maybe 3 months prior) and alot of people are saying once thats in i should change stuff.

im so confused...please help

Heather · #2 03-06-2006, 11:29 PM

For most things you can't do it until after the wedding. The DMV, some credit cards and the social security office ALL need to see a copy of your official marriage certificate. (Not your marriage license. All that says is that you have permission to get married. The certificate says you are married.)

Lizbet · #3 03-07-2006, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heather

For most things you can't do it until after the wedding.

That is unless you want to pay extra to go through the court system and legally change your name prior to the wedding. In my opinion it's not worth it.

Just wait and do it after. The only thing is that if you are going on your honeymoon right after the wedding, you'll have to make travel arangements in your maiden name, because you won't have time to get it changed before the trip and all of your official ID will still be in your maiden name.

BTW, glad to have you back! (I haven't seen any posts from you in a while.)

ljeagle · #4 03-07-2006, 12:21 AM

When I was getting married b-4 and we was going on a cruise I had to put every thing in my maiden name. They would not allow us to do it ahead of time with out going through the courts to get my name changed.

Marge129 · #5 03-07-2006, 01:27 AM

I changed mine after we were married because I had to have my marriage license to prove the name change. I didn't know it was possible to do before the wedding.

555Ann555 · #6 03-07-2006, 01:32 AM

I'll not be changing mine until after we're married...

We booked the honeymoon in my maiden name, that way if the wedding doesn't go according to plan I'll still be able to run away to NYC

Mrs.Levitt · #7 03-07-2006, 01:19 PM

Thanks for all the input. You guys make so much more sense than people around work. lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lizbet

BTW, glad to have you back! (I haven't seen any posts from you in a while.)

Yeah I was outta town for a bit and then we had company staying with us for a few weeks, its been crazed around here but im back in wedding mode now.

wedbyjean · #8 03-07-2006, 04:06 PM

Quote:

The only thing is that if you are going on your honeymoon right after the wedding, you'll have to make travel arangements in your maiden name, because you won't have time to get it changed before the trip and all of your official ID will still be in your maiden name.

The same goes for airline tickets. This has to be in your maiden name as well, so it matches your ID.

TheaterDiva1 · #9 03-07-2006, 04:09 PM

Theoretically, you can start using your married name immediately. As for legally changing it, you first need the marriage certificate, which you take to DMV, Social Security, etc. With credit cards, you may have to fax proof of name change.

For our honeymoom, I had to do everything with my maiden name as well - when we booked it, I had no way of getting a passport, etc. with the new name beforehand.

roseprincess · #10 03-07-2006, 04:43 PM

I just legally changed mine, almost three years after the wedding. Since I wasn't dropping my maiden name, just hyphenating it with his, it wasn't a very big deal to me. But it's a PITA with some places, because they go by whatever is on record at the Social Security office. So in order for me to get a new driver's license and some other stuff done right, I finally went to the SS office and had them drop my mother's maiden name and add DH's to mine with a hyphen. LOL, I thought the guy would ask me why I waited so long but he didn't.

SuzyBride · #11 03-07-2006, 11:16 PM

I changed mine the week after the wedding. I had to have our marriage license to change everything, even credit cards I had to fax a copy. We went on a cruise a week after the wedding and all my travel stuff was in my maiden name.

Kim&Bob2004 · #12 03-08-2006, 12:21 AM

At the bank when we got a joint account I changed it, that was about 10 days after the wedding. Soc Security was about 3 months afterwards (taxes reasons), and my DL was a LONG time after. I have never heard of people doing it before. The only thing that made me change my DL was plane tickets in my married name. LAZY I KNOW!!!!!!!!

michaelsbride · #13 03-08-2006, 12:30 AM

on the same note and not meaning to HJ your thread but how long does it take to get the marriage certificate back? I need to get on his insurance ASAP for medical stuff and a single day dropped from my current insurance would be a tragedy!

Mrs.Levitt · #14 03-08-2006, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelsbride

on the same note and not meaning to HJ your thread but how long does it take to get the marriage certificate back? I need to get on his insurance ASAP for medical stuff and a single day dropped from my current insurance would be a tragedy!

Good question, I d like to hear that answer too

Lizbet · #15 03-08-2006, 03:02 PM

It really depends on the state. Ours was in our mailbox when we got back from the honeymoon (10 days after the ceremony). But, I've heard that it can take longer other places.

Marrying_the_Good_Husband · #16 03-08-2006, 03:32 PM

I guess I would ask the town office where you file the certificate.

Marge129 · #17 03-08-2006, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelsbride

on the same note and not meaning to HJ your thread but how long does it take to get the marriage certificate back?

I had to go pick mine up... it wasn't sent automatically.

Kim&Bob2004 · #18 03-08-2006, 05:56 PM

Ours was here when we got back from our honeymoon. HOWEVER, we didn't have to show a MC to get me put on Bob's insurance. He just told them he was married and there was a change in status form or something, no biggie.....

SuzyBride · #19 03-08-2006, 08:50 PM

Different places do it defferent ways. Our marriage license and marriage certificate are one in the same. We got it a few days before the wedding, got married, got it signed and all that, took it back, they typed some stuff on it, and handed it right back to us. It seems that this is not the norm though.

DragonYoga · #20 05-18-2006, 06:28 PM

Not to HJ this thread, but Suzy, you live in the same town as my best friend, the one whose wedding I was the MoH in...

ANYHOO...! I'm a bit confused now. I know it costs to legally change the name if you're not married, but it costs nothing after marriage? I didn't know that. Just a proof of marriage, and presto, it's done?

ladedah · #21 05-18-2006, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonYoga

ANYHOO...! I'm a bit confused now. I know it costs to legally change the name if you're not married, but it costs nothing after marriage? I didn't know that. Just a proof of marriage, and presto, it's done?

That's how mine was...except for the cost of the marriage license...which we had to pay in cash.

Suzy, ours was the same way....once the marriage license was signed we were given a copy...and I changed all of my stuff with that...we haven't even gotten our actual certificate yet and it's been almost a month...

DragonYoga · #22 05-18-2006, 06:51 PM

Hmm. 258... thanks!

ERP.. Deafese. sorry! Signing "very interesting" literally uses the numbers 258...

*shuts up*

ljeagle · #23 05-18-2006, 06:57 PM

I just called and mine ours is ready to pick up.

ladedah does your town send them to u are do u have to go pick them up. We have to pay $5 for a certified copy of it. Any thing for the county to get a dime.

ljeagle · #24 05-18-2006, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonYoga

Hmm. 258... thanks!

ERP.. Deafese. sorry! Signing "very interesting" literally uses the numbers 258...

*shuts up*

You lost me what are u talking about women.

Complicated Woman · #25 05-18-2006, 07:13 PM

She's talking about sign language. I guess when she is typing to her deaf friends, 258 is shorthand for very interesting but it doesn't mean anything in the hearing world, so she called it deaf-ese.

Am I right?