Mrs. and Mrs. plus one

Name change after I do's

Getting married is a decision only two people can make. There are multiple factors that considered before, during and after the marriage takes place. One factor for our marriage was the last name exchange.

When the wife and I went to sign the marriage license we had to make the decision who was going to take whose last name. We thought about this for some time before this. Especially since we have a son, we wanted this decision be easier for all around.

So there we were in the office ready to make a decision on the last name exchange form. I made the decision to take my wife’s last name. We came to this decision because our son has her last name and this would eliminate any future issues if I were to take him anywhere.

Here we are six months later, the three Chandler’s. It sounds like the three amigo’s. The decision to take her last name was easy, but after the marriage was done came the name change paperwork. This is when the real fun began.

I had to change everything: social security, driver’s license, school information, bank account information, medical information, email, contact information, and all kinds of information just to be the new Mrs. Chandler.

When deciding whose name to take, or whether to keep your name or not be sure to consider your children or the future children you may have. This could ultimately determine the difficulty you may or may not face.  

Blog by Melissa Chandler