Making it legal...

It’s not like I haven’t done this before lets be perfectly honest here. I have changed my name a time or maybe even two but it seems that this time around has been a lot more difficult! You know men never have to lift a finger when it comes to getting married or changing their names they just show up and say I do. Us ladies on the other hand have to run a marathon from the day we say yes till at least a few years down the road when we still are tossing the mail from the mailbox thinking to ourselves if they don’t know by now it isn’t important.

The last time I changed my name it was rather simple I showed proof of my name change, in this case my divorce papers and bam everything with the exception of my work assigned email was updated. Sure there were a few loose ends here and there that took a little work and the ones that I really didn’t care about but this time around I really have my work cut out for me. Ladies, really think about this name change business before you lovingly accept to take your husbands last name. I say this in all sincerity, really! This statement comes from my heart because I not only WANT this last name out of love but also because I am getting a super awesome and frankly REAL last name not one that people often confuse for my first name all of the time. Yippee!!!!  With that being said my head still hurts from all of the lists I am continuing to work through to get my name changed not only for personal use but in my professional life as well.

I did ask for help in this matter and thank goodness there are some very helpful resources out there or I may have really been lost. I didn’t however consider that when you have an established career that is splashed from print to the web this could be such a “mess” to clean up but we will get to that later. The obvious first step in actually changing your name would be to file your marriage license so you can say you are married and officially have a new name, right. The tough part is over, you made it down the aisle you survived the stress of the big day, nothing happened to the important piece of paper during that awesome party, good job! Now, don’t run to the office next door to change your driver’s license like an idiot (me) that’s not the “proper” order. The social security office controls everything you see and you must go there first and then wait 24 hours before showing up at the dreaded DMV to make the proper change there. So now you are pretty proud of yourself aren’t you? Plan on traveling after your wedding? Hope you didn’t do any of those if you leave the country or you thought ahead and applied for a new passport with your new name in advance. If not you get to stay, sorry.

Please consider the following items when changing your name, insurance, all of them, doctors, all of them, bills, all of those too! What about professional licenses, business cards, email addresses, post office, bank accounts, credit cards, utility company, mortgage company, beneficiary and wills and other legal documents need to be updated as well. For me personally I will have all of these plus several professional organizations, licensing boards, print and social media outlets that will have to update all of my information. I look forward to the day that I will receive mail in only one name! It truly is the little things in life, I keep saying it and it’s true! Good luck ladies!