Changing name to match marriage certificate

No, it doesn't affect the legality of the marriage. It just may cause some confusion down the line.

^Did you change your mind?

No I didn't change my mind. It was just a question I had because I have a couple friends who said they would be changing their name when they applied for the marriage license but then just never did it. It's a huge pain in the butt! It took me 3 1/2 hours at the social security office alone. I can see how it can be daunting. So it just got me thinking wether it really matters.

I personally didn't have issues with the name change process. I was fortunate at the social security office and the DMV, and everything else fell into place. I could see how that might cause problems down the road when documents don't have matching names.

Our certificate has my maiden name. I've changed it with SS which was thankfully easy. I completed the paperwork and took it with me. Worst part was the wait (maybe about 15 mins). Haven't done the DMV yet because my work hours and theirs don't match very well. Was able to change it at the bank with just marriage cert. Changed it with my HR. Also haven't been too up on it. I'm hyphenating so it's not a major change.

What state are you in? Here in MN the license that gets signed at the wedding by your officiant gets mailed to the state. When you get it back, that paper becomes the legal document you need to prove that you are now Annie Jones, not Annie Smith. So if your officiant signed it (which I assumed he or she did) you may have already changed your name! And take it from someone who has done this before: change your SS card asap. The first time I marred I dragged my feet....then the IRS came calling and asked: "Who are you?" lol! And they were not that nice about it. I dread having to change that card again so I feel your pain.

@bluevelvet- Its the same in CA as far as marriage license but you still have to inform everyone you changed your name. If you don't tell SS or DMV or the bank then it's basically like it didn't happen. I was just curious what could happen. A friend of mine never got around to changing her name on anything except the certificate. So far there hasn't been any problems. That was 10 years ago.

I would just buck up and do it, despite how big of a pain it is, because as bluevelvet mentioned, I wouldn't want to run into issues down the line with having legal documents that state my name as two different things.

Just because your friend hasn't had issues doesn't mean you won't. If you never get around to changing your name then you don't legally have the same last name as your SO. When you sign a mortgage or buy a car you provide your license not a marriage license. If you want your husbands last name then legally change it. If you don't, then you shouldn't have signed with his last name on the marriage license. My FSIL didn't want to take her husbands last name so she just signed her name on the license. This is a decision you need to make and talk about with your husband.

Nothing happens. Your legal name is still your legal name until you change it with the government (SS card, driver's license, etc.) I filled out the Surname After Marriage part of our license with H's last name but didn't actually change my name until about a year after our wedding because I was in the middle of applying to law school and we were moving--I didn't see the point in getting new licenses twice in a year and it would have confused the admissions process because I had already taken the LSAT under my maiden name. I've listed my name on all our tax filings for the past 3 years as First Maiden Last because some things (stock that I've had since I was a baby, health insurance) were still under my maiden name. This will be the first year that everything's changed over.

I have this question too because I decided not to change my name after all. I started the process of changing it but felt an overwhelming sense of loss and anxiety about it I had not expected. Im in CA and wrote to the county clerk office and they were not helpful. They said the legitimatly did not know if it matters legally or not.