Planning a wedding comes with many emotions! You are about to start your most exciting chapter of your life as a married couple. It sounds so fun, right? But do you know what all comes after exchanging vows? Chances are if you are getting married for the first time, you have never changed your name. If you have, that’s great, go onto the next blog! If you haven’t, this blog is a must read for you! Changing your name is a pain, to say the least. One of the most important things is deciding your new last name. Do you want to change your name to your husband's last name? Do you want to keep your maiden name? Do you want to keep your maiden name AND add your husband's last name?
So. Many. Options.
You don’t realize how many things you have to change until you start the process of changing your name. First things first, you need to go to the Social Security Administration office. This is the most time consuming part. What you’ll need to bring: your marriage license AND a government proof of identification. It is best you bring a couple different forms just in case. They will then give you a temporary social security paper to use until your actual card comes in. Next, you’ll need to go to the DMV to update your license and other necessary paperwork. After all this is complete, you can notify your employers, banks for cards and checks, credit card companies, utility companies, post offices, medical records and insurance, etc. If you have any legal documents like a will or trust, you'll need to change the names on there as well. Updating your passport is also important. *You can still travel, but you will need to make sure your passport and airline ticket match.*
Below is a helpful checklist of items you’ll need to get changed:
Legal
Social Security Card
Driver’s License
Vehicle Registration
Car Title
Mortgage/rent
Debit Cards
Credit Cards
Checks
Passport
Personal
Employer
Insurance (home, auto, life, etc)
Doctor office Dentist office
Social Media
Voter Registration
Emails
Utility bills
Deep Breath! You can do it!