Should I change my last name?

You are not legally bound to do so. It is up to you. If you do so you will need the registered marriage certificate from the Burths Deaths and Marruages.

Totally up to you! There’s no right or wrong answer — just whatever feels right for you. Some people love the tradition, others prefer to keep their name for personal or professional reasons, and some even combine or hyphenate. If you’re unsure, you can always wait and decide later — there’s no deadline. Hope this helps. Mark 

This is totally a personal choice! It's optional and not a legal requirement.

And it's not even something you have to worry about before or during your wedding ceremony. It's something you can decide after you're married and then go to the Births, Deaths & Marriages in your state or territory to apply to change your name. 

It's totally normal to take your partner's name (either the groom or sometimes the bride's surname), to keep your own name or to come up with a new surname altogether! Good luck! 

It's a really good question. Thank you for asking it. 

As has already been said, the choice is yours and there is no right answer, except that which you decide.

The good news is you don't have to make up your mind straight away as it  is not  time critical 

Take some time to think it over and the right decision will come to you.

That is entirely your choice and is no longer the 'norm' strictly speaking because many couples are keeping their original names.

Once you marry in Australia, either party can take the other's surname or you can join with a hyphen in either order.

You can start using your new name straight away but banks, insurers and the passport office etc. will want to see a copy fo your Offcial Marriage Certificate from the BDM (so not the legal one issued at your ceremony). 

You will still be free to revert to your birth name at any time unless you go through a legal name change, which is different from a change of name by marriage.

If you marry overseas, though, you will have to go through a legal name change and cannot then revert to your birth name without another legal name change.

I'd say that many if not most brides seem to still change their surname; although the practice seems to be far less popular than it was, around 30 years ago and more. It's a traditional thing to do in Western culture but it is certainly not a cultural "requirement". A lot of brides nowadays decide to keep their birth surname for various reasons, for example because they are well known by that surname in their professional environment, etc - and if they changed it, they fear they may lose recognition or awareness. It makes sense if your surname is part of your personal "brand". 

In my experience, many if not most husbands would probably prefer that their bride change surname to match, based on the tradition and in a way, perhaps, it's flattering or "honouring" to the husband.

Should you change your surname? It's not my place to say. How do you feel about it? How does your husband to be feel about it? It's worth a discussion. You can elect to change your surname or equally, elect to retain your birth/pre-married surname. It's up to you!

Once married, you can continue to use your maiden name, you can drop your maiden name and use your husband’s instead, or you can add your husband’s surname to your own in any order and separate the names with either a hyphen or space.

There’s no ‘registration’ of your preferred married name, and no strict timeline to make the change. If you do intend to change names it is much easier to get all your accounts and identification changed over within a few weeks, as you may have issues if you need to prove your identity.

Once you receive your Births, Deaths, and Marriages official marriage certificate you’ll need to contact all the necessary authorities and companies to request your name to be changed. You can do it yourself with a good checklist, or search online for a name change kit to get all your paperwork prepared.

If you have decided to change ypur name, the only official document you need to get started is your official marriage certificate from Births, Deaths and Marriages in the State where you were married. You can’t use the ceremonial certificate issued on the day as it is missing certain security features.

There are 3 types of marriage certificate — official, commemorative and ceremonial. Only an official marriage certificate can be used for identification purposes and proof of name change through marriage. The ceremonial marriage certificate given to you by your registered celebrant or registered minister of religion is not official. You can't use it to prove your relationship. Should you need a copy of your official marriage certificate with the Attorney Generals seal on it and other security features, you can apply for it at your Births Deaths and Marriages agency.

Make a checklist of the companies then set aside a few hours to do all the research. Your list should include identification (driver license, passport), insurance (home, car, health, life), utilities (water, electricity, gas), banks, credit cards, superannuation, rewards (shopping, travel), online (PayPal, ebay, Facebook). You’ll also need around half a day to complete any forms, write letters and send emails as required.

Enjoy your research and if you need any help, contact your celebrant, I am sure they will be happy to provide advice and contacts to assist.

In Australia, a bride is not legally required to change her surname when getting married. It’s entirely a personal choice. When you marry, you can keep your current surname, take your spouse’s surname, or even create a new combined surname if you both agree.

The marriage certificate itself doesn’t automatically change your name—it just records the details of the marriage.

If you do decide to change your surname, you’ll need to update it with various institutions like the Australian Taxation Office, banks, and for your driver’s licence or passport. For official documents such as a passport, you can use your marriage certificate as evidence of the name change, but you’ll still need to apply for the update.

It’s all up to what feels right for you! :)

Hello and thanks for your question which is very valid because many people want to know about changing their surname or family name upon marrying.

The short answer is you don't have to, unless you and your partner really want to. 

The act of getting married (in NSW) does not change your name. 

If your question is regarding the signing of the documents on the day of your marriage ceremony, then you should sign all documentation on the day, and in all processes leading up to your marriage ceremony, as it appears on all your identifying documents.

Travel arrangements, passport applications, visa applications, anything official, should all be made in your existing name until such time as you actually go through the process of changing your name officially through your relevant government body.

The process of applying to change your surname in NSW can be found by asking your search engine 'change name after marriage in NSW'

I hope this helps.

Warmest wishes

Sandie x

Hi there!  Just popping in to help with your question around changing your name after marriage.

The good news is, anyone who marries can choose to take their spouse’s surname, but it’s totally optional and not legally required.

If you do want to make the switch, you’ll need to get your official certificate of marriage from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in your state or territory, current $55 (just a heads-up: the certificate you received on your wedding day is ceremonial and won’t be accepted by most government agencies).

You’ll find all the official info laid out in the Happily Ever Before and After brochure (page 3) your celebrant would’ve provided, it’s a super handy guide that covers all of this in more detail! 

Hope that helps, and congratulations! 

Here's the link too for ease:
https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/happily-ever-before-and-after.pdf
Purchasing you Marriage Certificate - example link for WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or you can go to your local courthouse with your ID and purchase it there. In regional areas, it is usually your local police station that doubles as the local court house too.
https://www.wa.gov.au/service/justice/civil-law/apply-marriage-certificate