What would you do? If you always imagined changing your name to your partner’s surname once you got married … but it makes it a little difficult if your name is Ashley Martin and their name is Kyle Ashley! Surely you wouldn’t change your name to Ashley Ashley… or would you?
Bride to be Shannon shared this exact conundrum in forum WeddingBee:
“My first name (Shannon) is my fiance’s last name. We have dated for 9 years and will be getting married next year, so I guess I need to finally face the decision of what I will do. Honestly, it never bothered me even when people made jokes. His last name didn’t matter to me because I love him.
I am not sure if I want to change my last name or hyphenate or something else. My last name is longer than his, but its only two syllables, so it’s not too much of a mouthful. Others have suggested changing my first name or going by my middle name, but I couldn’t imagine being called by another name and I like my first name.
I would like to have the same last name as my future children, but I am not against keeping my last name. We don’t have any family or religious restrictions, so the choice is mine.
Has anyone else been in this situation? Also would love some thoughts on how to navigate this in the ceremony. Is it okay for them to announce my name then his followed by our last?”
These are our solutions for Shannon and any other engaged couple facing this issue:
- Have her spouse change their name to her maiden name
- Come up with a new last name together
- Just rock it and be Shannon Squared
- Be like Cher and drop the last name altogether!
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