The Name Change...

 

 

 

 

I knew it was coming, the moment that you sign on the dotted line stating that you will assume the name of your brand new spouse... but for whatever reason I didn't feel ready.

Now let me clarify exactly what I mean by that before it comes across as me not wanting to take my husbands name.  I grew up in a family where we all had the same surname and I wanted that for myself one day, I have always just had it in my head that I would one day have a different surname when (and if) I got married, I also have a brother so it felt better knowing that someone in my immediate family would be carrying the name on. I had conversations with my now husband about taking his name and my feeling about the whole thing and started making lists about all the items that I would have to change due to the fact that my name was changing. But when I got to the Service Ontario office and picked up the forms that I needed to fill out I started to feel unsure. I can't really explain why,  or really what it was that I was feeling but I guess now that all the hoopla was over with the wedding it was time to get to the official stuff like being called something other than the name I have had ALL my life.  (yes...to me it's a big deal)

Again, like I mentioned in the engagement Shoot post (link here), no one really talks about this stuff in length when it comes to all of the things that go along with getting married... I started to search online for blog posts, articles, talked to friends about the topic and found A LOT of women who had the same feeling that I did and many of them also felt like they couldn't really explain the feeling but knew that there was a bit of a hesitant feeling that developed before starting the process of taking on a new name.

Some felt like they were losing their identity, some felt like they were losing their connection to their immediate family and some just didn't like their spouses surname LOL!
 

So now if we jump to several months later after starting the process of the name change I am much more comfortable with the whole thing but that doesn't guarantee that I will answer to the new name right away LOL.  It is still taking awhile to get used to it and identifying with it but I guess like a lot of other things it is a work in progress.  

Congrats to all of you newlyweds out there and those of you getting ready to start the name change process and can't place that nagging feeling...I get it! ha!