AisleDash

The name-change dilemma can be one of the most stressful things you deal with when you get married. You start mixing middle names, last names, hyphenated names in a last ditch attempt to not leave any important names off the family tree. Now maybe you're pulling your hair out. Here are some brides discussing the pros and cons of each different option and some things to consider when thinking about your name.

1. Will sharing your husband's name make you feel like a more unified couple and/or family? To some couples it's important to share one name, and these days it can be yours or his. To others, family is not about names and it's more important to hold on to a part of your identity that represents who you were before and outside of marriage.
2. Do you like your name (and does he like his)? Some names are cumbersome and difficult, which can either make them all the more endearing or all the more frustrating. Consider whether you've always felt neutral (or worse) about your name or if it's a unique part of what makes you yourself.
3. Do logistics get you down? Let's face it. Although even the most remote and backward communities are starting to get used to members of one family having more than one name, most forms you'll have to fill out were created way back in the one-name era and don't really suit the multiple name scenario. Until the form-makers get up-to-date you'll have to get creative. Your mail will be addressed in funny ways and people will constantly get your name wrong. Think about whether you can laugh this off or if it will send you yet again to the medicine cabinet for another aspirin.