Mrs. Robin, Portland
Age and Occupation: 26, Client Services Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Professional Poker Play/Options Trader
Engagement Date: September 5, 2007
Wedding Date: January 5, 2008
Blogging Since: November 2, 2007
Venue: Portland Armory
About Me: I am a wine-loving, earring-obsessed foodie who lives in Portland, OR. I design jewelry as a hobby and love to shop for jeans, shoes, and vintage furniture. I am a crazy mix of modern and traditional values, and I can't wait to marry my best friend and see where God will lead our lives together.
Speedy Surname Switching
January 22nd, 2008 @ 1:56 pm by Mrs. Robin
So we are home… well our home until the first week of February when we fly out to start our 6 month trip.
There is exactly one month between our wedding day and the day that we fly out. This posed an interesting dilemma for my name. I just couldn’t see spending six months and not taking Mr. Robin’s name. It is really important to me for us to have the same name because we are one, we are a family. I know that people have many different feelings about this subject and I think all of them have valid points. But for me personally, it was a priority.
So instead of waiting six months… marathon name change session! We are due to leave for the honeymoon in the evening the Monday after the wedding, so I have several hours. I grab an expanding file with all identifying documents and papers and room for more. This will be a day that you collect paper.
1. Marriage License – 10:30AM
This is the key to name changing. You need a certified copy to show the DMV, Social Security, bank, etc, and another copy that you can send the passport office.
While getting your marriage license, find out how fast you can get a certified copy after the ceremony. For example, in the state of Oregon your ceremony officiant usually mails the license in after the wedding. Well, we couldn’t wait for the US Postal Service, so my maid of honor took it and placed it into my bags and then we drove to the license office on Monday morning (before taking off on the honeymoon) and turned it in ourselves.
Also, before the wedding I found the layout of the government offices in Portland that were near the County marriage office. Then, after we got copies of the marriage license with its seal of approval, we didn’t have to go far in between stops.
2. Social Security – 11 AM
I decided to do the offices in order of most likely horrible and get easier. So Social Security first. I don’t want to insult anyone at the office, they were polite, helpful and efficient. But it was still about an hour and a half before I walked out Mrs. Robin in the eyes of Social Security.
3. DMV - 12:45 PM
The weak point of my plan, if I had planned better I would know that the DMV I chose, while close to the other offices, was in fact closed on Mondays. Grr.
4. Passport – 1:45 PM
To prepare for this I had filled out the renewal forms online and printed them out. This is wise, so there will be no misspellings or mistakes due to my poor handwriting.
Walgreen’s in the Northwest takes passport photos and will have them for you in about fifteen minutes. So I get the obligatory unflattering pics and head over to the Main Eastside Post Office (fyi, they also take pics there) and I wait in line. The woman who works here is super-helpful. Since I need my passport fast, we overnight and expedite the forms.
5. Bank – 3:30 PM
The second place that the plan breaks down… The line goes out the door and around the corner. Mr. Robin (who has been patiently shadowing me for moral support) tells me that his dad wants to see us at 5:30 before he flies out. Sigh. I am not going to make it to another DMV.
So I finished up the day we got back from the honeymoon, with that final piece. I have no credit cards to change, so now, fourteen days after the wedding there is only Mrs. Robin!
13 Responses to “Speedy Surname Switching”
I’m in the middle of doing this: so far only the SS card has been changed, which means I can officially change the other stuff!
Could you change your name at the bank without having a valid driver’s license with your new name? How about cell phone bills and all that other good stuff?
I’m dying about all this, which is why I’m asking. Also: does the DMV need us to take new photos?
This was so helpful!
Thanks for the great info!
Mrs. Kiwi, I can only speak to my experience, but my cell phone company (Verizon) just took my word for it when my husband and I combined our plans, and I changed my name on the plan, no need for the marriage license or a license.
Many of my credit cards just had me call in and tell them the correct spelling of the new name and mailed a new card to me.
My student loan companies (if this pertains to you) asked for a photo copy of the marriage license.
The DMV will ask for the license AND requires you to take a new picture ( a lesson learned at the behalf of my poor friend, who had shown up looking less than glamourous, assuming she wouldn’t need a picture taken!).
Hope that helps!
oh, one more thing: the bank just asked the proper spelling of my new name when the hubs and I opened joint accounts, never requiring to see the marriage license or a driver’s license
How fast do you anticipate getting your passport?
I’m wondering about this because Mr. Jasmine and I are attending a wedding in London 2 months after we get married. I want to change my name right away, but I’m wondering if we’ll have issues getting my passport in time.
What about your airline tickets? Are they in your new or old name?
Wow! Impressive! Never known anyone to do it all the quickly before.
For airline tickets, they have to match your passport. I work in a company full of business travelers and one of my co-workers before we left for London discovered that her passport still had her maiden name (she’s been married for a few years) so she just booked her ticket under her maiden name and everything worked out.
Interestingly enough, it is legal to CALL yourself whatever you want in most states as long as there is no intent to defraud, and it is legal to put whatever name you choose to be called on most records. So the sticky portions of name change will always be those associated with formal identification - DMV, passport, SS, a federal security badge if you have one. See details at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_change
or just google “informal name change.”
Wow! I took the Monday after our HM off work to do my name change stuff, among other things. We didn’t have an impending trip or anything, but I just thought it would be easiest to do it in one fell swoop.
Mrs. Robin, cute photo!
WE WANT TO SEE MORE PICTURES!
yes! more pictures!
I expect my passport in another week, jasmine, making the round trip two weeks. But I overnighted the application to them, paid for it to be expedited, and then gave them the $$ to overnight the passport to me.
Mrs Kiwi:
Once you get your gov. forms processed, a lot of companies/providers will let you change your name by phone.
Most surprising is credit card; for most if you can give the a password or other identifying info they’ll take your word for it and change it for you on the phone.
Same with Verizon and likely other cell providers.
The DMV in most states will have you take a new picture so don’t do what I did and go right after the honeymoon b/c by then I had eaten everything in sight on my honeymoon and was back to my pre-bridal weight! ha ha
For your honeymoon, I would keep your current passport with your maiden name and book your tickets with your maiden name. That way, even if you’re not going on your honeymoon for two mos. after your wedding you don’t have to stress about how long it takes to arrive in the mail. I’ve heard horror stories about how long it takes for passports lately and there’s not much you can do to control it so I think it’s best not to put yourself in a stressful situation!
Miss Robin, I’m sure you’ll be fine getting yours in time since you paid the fee to have it expedited! 
