Weddingbee Blog

I didn’t post about whether or not I was changing my name because it wasn’t really a part of my wedding planning. I had already decided back when we gave Cherry Bomb a last name what I would be doing with my last name when we got married—I was changing it. There are a lot of reasons to change it and a lot of reasons not to, and my reason was simple—I didn’t care. I don’t have any great published works or career motivations to keep it. I’m not overly attached to it. I have a brother with two sons to “carry on the family name.”  It didn’t really matter to me one way or another if I changed my name, and I think it did matter to Mr. Cannon. Would he have been upset if I didn’t change my name? No. Is he happy I’m changing? I think so. I also think it just makes it easier for people to know how to address us, and the whole family has the same last name. So, my real reason for changing is everyone else’s convenience. What a people pleaser. Plus, I think I always imagined I would take my husband’s name. And I’m happy to do it.

So today I started the name change process. Well, I guess I started it after the wedding when I changed my name on Facebook. If only the rest of the changes were that easy!

But that’s not to say the rest of it has been that hard.

I received my official wedding license in the mail last week. This morning I took it to the Social Security office (on Monroe Street behind Bed, Bath & Beyond near the mall for any Toledoans who are curious). I got there right as they opened at 9AM. There was a computer check-in system where you stated your business so you could get a ticket number to be called for service. There was no name change option, so I picked “issue social security card” or something like that. After a surprisingly short wait, I went up to the window, produced my marriage license for the woman behind the counter, and she typed up the information. Then she handed it to me to look over and verify that everything was correct. I did so and she gave me a receipt saying that I would receive my new card in 7 to 14 days. Success!

The next step was to swing by the DMV. My boss had told me that the one on McCord in Sylvania usually has a short line, so I headed there. After a longer (but not unreasonable) wait, I got my new license after presenting the receipt from the Social Security office and my marriage license. I was hoping to keep my picture from my old license since I just got it in May, but they took a new one. My old one was a total glamour shot. This one is a “were you a fat man when this was taken?” shot. It’s really bad. But, it has my new name, so mission accomplished! I also renewed my car registration while I was there, which I should have done last week. Oh, well, all good now.

On my way back toward work, I stopped at the bank to deposit some checks and decided to change my name at the bank while I was there. This was the most time consuming one. I thought this would be an in and out type of thing, but no, I had to meet with the manager, which required a LOT of waiting. Eventually I met with him and he got it all switched up and said my new debit card should be arriving in the next 14 days or so.

I still have my online banking and bills and credit cards to switch over, but I feel like I got a good start today. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The hardest part was signing my new name—I felt like such a fraud! The first time I was asked to sign it I was kind of surprised. I had never even considered how I would write Mr. Cannon’s last name in my signature. I winged it and it was pretty terrible. I got better as the day went on, but I think I’m going to need to practice and figure out how I like to sign it. And you know, remember to actually use the new name instead of the old one. It’ll take some getting used to, but I’ve got the rest of my life to get it down. It’ll come eventually. Until then, I’ll be writing my new name hundreds of times in my notebook during class to release my inner thirteen year old girl. I mean, to practice being married. It’s all very mature, I assure you.

If you’re changing your name, how soon after you got married did you do it?