It’s not time to change my name yet, but with all of our dealings with passports and birth certificates and marriage licenses these days, I’m starting to think about the logistics!
In Ontario, you can legally change your last name, or you can assume your new, married name. The difference? If you legally change it, your birth certificate changes. If you assume it, your birth certificate remains the way it was when you were born.
Not going to be correct, soon! It’s probably grown over by now anyway.
For me, assuming Mr. Dragon’s last name makes the most sense. I kind of think it would be really weird to change my birth certificate—that was my name at birth, and it seems odd that I can change the record to reflect something else! And, if you go the assumption route, all you need is your marriage certificate, a form, and your photo ID (except I don’t have a photo health card yet, so I have to otherwise prove my citizenship, Ontario residence, and identity, which, as I mentioned, means I need to change my driver’s license in order to change it again!).
Other bonuses? It’s entirely free and you don’t have to go through any kind of application process. And, if you want to revert it back (not that I want to), it’s still free because your birth certificate has not changed.
The weirdest part to me is that the government publishes your name change in the Ontario Gazette! It seems to be a newsletter full of legal and legislative mumbo-jumbo about name changes, business registrations, awarding and cancellation of certificates, and so on.
Unfortunately, the option of assuming my new last name still won’t make it any easier to notify all the right people and organizations when it comes down to it. I started thinking about it, and it’s a pretty daunting list.
Some of the places where my name will need to be changed are obvious: my driver’s license, my passport, my health card (boo!), social insurance number, with the Canada Revenue Agency, with the bank, with my credit card companies.
A few of them I had to think about before realizing I’d need to make a change! That includes all of our utility companies—hydro, water, cell phone, home phone, and internet—along with my clinic and hospital, the organ donor registry (I think?), rewards programs, the post office, on my outdoors card, with professional organizations, possibly with my student loan office, on the big stack of cheques I’ve been carrying around for years, and on my vehicle insurance.
Working as a reporter I have a few extra places to worry about, that being my paper’s masthead, my byline, and all of my photo credits. I gave our production manager a heads-up recently, as he’ll have to do some changing to our templates before I get back from the honeymoon.
Some of my work-related stuff are things everyone changing a name has to deal with: employee records/payroll, the work website, work email, and on my business cards (though I’m inclined to think those are probably not going to change until I run out!).
And then there’s the online side of things. Of course, there’s Facebook and Twitter, along with Pinterest, Instagram, my blog, my website, and my personal email. Though I’m going to take this as an opportunity to de-link my last name from some accounts, I think the 10 or so other Shayla B******s there seem to be in the online world might be bummed out to have another one clogging up Google.
The email part is kind of sucky. I’ve been using a paid Mac iCloud account for the last five years or so, which I like and want to keep. But, it’s a first initial/last name combo, which means it’s going to be outdated really soon, and I don’t think I can change it.
I was shocked to find out that shaylanewlastname@gmail.com was taken already (in all combinations), especially given my unique name! I had to take shayla.middleinitial.newlastname@gmail.com, which feels really long.
I don’t want to switch over to Gmail entirely, but short of cancelling my current Mac email and making a new one, I think I’m SOL. All I can think of is setting up an auto-direct from my new Gmail account to my Mac account which seems overcomplicated and headache-inducing. Any tips and tricks or just plain commiseration are appreciated!
Is there anything on this list I missed?
Wow. You’re super organized! It looks to me as though your list is very thorough.
I’ve half completed my name change. I changed my most important German IDs & documents, but slacked off with the less important ones because I moved across the Atlantic. I’m waiting to change my name here until our September wedding. Luckily I have few things to change here since I’ve never lived here for a longer period of time.
I also just assumed (BC) and it was relatively easy and inexpensive. Another tip that it’s probably too late for you, but if others are reading, is for a few months before the wedding I kept track of all incoming snail mail with my name on it (I did an excel spreadsheet with the full info because I’m crazy, but probably just listing the name of the company on a piece of paper would work as well), and then I had a fairly full list of random utilities, university publications, subscriptions, banks etc that would also need to be changed.
When you think about it it’s really overwhelming, I’m just moving, not changing my name and I’llhave to change so.many.things it almost feels ridiculous.
I also had to add a middle initial for my new Gmail address. 
I’m more bummed about changing my email address than I am about changing my name!
I was so excited to “reserve” my married email (about two days after we got engaged). My last name isn’t that common, but I’ve never been able to get an email with a good combination of the names I go by. Fortunately my fiance’s last name is long and ridiculous, so no one had taken the Gmail address I wanted.
As for the legal part… bleh. Not looking forward to that.
@Miss Bracelet: This is what I do instead of wedding crafting. 
@SapphireSun: That’s brilliant!! Bride with time left, take note!
@Miss Toadstool: It’s crazy! Mr. D gets to just sit there but I have to change EVERYTHING. Hopefully it’s less daunting once I actually do it.
@Miss Treasure: I honestly kind of want to just keep using my current one — its tied in with so many logins!
@mholden: It’s all kind of bleh to me, to be honest! I’m excited to share Mr. D’s name, just not excited at all to do all of the work.
This sounds like so much work! Always makes me a little bitter that guys (usually) never have to experience these things!
Just a little tidbit for all you Ontario brides out there… As I didn’t find out until after my wedding, assuming your husbands name isn’t so easy.
Ontario requires that you get an “official” marriage certificate from the province. It costs $15 and takes >10 weeks to get a hold of. I’m still waiting for mine after my June 2 wedding.
You need your official marriage certificate to get a new drivers license, and I need the new drivers license to change everything. That includes insurance, car ownership, and even my identity at work. (You’d think my workplace would at least acknowledge my marriage!!)
@Mrs. Pony: For sure!! It’s unfair.
@Mary: Yikes — didn’t know that & they don’t explain it on the website! After all of this is finished up I never want to deal with government red tape again!
This is the part of wedding planning that gives me the most anxiety, I think, because it all has to be done after the wedding and there are so many contingent factors. UGH.
As a sidenote, I totally say you keep your current email, especially because it’s tied in with so many logins. If you feel like you need to do so, you can always use the Gmail one for new things going forward (I’m on the computer what feels like 24/7, especially since I have a smart phone and checking two email accounts wouldn’t feel like a hassle for me, but I understand that it might be for some).
When you do your Driver’s Licence and Health Card, the Donor Registry will automatically update – just make sure to re-fill your Donor card out again.
Service Ontario takes care of both of these AND your Outdoors card AND your SSN. One stop shopping!
As for the CRA, no need to change anything until next tax season. The SSN change should register, and even if it doesn’t our tax forms come with a handy “change of information” sheet (usually a tear-off or back of a statment).
As for iTunes (I’m not sure about the “Mac Cloud”,) you can change your email address in the account settings.
Your cell phone, home phone, and internet, if all at one company, should only take one phone call.
Deep Breaths!
@StephK527: See, I don’t even use the Gmail account with my maiden name on it because it’s so long to type! My iCloud account is so short. I think I might just use the new one in a ‘professional’ setting, for freelancing and on resumes and such. My sister uses her old email but just changed her display name on it, and it seems to work for her.
@Beaukat: Good to know about the donor registry and the Outdoors card and SSN! I’ll make sure to grab the change of info card when my taxes are due. As for the iCloud, the problem is that it’s a paid email service that I’ve been using for 5 years now, so just changing my email address with iTunes won’t do what I want — I’d have to be able to change the email address that I already paid for, which I don’t think is possible! My cell is with a different company than home phone/internet but that shouldn’t be a huge hassle! 
It’s pretty common for people to keep their old emails after a name change. I email with a lot of customers at work, usally to their personal emails. I always see emails with maiden names in them, even years after the wedding. Most people won’t give that a second thought, unless you meet them later and they’ve never known your old name.
I had to do the first.MI.last@gmail, even though I have a VERY uncommon last name, with an even more uncommon first-last combo. I feel your pain!
I’m dreading the name change admin hassle too but so pleased to be getting rid of my extremely common English surname! (For a still fairly common one but ssh!)
As for email I think I will just keep it and just change the signature and display name. x
@SapphireSun: Thanks for that tip – I have just under a year to go so I will add another page to the ever growing wedding spreadsheet! x
We’ve been married eight months, and I haven’t changed everything, haha. The worst is my personal email (firstname.maidenname). What do I do for a new email?
Uhhh I changed the “fun” things like Facebook, driver’s license, etc. Should get to changing my bank acct one of the these days… Hmmmm. 
Also every possible combination of my name was taken in gmail. It was so frustrating.
@Miss Dragon: Your sister’s idea is REALLY smart – makes me feel like I need to slap my forehead and have a “D’Oh!” moment.
Mrs. Dragon, Sioux Lookout/Brockville, ON Age and Occupation: 24, Journalist Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Graphic Designer Engagement Date: August 22, 2011 Wedding Date: September 2012 Venue: Mother of the Bride’s Residence About Me: I moved to Northern Ontario for a job, expecting to be single for the year I'd be there. Within one month I was dating a co-worker, and now, more than two years later, we’re planning a wedding and I’m still a Northern girl. I’m a reporter and a photographer for a small-town newspaper, and I get to do all kinds of fun, exciting, and sometimes weird things at work. When I’m not getting the scoop, I’m cooking, adventuring, playing with our three black cats, or blogging.
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