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**Rachael - Marriage License/Name Change Info**

Alright so here's the deal about changing your name (from my experience anyway).  Keep in mind this ONLY applies if you are doing a traditional wedding name change - meaning you aren't married before the wedding.

You sign your marriage license using the name you will use AFTER the wedding.  Do not sign it with your maiden name unless you do not plan on changing it.  Therefore I signed it Elizabeth DH'SLASTNAME.  Because the marriage license acts as your legal name change document.  After you are pronounced husband and wife, you are now legally Elizabeth DH'SLASTNAME. ***Liz's tip - practice signing your new last name so it doesn't look like a child signed it on your marriage license...  Needless to say I hadn't practiced.***

Then after the wedding/honeymoon, you can go to the Social Security Administration Office to change your name there.  You will need an official copy of your marriage license (not just the copy that they make for you when you apply for the license.  I ordered it for $20 from Oakland County after the wedding), ID, and your social security card.  The day after you change it with the Social Security Administration (and yes you need to wait until the next day), you can go to the Secretary of State and change it on your driver's license.  Then you go and change it everywhere else.

The only cost associated with this type of name change is the cost of an official copy of the marriage license and like $14 to get a new driver's license.  It's a pain in the butt but not nearly as annoying as what Lindsay had to go through since she was legally married before the wedding and that's a whole different process (think if you just randomly wanted to change your name from Susie Smith to Donna Johnson kind of thing.)

Hope that helps.

Re: **Rachael - Marriage License/Name Change Info**

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    edited December 2011
    I am sooooo glad you posted this!  I was actually going to ask if someone could give me a play-by-play today.

    One question though: do I need to wait to receive anything in the mail before ordering the official copy?  I have the "take home" copies and our officiant mailed in the rest.
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    edited December 2011
    I just used the one that got mailed back to me... never ordered anything else.  I haven't had a problem with it!  I changed my name just fine!
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    emarston1emarston1 member
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_rachael-marriage-licensename-change-info?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:2f536fed-cf77-4115-9db3-8c9469317884Post:13cde14a-8962-491e-9259-b741de2693f8">Re: **Rachael - Marriage License/Name Change Info**</a>:
    [QUOTE]I am sooooo glad you posted this!  I was actually going to ask if someone could give me a play-by-play today. One question though: do I need to wait to receive anything in the mail before ordering the official copy?  I have the "take home" copies and our officiant mailed in the rest.
    Posted by sammichele[/QUOTE]
    No, the take home copies will not suffice (at least that's what I was told.)  Order one from the county.  Believe me it looks a LOT more official than the take home copy.

    Oakland county didn't mail me a copy automatically so I requested one when we got home from the honeymoon.  It only took 3 days or so for us to get it.
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    edited December 2011
    Great, thanks for the info!
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    PhoneCardLadyPhoneCardLady member
    Name Dropper First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2011
    What to do now?  I'm not sure I want my name change on ALL my documents, or I may want to take his name 100% down the road....
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    emarston1emarston1 member
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_rachael-marriage-licensename-change-info?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:2f536fed-cf77-4115-9db3-8c9469317884Post:bea3fb55-ed1c-4c04-b5e7-939b6340d8ff">Re: **Rachael - Marriage License/Name Change Info**</a>:
    [QUOTE]What to do now?  <strong>I'm not sure I want my name change on ALL my documents</strong>, or I may want to take his name 100% down the road....
    Posted by PhoneCardLady[/QUOTE]
    What types of documents would you not want to change?  If you change your name, your previous name is no longer your legal name so anything important, needs to be changed over.

    And you can change your name down the road but you just have to go through a more difficult process like Lindsay did.

    But the good news is you have plenty of time to figure it out :)
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    MMRoberts11MMRoberts11 member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks Liz!  I got a little panicked reading everything Lindsay said she was doing.
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    edited December 2011
    Liz - thank you thank you for posting this! I really needed the name-change-for-dummies version! Now I just have to find my SS card and birth cert. I have no clue where they are.
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    edited December 2011
    liz-did you book your honeymoon with your new last name?
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    emarston1emarston1 member
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_rachael-marriage-licensename-change-info?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:2f536fed-cf77-4115-9db3-8c9469317884Post:2af39888-f96f-452d-a080-03114b29c7da">Re: **Rachael - Marriage License/Name Change Info**</a>:
    [QUOTE]liz-did you book your honeymoon with your new last name?
    Posted by lesley909[/QUOTE]

    Maiden. We left 2 days after the wedding. Unless you are taking a very delayed honeymoon, book everything in your maiden (especially if you are travelling internationally!) because you never know how long the process is going to take.
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    Meegles4Meegles4 member
    Combo Breaker First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    Liz, this is great information -- especially the part about signing the marriage license in your married name. I suppose that seems obvious, but after 30 years of signing my actual name, I'm going to need someone to remind me to switch it up.

    Also, I'd agree with you on booking the honeymoon in your maiden name, unless it's delayed. My boss's new husband booked their flights and such in her married name and it caused some issues at the airport. Even though the marriage license is in your name, nothing else that you'll be showing as ID is.
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    baileyleevbaileyleev member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank you!!!!!!!! I was also not sure how this worked! 
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    PhoneCardLadyPhoneCardLady member
    Name Dropper First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2011
    Just curious - it the name change just for the state of Michigan or is it nationwide?
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    emarston1emarston1 member
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_rachael-marriage-licensename-change-info?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:2f536fed-cf77-4115-9db3-8c9469317884Post:b8c295c7-13ab-4a78-a293-5cceca05b475">Re: **Rachael - Marriage License/Name Change Info**</a>:
    [QUOTE]Just curious - it the name change just for the state of Michigan or is it nationwide?
    Posted by PhoneCardLady[/QUOTE]

    As far as I know, just the state of Michigan.
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    larzhopelarzhope member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    resurrecting this - just learned that Washington State laws are different... not sure if that means I should follow MI laws since I'm getting married there or WA state laws since I"m changing my name there, but if you are getting married in MI and live elsewhere, make sure you check your home state laws!
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    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_rachael-marriage-licensename-change-info?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:88Discussion:2f536fed-cf77-4115-9db3-8c9469317884Post:d0ecb95c-50e0-408c-8136-62efafdd94eb">Re: **Rachael - Marriage License/Name Change Info**</a>:
    [QUOTE]resurrecting this - just learned that Washington State laws are different... not sure if that means I should follow MI laws since I'm getting married there or WA state laws since I"m changing my name there, but if you are getting married in MI and live elsewhere, make sure you check your home state laws!
    Posted by larzhope[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Ughhh, this is my biggest concern. 

    </div>
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    larzhopelarzhope member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Actually Mish, I just called my county office here in Washington, and at least in Washington they told me to go by the rules in Michigan since my marriage license is coming from Michigan.  They said if it was a Washington state marriage license, then I would sign my maiden name, but to go by the state issuing the license....

    Hopefully that's right!
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