The Legal Stuff

femmeknitzi

Hey folks, I'm starting to make plans for the marriage license and changing my name and I'm a bit overwhelmed. All I know is that we have to go to the courthouse in downtown OKC less than 10 days before the wedding. For those in the OKC area, when you go to get your marriage license, is there typically a long wait? I'm guessing we'll have to take time off to both be there so I'm wondering how much time we should figure. What do I need to know about changing my name in Oklahoma? Is this something I'll do when we go to get the marriage license? Is there paperwork I'll need to file after the wedding? What about using my credit cards and other documents on my honeymoon (we're just driving to New Orleans so no passport worries) if my names don't match? Any advice ya'll have on this would be greatly appreciated. The more I know what to expect, the better prepared I can be. Thanks!

Steven&Jamie

We got our's in Norman and it didn't take long at all....maybe 20 minutes?  But I'm sure it just depends on the day, time of day, etc.  When you sign the license, you'll sign with your FI's last name (or however you want it to be after the wedding).  No paperwork to file or anything.Once we received the marriage license back (less than a week after the wedding) I went to the SS office and changed my name on my SS card.  I received my new one about 2 weeks later.Then I went to the tag agency and got my license changed.  Both places just needed to see my license and a copy of the marriage license.For student loans and credit cards, I had to send a request for a name change.  One credit card I was able to do over the phone.Your name on your HM will still be your maiden name, so you shouldn't have any problems using credit cards and things.  Hope this helps!

MelB228

Ditto everything Jamie said. Except we went to the OKC courthouse, first thing in the morning and it took maybe 15 minutes? I've heard the later in the week the busier bc people will wait till Friday to get theirs for the weekend, but I'm not sure how true that is. After you receive your marriage license in the mail from the county you can take it back to the courthouse and get official copies for $2.00 a piece so you don't have to bring the real copy everywhere.

gks96a

I saw this website and am thinking about doing this. I live in Tulsa County.http://www.missnowmrs.com/Hope all goes well!!

Steven&Jamie

Not trying to be snarky, but there is no reason to pay to change your name.  That website charges $29.95 to do what can be done totally FREE, and done in about a week's time.I suggest you make a list of everything that needs to be changed (credit cards, loans, car title, etc.) and check them off as you get your name changed.  Once you have your list you can post it here if you want, we'll help you make sure you didn't forget anything )

ar2053

It took about 10-15 min in Norman to get the marriage license, and that was mainly waiting for the person to type in our info and print it for us to sign. We went on a weekeday morning early in the week. Ditto Jamie and Mel's advice. You have to wait till after you have the marriage license back. It was waiting in the mail for us when we got back from our honeymoon 2 weeks after the wedding. Start by taking it to the Social Security office. I went to the one in Moore right after the opened. I would recommend waiting about an hour after they open, since a dozen people were lined up waiting outside the door for them to open when I got there. It only took me about 20 min since I was waiting for a different person than most of the people there needed. After that, get your driver's license changed. Take your marriage license. I took the paper I got from the SS office just in case, but ended up not needing it. I was changing license from out of state to in state, so I had the added step of waiting at the Dept. of Public Safety for 2 hours before I could take the form they gave me to the tag agency to actually get the license. Take your car title with you to the tag agency to update your name when you're doing your license- I didn't bring it with me so I had to make a separate trip for that. I had to have a stranger sign it as the "buyer" then reassign the title to my new name, which was disconcerting. I didn't get an updated registration card with my new name though...something I should probably look into. Other things to change name on: -credit cards: most of them required a mailed or faxed copy of the marriage license, some (especially department store cards) allowed me to change my nbame over the phone-student loans-bank accounts- have to take in your marriage license AND your new drivers license; have them order you a new debit card and checks with your new name-magazine subscriptions, professional memberships-with your work's HR dept, health benefits, retirement accounts/other investments-airline frequent flier accounts- must send in a copy of your marriage license-passport-if you're renting, update name on lease-prescriptions at the pharmacy-with your doctors, dentist, etc. I'm not sure what to do about all my medical records though...all my health history is documented under my maiden name and I need to have records transferred. I'm just getting around to doing some of these 3 months after the wedding and thinking of more to do!