I am planning to assume my husband's last name, but am not too sure when this can be done. I checked the government website and it says you can't get the marriage certificate until the wedding is registered - which can take 10-12 weeks. I would prefer to get it done sooner because I want to use my new name this year in the schools, but until everything (bank, board, etc) is changed then I think it would just be too confusing for the schools. What have you done so far regarding change of name - what exactly is the process?