Tis the season for weddings, followed by millions of brides changing their names. While it might seem like a simple process, Married name change had a great deal of nuance. Once a woman has decided she wants to change her name after marriage, she then needs to choose the name-change option that best suits her situation and personal style. Thankfully we created the Married Name Game for that! Next she has to file a series of state and federal forms to change to her new name, and then notify all of her creditors. Once again, we’ve got the solution: MissNowMrs.com. So where does name-change nuance come in?!

There are several nuances, or subtle differences, to the married name change process that make it different from the legal name change process. Read on for the big three…

1. Newlyweds cannot change their first name. Using the married name-change process, women cannot change or even correct a mis-spelling of their first name. They can only use their certified marriage certificates to file for a change to their last names, and sometimes their Middle names.

2. Brides cannot omit their middle name. Women changing their names after marriage can take their maiden name as a middle name or as a second middle name in most states, but they cannot completely eliminate their middle name and just have their first name and new last name as their legal name.

3. Blending isn’t possible. Unless a bride is a resident of California and wrote a blended last name (a mixture of both partners names) on the marriage license application, she cannot use the married name change process to change her last name to a blended last name. In the 49 other states, taking a blended last name requires petitioning the court system for a legal name change order.

Now that you know the nuances of name change, you can move forward with confidence. It’s a complicated process from emotions, to societal expectations, to the actual legal process, but don’t worry… the MissNowMrs team has your back!