
When it comes to getting married, there's a lot of questions you’ll usually get asked.
When is the wedding? What dress will you be wearing? Are you going to take their last name?
The latter is one that continues to be hotly debated and often sees people fall into two very different camps.
While some prefer to follow tradition and take their partner’s name, others opt to keep their maiden name to hold onto their sense of identity (and skip out on all the paperwork).
However, there is of course other options, including hyphenating your partner's name or asking them to take your last name instead.
Watch: Things people at weddings never say. Post continues below.
The decision to change your last name after getting married was discussed on last week's episode of Mamamia Out Loud. Here's how the conversation went down.
"My friends who have gotten married, almost all of them have taken their partner's name," Jessie said on the podcast. "The women I know have been so excited to do it because to them I think it represents family... they see it as a new chapter and a new identity."
While Mia said she sits "very much on the fence", Holly pointed out that having a different surname to your kids isn't as difficult at some people might think.
"I have a different last name to my children and it is not that hard.They still know that they are my children. I still know that I am their mother."
Whatever the choice, every woman has their own personal reasons to change or leave their surname after getting married.
So we decided to ask the Mamamia community to share what they decided on, and what influenced their decision.
Here’s what they said.
"I liked his surname better." - Laura.
"I changed my name for a few reasons 1) I liked his surname better, 2) I wanted to have the same surname as my kids when we had them, 3) I loved his family (and him at the time) and loved the idea of being one of them. Fast forward to separation and I kept his name for the first two reasons."
"It was a no brainer for me." - Natalia.
"It was a no brainer for me. I am the last in my line and kept my name. On Facebook it’s double barrel but everywhere else it’s my maiden name. That’s who I am."
Top Comments