Danielle Tate

InStyle Hearts MissNowMrs & MarriageLicenseNow

We’re so excited to share that InStyle hearts MissNowMrs! As a company with over 500,000 bridal customers, MissNowMrs is well known among newlyweds for our innovative online name change app and service. That being said, it hurts us every single time we meet a newlywed or receive a phone call from a woman who just went through the hell and frustration of filing for her married name change on her own.

While it can be done, wasting 13 hours of your life fighting government red tape when there’s a 30 minute tech solution is zero fun.

Enter InStyle Tech, Yeah! Yesterday they included MissNowMrs.com and MarriageLicenseNow.com in their 5 Sites and Apps You Need to Survive Wedding Planning article. We could not be more delighted to be a part of the group they selected! And, we absolutely adore the fact that thousands more women know about our easy online name change service as well as our new free marriage license information tool!

We may need to pop a bottle of champagne in the office to celebrate the fact that InStyle hearts MissNowMrs! What do you think of MissNowMrs and the other sites and apps included in the InStyle article? We’d love to hear your opinion in a comment below!

Married Name Change & Voting | What You Need to Know

Today’s the day for midterm election voting and women all over the United States are lining up to cast their votes. If you’re newlywed and in the process of changing your name, this may affect your voter experience. Where you are in the process and which forms you filed when will determine which name you can vote under. We’ve got the scoop on married name change & voting.

If you’ve filed a voter registration form to update your name, you should be able to vote under your new married name. That is as long as you filed that form two or more weeks ago. The voter registration office needs time to process your request and amend their digital records. If you haven’t filed a voter registration form, but did update your name on your state driver’s license check the form you completed. Many states have a section on their driver’s license forms that allow you to update your voter information along with your license/ID.

If you have yet to file any of your name change forms, you should vote under your maiden name. Or vote with the name currently listed on your voter registration card. Confused? A quick call to your state voter registration office can clarify which name you’re voting under.

Now that you know the ins and outs of Married Name Change & Voting. Whatever your political party and name change status, go rock the vote ladies. It’s a right that our predecessors fought for!

The 6 Steps of North Carolina Name Change

Thinking about changing your name in North Carolina? Every state has different married name change laws and filing orders, but don’t stress! The MissNowMrs name change experts have broken the process into 6 steps to smooth your transition to your new married name.

Step 1: Change Your Name with Social Security

North Carolina requires newlyweds to file the SS-5 form with Social Security as the first step of their married name change process. Simply complete the form and file by mail (you will need to send your driver’s license or U.S. passport) or in-person. In approximately 2 weeks, your new social security card with your new married name will be issued and mailed to you.

Step 2: Change Your Name with the IRS

The next step in the North Carolina name change process is filing the IRS 8822 form with the IRS. The good news is it’s a one page form that is free to file. Not every opts to complete the IRS 8822, but we encourage our clients to file it to make sure the office knows their new name and maiden name when tax season arrives!

Step 3: Change Your Name with the DMV

To update your North Carolina driver’s license with your married name, you will need to first file your SS-5 form and wait at to receive your updated Social Security Card. Bring it, along with your completed DMV form, certified marriage certificate, car insurance card, and $10.00 in cash. Your new driver’s license will be issued the same day.

If you are applying for a Real ID, you will also need to bring a certified copy of your birth certificate or your unexpired U.S. passport (it can still be in your maiden name.) *There may be an additional fee for your Real ID.

There is a section of the North Carolina driver’s license form where you can elect to update your name on your voter registration. We highly encourage you to complete this section so you are able to vote locally and nationally.

Step 4: Change Your Name with the State Department

To change your name with the State Department, you will need to fill in the DS-11 passport form or the DS-5504 passport form, and file it with your current passport (or passport card,) your certified marriage certificate, two passport photos, and the listed processing fee. U.S passports take approximately 5-6 weeks to be issued, so it’s smart to give yourself 2 months to file before any international travel.

Step 5: Change Your Name with Your Creditors

After you’ve filed you name change forms with the state and federal offices, it is time to notify all of your creditors of your new name. The normal list of creditors includes your banks, credit cards, insurances, mortgage providers, student loan companies, medical providers, utilities, memberships, and magazines. Many of these companies can be contacted by phone, but some (especially banks) require you to come into a local office with your certified marriage certificate to change the name on your account.

Step 6: Simplify You Name Change with MissNowMrs

The typical name change takes approximately 13 hours. That’s 13 hours of newlywed life spent searching for forms, reading fine print, manually completing forms, and then figuring out what order to file them in (which is state-specific) and which offices you need to file them at. It’s a super un-fun process.

Fortunately, you can use the MissNowMrs App or online name change service to streamline your name change. We automate all the tedious repetitive parts of the name change process saving our clients over 13 hours of stress.

So, if you’re thinking about changing your name after marriage in North Carolina, the MissNowMrs app, service, and name change experts are at your service!

Married Name Change and Politics (seriously)

Name change and politics… two controversial topics. From the title of this post you may be assuming that I’ll discuss the delicate nature of name change after marriage and all of the various things to consider before making your decision. In fact, this blog is literally about married name change in politics. As the founder of an online name change service, many people misconstrue my stance on name change after marriage. I don’t actually believe that every woman should change her name. I simply believe that if a woman is going to change to her married name, she shouldn’t waste 13 hours re-inventing the wheel and fighting red tape.

Name change is a personal decision and should be left up to each individual. In that vein, their decision on name change should never be held against them. Michelle Nunn is a democratic senate candidate in Georgia. Women as senators…great idea right? There shouldn’t be any sexist push back on that concept in 2014…right? Wrong.

Ms. Nunn’s opponents are trying to use her lack of married name change against her. They contend that she is “riding her famous father’s coat tails” by using her maiden name as a candidate. While Nunn may receive some goodwill and recognition for her maiden name, her opponents also have political fame from their fathers’ names. Interestingly enough, those candidates didn’t change their names after marriage (as they’re men). Pot meet kettle.

Your thoughts on this situation around name change and politics would be greatly appreciated. Please leave a comment!

Newlywed Resources | 6 Products & Services You Need After I Do

We have a great list of services you need after I do. In the midst of wedding planning, brides are often inundated with products, services and things that they “need” to create the perfect day. Every time you open your email or mailbox there are a host of advertisements for items intended to make your wedding amazing. The deluge can be so large that it actually ends up being irritating!

Conversely, as newlyweds we’re pretty much left to figure things out for ourselves. There aren’t any helpful emails with lists of newlywed to-dos and helpful products to ensure wedding bliss. Not to worry, after much thought and research, I’ve compiled the six products and services that every newlywed couple needs (some of which you would never think of but are absolutely essential).

Feel free to send me a custom thank you note after you peruse the list…or leave a comment suggesting your favorite newlywed service or product!