Real Name Change

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

Katie’s Real Name Change Story

Are you ready for Katie’s real name change story? She had the first wedding during the COVID crisis that we’ve have the opportunity to cover. Read on to discover how a scavenger hunt proposal led to an unexpectedly intimate wedding filled with love during the pandemic.

Katie’s Love Story

We met like a lot of other shy modern couples, on Bumble. We immediately knew that this was something special and were inseparable from the second we met. Fast forward three years, many baseball games and game nights later, Christian planned an Amazing Race themed scavenger hunt to propose.

We planned the big day for March 21, 2020. Then COVID-19 happened. We tried our best to keep everything as planned, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Surrounded by about 15 amazing friends and family and about 100 more on a live stream, we got married. We plan to have a big party when it is safe for everyone to be together again.

Katie’s Name Change Narrative

I always have planned to change my name when I got married. For us there was no debate. I think it’s one of the sweetest things when you show that you are now one family by taking the same name. The biggest debate for me was weather or not I was going to keep my last name as my middle name. I finally decided not to, most because it just didn’t flow well. Don’t get me wrong, it is a little bitter sweet to leave my family name behind, but starting my own little family with Christian is pretty great.

What do I love about changing my name? It’s incredibly cheesy, but I’ve had so much fun introducing myself as Mrs. W or saying this is my husband (!!!) Christian W.

With COVID-19 all of the government offices have been closed, so figuring out what exactly I have to mail or can send a copy of has been the hardest part of changing my name. We also are in the process of buying a house, so figuring out which address to put in case things are delayed or come early is stressful too.

It’s been great having MissNowMrs to help with my name change! The paperwork was easy to follow and having the checklists with each paper has saved my life! I really would recommend having them print for you and send all the materials. It made everything so clear and easy.

Katie’s Newlywed Advice

Fellow newlyweds, don’t change your name while you’re working on moving! Or do, it’s your life, but man, oh man…it’s been a headache.

Also, take some time for you to spend together. I know that sounds silly, because most of us are quarantined together at this point. I mean intentionally set time aside to do something, not sitting on the couch in proximity, but something you have planned to do together. Even if it’s “today we’re organizing our sock drawers,” seriously. I know it’s really helped us get much less cranky with each other.

Did you love Katie’s Real Name Change Story? We’d love to cover your story as well! Drop us a note or message us on Instagram to be put in touch with our features department. And, should you be in the process of changing your name, check our our 20 step name change checklist.

Jeny’s Real Name Change Story

The Love Story

We’re excited to share the Real Name Change Story of newlywed, Jeny D. Read how this English teacher met the love of her life on stage in Baltimore, honored her late father with an ice cream bar at her wedding, and what made her decide to change her name as an ardent feminist.

Will and I met on the stage of a local theater, about 7 years ago. And although the stage was rife with mosquitoes and the sticky humidity of a Baltimore summer, I was instantly head over heels for Will. Will, on the other hand, barely noticed me*. The next summer, we again shared a stage, this time cast opposite each other.However, the following summer was different. The mosquitoes and humidity didn’t change, but I played opposite Will and we developed crushes on each other, which turned into friendship. Over the course of the summer we talked, flirted, and eventually had our first kiss. However, when the summer was over, he went back to college, and I back to work.

The summer ended, but our friendship continued. A few years later, we reconnected when I interned just down the street from his apartment. They decided to get together for a drink. A drink turned into a date. A date turned into a relationship. And a relationship into a marriage.

*Will would like to say that is categorically untrue; that he most certainly did notice Jeny, he was just playing it cool for the first time in his life. A little too cool, it would seem.

Our wedding day was perfect. We’re both art/literature people, and our ceremony included 3 poems and a short message about the beauty of marriage. Will and I had our first dance to a jazz rendition of the Harry Potter theme. We stayed away from top 40 hits and chose our favorite 80s, 90s, and Elvis songs that kept everyone on the dance floor all night.

My dad passed away about a year before the wedding. Will and I wanted to include something that would honor and acknowledge him, and celebrate his life and influence on us without it seeming trite or morose. So we decided to have the “Dan Timmel Memorial Ice Cream Bar”, a true celebration for the slender man who ate ice cream every day. Will wore a kilt, in honor of his Scottish heritage, and we decorated with an art deco motif, because, as my dad told us, “the theme of any wedding should be marriage.”

The Name Change Narrative

As an ardent feminist, I knew I would need a really cool last name to make me want to change my name! There are a few other factors: First of all, I am adopted, I am Italian, but “Timmel” is German, so while I am most certainly a Timmel, I’m not a Timmel, if that makes sense. My dad passed away a year ago, so to honor him, and the incredible impact he had on helping me become the strong, funny, independent woman I am today, I am changing my middle name to Timmel. Will, as in many things, was eternally supportive and said he would be happy whatever I chose, but he did encourage me to take Timmel as my middle name.

Honestly, the most exciting part of changing my name is getting called “Jeny Dalrymple”, especially when Will is around. We share a smile and it feels like we’re little kids in our own exclusive club.

The hardest part of changing my name was all the forms and the order in which they need to be filed. I’m a high school English teacher. I like to think I’m pretty smart and can figure things out on my own, but this was just too much for me to keep organized. It’s the kind of thing that I would have called my dad about and gotten his help, so I figured I had to either spend a couple Saturdays just pushing through or get some outside help.

I might not have ever changed my name without help from MissNowMrs. Not only supplying each of the necessary documents, but including information on what individual questions were asking, how to find information required, and a huge database. I can confidently say MissNowMrs saved me well over 15 hours of work. You’ve made it accessible, easy, and very user friendly.

IT’S WORTH IT! The stress of a wedding combined with the excitement, and stress of truly beginning a life together (whether you’ve lived with your partner before or not) can feel overwhelming. There are so many steps to take to change your name with everyone.

Newlywed Advice

My mom always told me with any major event (live moving) “Expect 3 things to go wrong. When the first one happens, you say, ‘There’s #1!’, and usually by the time you get to 3 problems, the move is over.” Don’t let glitches get to you. Remember, this is forever; the big picture is that you’re with the love of your life, for better or worse, don’t let little things become the “worse.”

Brittany’s Real Name Change Story

The Love Story

We’re happy to share Brittany’s Real Name Change Story! Read on for the story of how she met her husband on the way to a pin-up contest, planned her surprise pseudo-elopement while in medical school, and how her name-change almost didn’t happen.

I had recently moved to Los Angeles, and it was the day before I was competing in a vintage modeling/pin up contest and I needed to pick up some red lipstick. I made my way up the street, in downtown Los Angeles, passing a restaurant called Riorden’s Tavern. As I passed the window, I peered into it and tucked a few wisps hair behind my ear. Looking beyond the window, I saw a large group of guys. After becoming stuck on a particularly handsome one, I noticed the one next to him. A guy with very little hair, mimicking/mocking my hair adjustment. I did a big hair flip and had a good laugh with them through the window. I figured I’d stop in for a laugh with them on my way home.

The Flirtation

Being that I went shopping, it was at least an hour or more before I headed home. A few yards from the restaurant I heard, “Hey! You with the hair,” Turning to see Jonathan and his friend, Steve. They said they had been looking for me and were now headed to coffee and invited me along. As I had just finished my OB/GYN core, and begun my psych core, I poured all the gruesome facts about delivering babies. Stories about the first one I delivered and the details about electro-convulsion shock therapy that I had just learned. The guys didn’t bat an eye, and kept up with the conversation.

Little did I know, he’d been to war and back. And, was building the 62 story skyscraper behind us. After talking about the pin-up competition, vintage cars, and good breweries around town the following day, Steve asked how best to get a hold of me. Thinking that was quite the creative way to ask, leaving it open even to emails, I decided to give him my number. This is something I didn’t typically do. My phone had died. But, I soon received a text saying, “Hi, this is Jon, your window gawking Starbucks escort. Here’s my number, good luck tomorrow.”

The Proposal

Brittany’s Real Name Change Story gets even more interesting here! After winning Miss Moon Eyes 2015, we arranged to meet for drinks that coming Wednesday. I was running a few minutes late and Jon said that when I walked in, a little voice in his head said, “You’re late, you’re 34 years late, but this is what I’ve been waiting for.” After skipping through the streets of Downtown LA it didn’t take much longer before plans were being laid for the rest of our lives.

I initially wanted a two year engagement as I was in the thick of medical school, and felt it would be impossible to plan the wedding of my dreams during this time. However, as the days crept on we were getting more and more excited about our union. And while dress hunting I ended up with three dresses for under $1,000, and we thought ‘hey, let’s put them to use!’

And just like that, we began planning our surprise pseudo-elopement. With the help of Aloha Maui Dream Weddings we invited just our parents and headed out to Maui. They created the wedding of my dreams on a medical student’s budget with Penny Palmer Photography built right in. It was absolutely stress free, and the only regret I have is not ordering the bigger photo package!

The Name Change Narrative

Somewhat of a traditionalist, I always knew I wanted to take my husband’s name. Especially after I heard the perfection of MY husband’s name and introducing myself as, “Dr. Brittany ********.” Oh, it made my heart flutter! However, I still had major exams to take registered under my maiden name. With this 9 hour beast (exam) between me and my married name, I patiently waited to change my name.

Intimidated by the process, when the time came, I reached out to MissNowMrs after seeing it advertised on my DMV’s website. Their process was so streamlined. It also appeared to read my mind, as each question crossed my mind, I hovered the cursor over the prompt and the answer popped up!

The Name Change Twist

I printed my sheets and headed to my local Social Security office to start the process… where I was promptly told I could not change my name because my maiden name was on my marriage certificate/license… but that was me… that’s who got married wasn’t it? She said I hadn’t changed my name yet, I wasn’t married!? I was told I had to pay $600 to file to have the court change my name, publish the request in the paper and it would take 4+ weeks.

I was crushed but began filing with the court, was denied a fee waiver and was again disappointed. After a friend of mine came by and told me she had her maiden name on her marriage certificate too and had no problem, she suggested I try a different office. I gathered what hope I had left and gave it a shot. Low and behold – they didn’t even comment on it! In and out in less than an hour, free of charge!

With the big wedding on the horizon in a few months, we’re putting the final touches on things, struggling with budgets, and researching florists… but I couldn’t be more excited! I can’t wait to share our love and excitement for the adventure ahead with all our extended family and friends.

Newlywed Advice

My advice to anyone, especially, newlyweds, is to roll with the punches and take everything in stride. Attitude is everything. Sometimes life is just about luck and timing. If you always keep a positive attitude, with perseverance, things will line up eventually and you’ll be perfectly happy passing the time until they do.

Beautiful wedding photos by: Penny Palmer Photography