After The Wedding
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Name Change After Marriage
Planning a wedding leads to a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, you’re filled with excitement, about to marry the love of your life surrounded by your friends and family. On the other hand, you’ve never been so stressed trying to balance finding invitations with cake tastings, dress fittings and a million other details.
The last thing you want to do is spend hours filling out paperwork and on the phone informing dozens of entities about your name change. However, if you go about this process the old-fashioned way, that’s exactly what you’ll end up doing.
Here’s what no one tells you about changing your nameand how to avoid this process altogether ― enter HitchSwitch
You Have Options
Before you start the process, you need to decide what name you’ll take. Changing your name doesn’t necessarily mean dropping your last name and replacing it with your soon to be husband’s. Although that’s pretty common, more brides are choosing alternative methods that are better suited for their personal or professional needs. In most states, men and women can legally change their last name to their new spouse’s last name, hyphenate their two last names, or even create an entirely new name with a combination of both of their last names.
Not Just a One-Stop Shop
It’s important to remind yourself that changing your name is a marathon, not a sprint. It can get pretty overwhelming with all the different paperwork and places you have to notify. The process itself is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience. You have to prepare to spend a good amount of time checking off all the boxes before completing your name change.
You Have to Tell Everyone...We Mean Everyone
You don’t realize how important your name is until you change it. When you do enter this process, you need to notify the Social Security Administration, the IRS and the DMV for your new paperwork and license. You will also need to inform banks, credit card companies, and utility companies. Any documentation - like your passport - will also need to be updated.
You’ll need to get new checks, notify the post office, and update your medical records and insurance. If you have legal documents like a will or trust, you’ll want to look into changing them as well. Employers as well as friends and family members, should also be notified.
There’s Good News
Feeling overwhelmed yet? The good news is that HitchSwitch can simplify this process for you, so you can focus on more important things. With their help, you won’t need to worry about where to start. They take care of gathering which forms you’ll need, showing you how to fill them out, and submitting applications.
VISIT HITCHSWITCH.COM/DAVIDS TO GET STARTED >
Is There an Easy Way to Change Your Name?
Skip long lines with one simple form. The name change process is hassle-free when you choose one of HitchSwitch’s personalized packages.
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What Happens After the Wedding?
If you're thinking about what to do after your wedding day, congratulations! You're almost done with all your wedding planning. The final step in tying the knot includes everything you need to do after your perfect day passes. To make things easy, we've partnered with a few companies who offer special services on the things you need after you say "I do," like name change support, thank you cards, photo keepsakes, and more.
Browse our current partnerships to find special deals on a range of post-wedding services. If you don't see what you're looking for, check back soon. Our preferred partners and exclusive discounts rotate often to bring you the best wedding deals available.
How to Change Your Name After Marriage
If you’re like most brides, you’re planning on changing your last name after the wedding. Whether you’re opting to take your new spouse’s last name (either personally or professionally, or both), using or hyphenating both names, adopting your maiden name as your middle name, or merging your two last names into one new surname, a la Challen [Chapman+Allen], the process of changing your name after marriage can be tedious.
The first steps involve getting 2 – 3 certified copies of your marriage certificate from your state’s Department of Health. Requirements and fees vary from state to state, so changing your last name in New York may be a slightly different process than going from maiden-to-married name in California. Next, you’ll want to start at the top, notifying the following entities about your new married name:
- Social Security
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- U.S. Department of State (for your passport)
- U.S. Postal Service
- State voter registration
- Banks, brokers and creditors
Once the larger government and financial entities are taken care of, you’ll want to notify the following providers of your new last name:
- Your employer
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Utilities providers
- Insurance companies
- Medical providers
- Professional licensors or associations
If all this sounds arduous, we’re here to relieve some stress. You can get help from HitchSwitch.com to save time and keep organized. In three easy steps, your personalized kit will help you notify Social Security, US Passport, State Driver’s License, USPS, Voter Registration, and your creditors in a snap.
Wedding Thank You Notes
It may be hard to put into words how thankful you are for everything your loved ones have done for you. Bringing gifts, helping to plan your ceremony, or simply being there on the day of your dreams are the moments you'll cherish forever. To thank your guests and wedding party, customize wedding thank you notes with our preferred partners. By offering an assortment of beautiful thank you cards for weddings, you can find the perfect way to personalize your appreciation with images, text, and more, all at a special rate.
To start, choose a style you like and add photos from your wedding day. Then, customize your cards by choosing from a variety of paper, trim, and color options. Finally, add your text and select how many cards you'll need. Many thank you cards include space for handwritten notes, so you can add personal comments before sending each card out to your loved ones. When you're finished customizing your thank you cards, choose between having all the cards shipped to you directly for personalization, or let our partner take care of mailing each card to everyone on your list.
Special Wedding Keepsakes
Once the wedding is over, relive your perfect day over and over again. With special photo keepsakes from our preferred partners, you can! Use your wedding photos to create personalized home décor, including some of the best wedding photo books, shadow boxes, frames, and other photo accessories available. Our partners let you customize each piece with select images, fonts, and color schemes so you can cherish your wedding every day.
To make a photo book, start by finding a template you love. Pre-designed templates can be personalized to tell your own love story in a beautiful way. With several backgrounds, layouts, and special embellishments to choose from, you can quickly and creatively preserve your special day forever. Our partners make the entire process easy, from photo upload to design to printing and delivery. When you're finished customizing your book, it'll be shipped to you quickly so you can proudly put it on display in your home.
When you're finished taking care of the post-wedding planning, you'll finally have time to relax as a happily married couple. From David's Bridal to you, congratulations on this newest chapter of your life.