When the bride (and sometimes also the groom) changes her surname after the wedding, not only the combination of letters after the name and signature changes, but also the identity of the particular person. Sometimes we think so much about the time of engagement, wedding planning and the wedding itself that the issue of changing the surname remains in the background. No matter how easy it is to change your last name, sometimes it takes a lot more effort to live with it afterwards.

Surname change - marathon, not sprint

Those who have already experienced the change of surname tend to say that it is a marathon, not a sprint, that is, each step takes a certain amount of time. Surname change should be done not only in the passport, ID card, driver's license, but also in the bank, in social networks and finally in your own and other people's minds. If you are not going on a honeymoon immediately after the wedding, then this process can be approached a little more leisurely, but if you plan to go on vacation outside of Latvia right away, then you need to find out in time what formalities need to be completed in order to be able to leave the country legally and without any problems.

It should also be remembered that the marriage certificate is one of the documents that many institutions will want to see during the name change process, so it is better not to leave it at home and prepare copies and printouts in advance.

A bit childish signature

Those brides who have already gone through the process of changing their surname after the wedding indicate that one of the things to get used to will be the new signature. Perhaps at first it will seem a bit childish, untrained, and unconsciously the bride may long for her previous signature. The good news, however, is that the new signature, just like diamonds, will polish over time and become more and more flawless.

Who am I now?

Of course, outside of the practicalities of changing one's last name, one of the biggest emotional questions is who am I now? Name and surname are one of the factors that form identity, and changing one of them naturally raises questions about identity in general. It is important to give yourself time and allow the changes to be accepted gradually.

You shouldn't blame yourself if you still get to call yourself by your old last name - after all, for a long time, that's exactly what characterized your identity.

It will also take longer to get used to someone calling you by your new surname. It may happen that, when you go to the doctor, you will not respond to the administrator's invitation for the first time, but most likely after a short time you will already be familiar with the new last name so much that it will seem a little strange when someone calls you the previous one.

It is a change both for the bride and those around her

It should be understood that not only the couple themselves must get used to the new surname, but also the people around them, especially those with whom you work professionally or do not meet so often. Most likely, one of the colleagues or classmates from the days of youth will call you by your previous name one more time, not because they want to show disrespect, but because these people also need to get used to change.

Article author: Liene Pālēna