I’ve been blissfully happy since my marriage a month ago. But that happy state is being challenged by the seemingly endless challenges that come from changing my last name from Gore to Wiley.
Before the wedding, taking your husband’s surname seems romantic and endearing, but after the “I do’s”, it’s just a bunch of notarized paperwork, standing in lines and training everyone you know to stop calling you by the name they’ve known you by your whole life.
Who’s Mrs. Wiley?
At work, my new email address is active and the new business cards are on the way. I’ve updated my iChat avatar to a picture of Wile E. Coyote. Wile E. Wiley. That ought to catch my coworkers’ attention.
I’m getting used to it, too. “Jen Wiley” doesn’t seem to roll off the tongue as nicely as “Jen Gore.” And signing my name has been awkward. I feel like I’m in 7th grade again, practicing my signature with my boyfriend’s last name with little hearts around it.
Retiring one’s name is difficult. A colleague and officemate who was married back in December is still feeling some pangs from changing “Shelley Straub” to “Shelley Downs.” Goodbye nice alliteration.
The stuck-in-the-middle-between-two-last-names feeling will go away. Meanwhile, I’ll keep working to get everyone onboard with the name switcharoo. And I’ll keep reminding myself why I’m doing this in the first place.
If you’ve changed your name (wedding? witness protection?) how did you handle the transition?
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I use both names professionally. It is a mouthful, but it made sense for me. I had established so many contacts in my first few years as a professional that I didn’t want to take away from my personal brand.