Getting married is a process?and so is legally changing your name after you get hitched. After the toasts have been made and the honeymoon is over, you?ll want to get started on this process immediately (if you?ve chosen to do so, of course). It isn?t complicated and should only take you at most a couple of weeks to complete, but it can take a bit of patience and a lot of forms. Here is a short guide to everything you need to know about changing your last name after you get married.
To Begin, You?ll Need the Marriage License
Before you begin the process of changing your last name, you?ll need a copy of your marriage certificate. On your wedding day, you, your spouse, your witnesses, and your officiate all had to sign a document saying that a marriage did indeed take place, and then the officiate mailed it in to the County Clerk?s office. Once the state has received the license, they will certify it and you will be issued a marriage certificate. (Note that in some states this document may be one and the same, but the state must certify it in order for the marriage to be considered legal.) In some areas, they will simply mail you a copy of the marriage certificate once it?s been certified, but in others you will need to physically go to the county administrator and request one. First Things First, Change your Social Security Card

Now that you have the marriage certificate golden ticket, the first step in this (somewhat lengthy and arduous) process is to change your name on ...