Marriage and double barrelled surname for wife only

[DDogMum]

I realise this is a first world problem, but I need some help please!

I'm getting married soon, and double barrelling my surname. My husband will keep his surname only.
So he will be Mr J Smith, and I will be Mrs K Smith-Jones.

WWYD when signing off together?
A) Mr and Mrs J Smith?
B) Mr and Mrs Smith-Jones?
C) Mr J Smith and Mrs K Smith-Jones?

[FesteringCarbuncle]

I'd just keep your own name unless he double barrels too

[CoperCabana]

When will you be ‘signing off together’?

[user1499173618]

You will be Mr and Mrs Smith.

[user1499173618]

You will be Ms Jones-Smith, surely?

[FesteringCarbuncle]

And I've never signed Mr and Mrs so and so
I've signed everything in my own right as an individual

[pastabest]

He's done a right number on you there hasn't he!

[DDogMum]

@FesteringCarbuncle I'd like to double barrell so our son has both our names and then I'll be exactly the same as him. 'Right on' you however with your feminist input!! 😂

@user1499173618 oh Christ you're right.... I'd be Jones-Smith. I knew that, just wrote it wrong!

[user1499173618]

It’s much better, IMO, to keep your own surname and not to double barrel. You can be both Ms Jones for everyday and officialdom and Mrs Smith for wedding invitations and other passé protocol.

[DDogMum]

@pastabest why? I want to keep my surname and take his too. I feel no need for him to have mine at all, and think it's unnecessary

[CoperCabana]

Exactly Festering. The only time I would sign off together would be in a birthday or Christmas card in which case first names would be used.

[DDogMum]

@CoperCabana joint bills? Joint mortgage? Joint school fees?
House, car, child, life is joint other than work!

[pastabest]

So you want to keep your name but also reflect that you are married and therefore have the 'same' name as your husband and children.

Only you won't, your surname will still be different because whilst you have to go through the hassle of changing your name to Smith-Jones on all documents your husband retains his name alone. No hassle, no change of ID etc.

Then at the end of it all you still have a different surname despite still changing your name like a good little wifey to him but he's got you thinking it's all feminist and wonderful whilst having done bollock all to actually be feminist and wonderful.

Keep your name, or take his, but double barrelling is a bit pointless unless you all do it!

[Heratnumber7]

Our mortgage is in names
Paul Smith and Paula Jones-Smith.
As is our current account.

Car can only be owned/insured by one person anyway.

[DDogMum]

@pastabest I probably didn't explain myself well, sorry. I meant I will have exactly the same name as my son which is important to me.
I WANT to take my husbands surname and see no 'hassle' in changing passports and driving licence etc, no big deal at all!

@user1499173618 and @Heratnumber7 thank you for your responses 😊

[Xiaoxiong]

I wanted us all to double barrel and keep our own names for work if we chose to do so, but DH didn't want to bother changing his. So now I'm Ms MyName, he is Mr HisName and the kids are MyName-HisName.

That's been sufficient for both of us to travel solo with the kids with no questions asked, which was our main concern.

When the DCs grow up and potentially get married they can choose what to do with their names for themselves.

[IStandWithPosie]

joint bills? Joint mortgage? Joint school fees?

You will never sign those as “Mr and Mrs name”.

It will always be two signatures “J smith” and “K Jones-smith”

[DDogMum]

@IStandWithPosie and @Xiaoxiong thank you both! X

[AndOnAndOn]

I did the same as my husband has a daughter that wanted to share a name and I wanted to keep mine so it was a compromise with her!

Depending on the circumstance sometimes we are Mr and Mrs HisName or Mr and Mrs MyName (hotel check in or similar).

Official documents (mortgage or similar) generally write to Mr His Name and Mrs His Name My Name.

His parents insist on using his name 🙄 my family and friends use an array of combinations 😂 I'm not too hung up on it as I know what my name is officially and I know I have the same name as my children.

[pastabest]

So what name does your son have now and what name will he have when you are married?

[CoperCabana]

I think you are being a bit rude. You asked how you would ‘sign off’ so I asked when would you be ‘signing off’. I think you mean how will you be addressed. As other posters have pointed out, you will be either addressed as an individual (personally I have my own car, bills etc. so those are not an issue) or you will be addressed by your individual names in the case of a joint mortgage or joint bill.

[DDogMum]

Thank you @AndOnAndOn - FULLY expected the same from his parents, but bless him, he nipped that in the bud when they first said it when we announced we were getting married. It's probably my family that will get it wrong!

@pastabest sons surname is currently and will remain Jones-Smith, mine will also be Jones-Smith. I realised when @user1499173618 commented that I'd gotten my Jones' and Smith' the wrong way round
I am currently Jones, but will be Jones-Smith

[DDogMum]

@CoperCabana 😂 I certainly didn't meant to be rude, but how funny... I thought you were too!
My only bills in my name are literally my mobile phone bill, everything else is in his name or joint.

[Babdoc]

DH and I kept our own surnames when we married. Much simpler.
As a feminist, I would never have agreed to losing my name and taking a man’s one. Plus, at my hospital there were already two doctors with DH’s surname - if I became a third one, the confusion for the hospital telephonists would have been even worse.
OP, you can of course use whatever name or combination you’re comfortable with, but I’d ask why it’s you making all the compromises and not your DH.

[AnnoyedByAlfieBear]

I've dont the same as your. Official things like mortgage are addressed to Mr S and Mrs C-S. For everyday boring things, I'm addressed as Mrs S. We've had no issues at all with it.

[YellowStickies]

Also, if it's important to you to have the same surname as your child you don't have to wait until you get married.