Be Inspired
What’s in a
name?
With Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz hitting the headlines for both choosing to double-barrel, there’s never been a better time to explore the thought-provoking world of newlywed surnames…
Sim ons Stu dio
a chat about each other’s wishes and expectations.”
“We live in a fantastic world of choice and ultimately that choice should be yours and yours alone to make.” TJ Thomson Fuze Ceremonies
TJ ‘went Dutch’ when she tied the knot. In other words, she kept her maiden name for work-related matters – “It’s Frame, so a bit more unique and I’d already established a career using it” – but took on her husband’s
Rebecca Holmes Photography
As you soak up all the super-fun elements of wedding prep, make sure to spare a moment for the practicalities too – potential name changes for one! As the tradition of one party simply taking on the surname of the other is disrupted by a variety of creative options, wedding suppliers are increasingly asked for their views on how newlyweds should refer to themselves after they’re married. Boasting both personal and professional experience when it comes to this topic TJ Thomson, a celebrant at Fuze Ceremonies, says, “For so many your name is a huge part of your identity. Some will not be bothered either way and others will have very strong feelings on the subject. It’s important you don’t make assumptions about what your partner will do with their name once you are married. Instead, communication is key. Have
name, Thomson, for everything personal, including her duties as a celebrant. “This is more formally known as ‘going informal’, and there have been benefits and drawbacks,” says TJ. “This year marks a decade as Mrs T but still the only ID with that on it is my passport... And it took me eight years to get round to changing it! I’ve been clocking up the birthdays and with a memory not as good as it once was, I get some strange looks when I’m asked my name and get it wrong!” If you can’t decide which way to go, do what feels right for you, advises TJ. “We live in a fantastic world of choice and ultimately that choice should be yours and yours alone to make.”
Martin Grant and Laura Morrison, now both Morrison-Grant, were married last August at Crossbasket Castle by George McLean of Fuze Ceremonies “We try to be equal in everything we do so it made sense to simply put our names together – it shows we’ve each brought something in creating a new family together. When we told people, they were either positive or already aware of the name style becoming more popular. We’ve not had any challenges but have been quite lazy and still haven’t updated our names in a lot of places! Thinking ahead to future generations getting married, though, it might get quite complicated if people are already double-barrelled… What will they do then?!”
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