A rose by any other name.

As the wedding creeps closer, I am often asked what my new name will be. No-one asks IF I plan to change my name or not, they simply assume I will be. Maybe if I was, I would not notice this presumption and would just answer the question but since I am not sure it really stands out to me that people think it strange not to change your name.

The reason I am unsure is because I like my name. It sounds nice with my first name, it's a little bit unusual (Shelley) and I have had it for 26 years. I am kinda attached to it.

However, I know my future husband would feel slightly offended if I didn't take his name. He is very traditional and just assumed I would. There is nothing wrong with his name - it's a very normal name - but it's just not my name.

I am not personally a fan of double barrelling. It can work with shorter names but it doesn't work for my new name. Too many sssssssssss. I know some people like to do a Brangelina and merge the two names - if I were to merge my new surname would be Smelley - not a good move!

Lots of people point out that if I were to have children they would have a different name to me and this is true. Maybe at this point I might to change it but I guess I am just not ready to say goodbye to my old name just yet.