Adventures in Name Changing, Part 2

The day after the wedding, my aunt came up to me and said, "Hi Mrs. DudesLastName!" To my surprise, it annoyed me. Not so much because she referred to me as my new last name, but because I have never seen this powerful, successful woman more happy as when her niece got married. What exactly does that say, that to be successful all one has to do is get married? But I digress...

When changing your name, there is this weird transition period that nobody has ever told me about, that I never see in the boards or comments about people changing their names. There is this weird month where you are neither your maiden name nor your new name.

Three days after the wedding, I had to fill out all this paperwork to get Dude on my insurance. Dude's insurance is good, but mine is way better and a lot cheaper. Simple, right?

Wrong!

First, there is a change in status form that needs to be filled out within 30 days of the change in status. It asks you for your current name and your new name, and asks if you want your status updated on all company forms. And then below it says "Your name must match your social security card."

Well, I haven't changed my social security card yet, and I can't because it takes up to 3 weeks to get the marriage certificate. Plus, if the social security office decides to keep the certificate, I would have to order more copies of the certificate, which could take up to another 3 weeks to get. What's the problem with that? There is no way I could change my name within the 30 day change in status period!

So after a bunch of back and forth emails with HR, I fill out the change in status form with my maiden name, just so Dude can be added to my insurance. We'll get a whole new set of cards and stuff. When I do change my name, I have to fill out the same form AGAIN and we'll get ANOTHER set of new cards, reflecting my new name.

Lesson: be prepared. This is a huge pain in the ass.