I've talked to several female friends who are newlyweds, and we are all in agreement: dealing with the necessary paperwork after getting married is a major hassle.
After your marriage certificate arrives in the mail, you must go to the DMV to get your license, which you need as photo ID to change your social security card, credit cards, checks, and insurance. Don't forget that you must also change your mailing address, email address, everything at work (official files with HR department, email address, business cards, etc.). If you plan to travel internationally anytime soon, be sure to update your passport (which also costs a pretty penny). Then you have to notify any other accounts or memberships you have (like Delta Skymiles, gym memberships, etc.).
The bottom line is that making all of these changes is inconvenient. The changes involve making a lot of phone calls, then physically visiting half a dozen places. Most of these alterations need to be completed during business hours, which involves taking a day off of work. The changes also need to be completed in a certain order. You absolutely have to have a photo ID and your marriage license in order to change bank information, for example. Also unfortunate - it's hard to remember all of the places that need your new information, so you may run into a problem when you try to make a transaction with a company or organization that still lists your old name, address and marital status.
I recommend that someone design a service that takes care of all of these legal changes for brides. The bride would simply provide her new name, new address, social security number (privacy waiver signed), and choose what accounts she has from an existing list that the service provides, preventing her from overlooking something. The service would then do the background work and simply provide the bride with a packet of papers to sign. I realize that some of these changes do need to be made in person, but I think the company could find a way around it in many cases, or at least reduce the number of places the woman would have to physically visit.
This concept would save newly-married women with a lot of running around and headache during a time that is busy and full of change already. I would have gladly paid a reasonable fee to have someone walk me through the steps necessary to making my new name and address legal and official everywhere. This is just an idea...but if any of you implement it, I claim a cut of the profits! :-)
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