Wedding Planning

There is a very big tradition that comes with marriages and weddings and that tradition is for the bride to take the groom's last name. In the past, this has been looked at as a true combining of the two people. However, in recent times, it has become more common for the bride to keep her own name.
This modern trend has come to the forefront as a way for women to keep their own identity. Sometimes these women feel as though they should not have to give up who they are simply because they have joined with another person. These women sometimes feel as though by taking their partner's name, they are losing a part of themselves that is very important to them. Others simply don't want the hassle of changing all legal documents, charge cards, etc., to a new name while they are quite content to keep the name that they've had their entire lives. There are now a number of trends emerging so women can find creative alternatives to taking, or not taking, their partner's name.
Some women hyphenate the two names. This allows for the woman to keep their own identity but at the same time recognize that they have made a commitment. By the second generation, this could become quite cumbersome as there are only so many hyphens that one can live with.
Some couples create a new name from a combination of the two names. For example, the two names Peterson and Connelly become Petercon. The name can then be registered and both partners can take the new name.
Some couples maintain their own names for business and legal purposes but informally use one of the last names (usually the man's.) This is done for their children's sake as well as social purposes. While the woman may be known as "Jane Smith" on her driver's license, she is known as "Mrs. Brown" at the school her kids attend.