Quote Originally Posted by J&G View Post
Oh, interesting, thanks! I always just assumed that marriage certificates spelled out the wife's new name... How does this marital name change ever become an 'official' thing then? Does the wife just start using the new name arbitrarily? I thought for sure that it would have to be officially registered somewhere!?

J & G
The only official thing to show her married name is to change her passport into her married name, then to use the new name to other documents like bank account, etc. There's no rule that wives should use her husband's name, not in the UK anyway. She can continue using her maiden name even if she's already married. It's just what most people have been accustomed to, to have the wife use her husband's name, but it's not always necessary. I think in Spain, it's the husbands who use their wives names.