THE LEGALITIES OF IT ALL
There is no legal requirement in the United Kingdom for a woman to change her surname when she gets married. It is your own personal choice, although by tradition (Asian & Western) it is generally expected that a woman will replace her maiden name with her husband's surname.

Upon marriage, there are two automatic legal options available to you. You can either continue to use your maiden name or you can change your maiden name to your husband's surname. If you decide to take your husband's surname, the marriage certificate provides the necessary documentary evidence that you have changed your name to send off to the concerned companies and organisations that will need to be informed.

TAKING HIS NAME
Changing your maiden name to your husband's surname is the traditional and simplest option. It is still, by far, the most preferred (and often expected) option of today's brides, particularly in the Asian Community, who tend to be more conventional than their Mainstream counterparts.

With both parties using the same surname, life is made considerably easier and less confusing to others when making joint financial, legal and social arrangements. This is particularly relevant when children are involved - children whose parents have different surnames may feel confused or insecure.

There's also a romantic and ideological argument for taking your husband's name. If you're willing to take him for better or worse, for richer or poorer etc etc why not take his name along with the whole package as well? Hopefully you will feel that the man you marry has a lovely family, which you will be honoured to be part of, signified by sharing their name. For many women taking the name of the man they love and becoming a "Mrs" is one of the most romantic and significant part of getting married

With Asian wedding rituals, Hindi, Muslim or Sikh, based on the idea of a bride leaving her family and parental home to start a new life as part of her husbands family, it's little surprise that taking the husband's name is the preferred route for many Asian Brides. Changing your name doesn't necessarily mean that you are relinquishing your identity or forgetting where you came from. Neither does it mean that your husband will own you, rather it's simply that you will belong to him (A subtle but nonetheless discernable difference).

Conversely, for many women of the feminist schools of thought, for a woman to change her surname reinforces the outdated idea that a married woman is the property of her husband. Such people would argue that by removing a woman's surname, you remove the person's identity, history and heritage, A counter argument to this would be that any woman whose self-esteem is so precarious that it hinges on which surname she attaches to herself has bigger problems to worry about.!

Essentially, the impact of a name change on each woman's identity will depend on her character. The new status represented by 'Mrs' will have different meanings for everyone, more traditional for some women, and more modern for others, depending on factors including upbringing, society, religion, and the strength the woman's previous identity. Some women could use the name-change as an opportunity to bury the past, make a fresh start, motivate personal development and bring about many more positive changes in their lives

If you decide that this route is for you, after your marriage, you simply send your marriage certificate to all the numerous government departments, companies and organisations that you deal with so they can amend your records. You will also need to create a new signature for yourself that incorporates your new surname!

KEEPING YOUR MAIDEN NAME AFTER MARRIAGE
If you decide to continue using your maiden name after marriage, the established convention is to replace the title Miss by Ms. This option has become increasingly popular for business and professional women, since continuity of the woman's name is maintained. This option has the clear advantage of there being no need to change any of your documents However, many women using Ms. for this reason, will take their husband's surname for their legal name for all matters outside the workplace.

Generally in the mainstream, the brides who keep their names tend to be achievers and individualists who have already established their names professionally ... and see no reason to surrender them. The higher their education level, the less likely they are to follow conventional practice. Whether this remains true for British Asian brides remains to be seen but a significant number of Asian women are opting to retain their maiden name.