Guest Blogger :: Shannon Williams

After reading Maiden Names and Married Names, a post from Drew (a fellow Mrster.com blogger), I wanted to explore the process of changing my last name to Cárdenas. My fiancée, Erika, asked me to marry her, and I am honored to take her last name. I am confident that when we have children our family will feel a natural connection to each other, establish more recognition in this world that we are a traditional family, and are not choosing an “alternative life style” if we share a family name. I searched the county, state, and numerous “how to” sites and then came across this article, Gay Couple: Judge Barred Name Change . In it, a lesbian couple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania submit a petition to change the last name of their 5-year-old son to that of his mother's partner of three years. 

Picture Courtesy of My Fox Philly

Permission denied! Words from the “honorable” judge: “It wasn’t in the boy’s best interest.” And, “name changes should be granted based on good sense, common decency and fairness." 

Submitting my petition requires a response to “I request that the current name of Shannon Elizabeth Williams be changed to Shannon Elizabeth Cárdenas for the following reasons,” followed by three blank lines that beckon my justification. I wonder if the Arizona judge will feel my request depicts common sense, decency and fairness. It appears the legal system may feel conflicted in receiving genuine, truthful responses, but here is mine:

Because I deserve to have the last name of my wife who loves me, adores me, will respect me always, and wants to live the rest of this wonderfully chaotic life…with me.

The mother's partner in the above article sadly alleged, "If she (her partner) would have walked in there and not mentioned me at all, the name change probably would have been granted." 

Perhaps the AZ judge that reviews my petition will say "PERMISSION GRANTED." Or perhaps I too will be faced with the alternate, and have to make something up.

Guest Blogger, Shannon Williams and her fiancée are sharing with us their journey of planning their same-sex wedding. Read more about them here.

Tags :: Modern Wedding Traditions, Personal Perspective, Name Changes, Real Stories, Political Perspective, Media.

Guest Blogger :: Shannon

My fiancée and I are planning a fairytale wedding and have the honor of working with many fabulous vendors. While shopping around, we found that most vendors, or wedding resources, provide a form to fill out with information including the most obvious information…bride and groom.

Picture courtesy of Wish Special Events

As members of the Mrster.com advisory board and the LGBTQ movement, we have found that even our favorite vendors have outdated forms. Luckily for us they were happy to make a quick change that reflects the partnership Erika and I have. I was excited to see the New York Times "NEW Wedding Announcement Online Form" and guess what? The online form provides for three choices; Legal Marriage, Civil Union and Commitment Ceremony.

Picture Courtesy of the New York Times

If you’ve read my blogs before, you know I prefer calling my wedding a wedding but this was refreshing. I’m just hoping one day, there won’t need to be choices. If we change the norm, we can change the form.

Guest Blogger, Shannon Williams and her fiancée are sharing with us their journey of planning their same-sex wedding. Read more about them here.