Changing Last Names in a Relationship: A Practical Guide

Question
I'm in a serious relationship, and we are not engaged yet, but plan to be soon. When the issue of changing my last name to match his, I wasn't sure how I felt. I don't have a problem with taking his last name, however, it turns my initials into a curse word! My initials now are A.S.K. and his last name begins with S. I want to take his name, but I don't know how much of an inconvenience this will pose in the future. Any ideas?

Answer
Dear Amanda,
Most likely this will not cause a problem. Many do not even think about what initials spell out, but you are the one that has to live with it for eternity. If I were you, I would either put it behind you and not let it concern you or hyphenate your last name with your maiden name. You may want to add to your middle name so that it is slightly changed or use your first letter of your maiden name before your married name (for ex. A.S.K.S.). There are always ways to get around this if you are truly concerned with the issue, but I do not believe others will be taken with this. Most people will not even think twice if they come across these initials and if they do, then they are not worth the judgements that they put upon you.