Amanda didn't change her last name when she married. I never changed mine, but it was entirely up to her what she chose to do. She has had lots of academic success in her maiden name that will be important while she works on her PhD at Berkeley next year. (In French Lit.) Not changing her name started me thinking about what a huge responsibility giving a child a name is. Her brothers' names are Nicholas and Zachary. If I had any idea that I would ever have a girl, she would have had a "Z" name - perhaps Zoe. But I used the "Z" name for Zachary and she would have been Cameron, since I was absolutely convinced that I was having another boy. My husband has said that the most surprised he has ever seen me was when (after 40 hours of labor) (no sympathy, please - I got a baby out of that weekend, and that's all that matters now), they told me "It's a girl!"And more about the wedding. Isn't that bouquet wonderful? My niece Amy did the flowers for the wedding, even though she is due any minute with a girl of her own, and couldn't travel to it. My brother Tony played guitar and my brother Don performed the Lutheran Ceremony. My sister Lynne scoped out the vista and my nephew Eric did pictures. My point, and I do have one, is that there's nothing like a family pulling together to make a memorable occasion.
PS: Does anyone remember that old (1949) Susan Hayward movie, Tulsa? (Filmed in Ada, OK.)
Gorgeous bouquet and beautiful bride!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Terri!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful daughter you have! And the dress is gorgeous. Did you make it? Very nice that the family pulled together to make the wedding a family affair. I don't recall ever seeing the movie you mention.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean by names. Our oldest has chosen to hyphenate her name the the married name.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bride.
Yes I remember that movie and I think it was on the OETA movie weekend this past weekend.
Hi Sanda - I remade a dress I found in a thrift store. The original dress was so wonderful, it was worth the trouble. My daughter gets her coloring from her father. Put us in a room with any other dark or straight haired woman, and they assume she is Amanda's mother instead of me. My son's girlfriend, who used to model, did her makeup and what a transformation. From her usual beautiful to just plain fabulous!
ReplyDeleteHi Carla!
ReplyDeleteSo that's what made me think of that movie? Thanks for solving that mystery.
I find the hyphenated name thing very interesting. It used to make you sound like British aristocracy. I know a few couples (actually ex-couples, since they have all divorced) where the husband has also changed his name to a hyphenated version.
Congratulations, Amanda! You look divine, and I celebrate both your marriage and your decision to go to Berkeley!
ReplyDeleteOn the name change question . . . When I married (I'm divorced), I didn't change my name--just too much hassle. Plus, I don't understand the convention.
Hi Catherine - You put it perfectly. The convention doesn't really make sense if you think about it. How much easier to just keep the name you were born with. Men get to.
ReplyDeleteAmanda's decision got pretty complicated by all the other schools that wanted her. She would have made more money at UCLA, but that just wasn't enough to change her mind. She liked Pitt, because it was the only PhD program with the all the classes in French. She makes a good point that if you are studying literature written in French, why would you discuss it in English?