Planning on changing your name when you get married? About.com has a really great and helpful article on everything you’d need to do this.

Start with…

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Lucky.

My in-laws moved to Florida a few weeks after our wedding two years ago.  My parents moved to North Carolina the year that followed. While we’re all adults here, I kind of felt a bit abandoned by my Mommy and Daddy.  Sure I’m surrounded by my sister, friends, and not to mention, my loving husband, but there’s something about having family close by that makes it easier to get through the day – and the holidays.

Each summer my in-laws come back North to stay for the summer. The other day my MIL (Mother-in-law) was coming up and the boy and I couldn’t wait to take her out to a local Italian place that we LOVE. Since she and I are Chicken Parmesan Connoisseurs, we of course needed to try theirs.

I was running a tad late at work and I quickly mentioned, “I’ve got to run – we’re having dinner with my Mother-in-law!”

My statement was met with grimaces, smirks and I believe a snort! “What?” I asked. “I love my in-laws!”

I was met with story after story, horror story after embarrassing story of really bad in-law experiences.  They sounded like “Monster-In-Law” movie ideas! Yikes. I hit the jackpot!

Are you marrying into a Monster-in-law situation?

It occured to me that what the boy and I have with our in-laws is really special and at times, rare.

Last April my parents, sister, aunts and uncles went on a family cruise. The boy and I were armed with our friends, and my husband had a great time on vacation – surrounded by his in-laws.  Every weekend when we travel down to visit my in-laws at the beach, we have a great time cooking, laughing and drinking too much wine. We really are blessed to have the families around us that we have. And we certainly don’t take it for granted.

If you’re entering into a family with your upcoming wedding you may find you’re inheriting more than just your fiances last name. You’re getting his family too. And if you’re very lucky, you’ll enter into a family that loves you just as much as they love their own – and count you as part of the family too.

So – call your soon to be Mother-in-law today. Tell her you’re happy to be a part of her family – include her in the planning of your wedding – and value her experience, opinions and years of cute stories about your fiance.

Oh – and call your Mom too – she’s just as important!!