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09th Nov 2012

Meshing: The Latest Trend When it Comes to Tying the Knot But What is it Exactly?

"Meshing" is the latest marriage trend to come from the US and it involves combining your own last name with your husband's to make a new name that both of you take. Is it a DO or a DON'T ladies?

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Ladies, when it comes to getting married would you happily take your hubby’s last name as your own or would you, like dozens of others, come up with something new? Allow us to introduce you to the phenomenon of ‘meshing.’

Meshing is a practice which originally became popular in the States around six years ago, however, over the past year or so it’s after gaining speed and now it’s touching down in Europe.

So what is meshing then? The Telegraph reports that it’s the practice of simply ‘meshing’ your last name with your hubby’s last name and creating a new name that you both take.

A loose example of it would be when journalist Dawn Porter adopted  the ‘O’ from her hubby Chris O’Dowd’s name to create “O’Porter” (however, the serious cases of meshing involve both couples taking a new name).

According to reports, the practice is already widespread in the UK with 800 British couples already changing their names and experts reckon it won’t be long before it spreads to Ireland.

In fact, the trend has become so popular in the UK that their Deed Poll Service has had to create a separate system to cope with instances of meshing alone. Mental or what?

Would you consider “meshing” with your hubby once you’ve tied the knot?

“Meshing has changed from once being a rare novelty to now being noted as being one of the main reasons couples may use a Deed Poll to change their names,” said Claudia Duncan, an officer from the UK Deed Poll Service.

“Four years ago there were only a handful of couples choosing to mesh so the growth is huge. Primarily meshing seems to be adopted by younger couples in their twenties or early thirties as opposed to older couples. Meshing has allowed couples the freedom of reinvention – meshing their names as a symbolic reflection of their union with a completely new start without any history being tied to their surname,” she added.

And you know what? According to most couples, the act of meshing is far more “romantic” than the traditional act of simply taking your husband’s name.

So c’mon ladies, give us a laugh – what would your meshed name be? Simply combine your last name with your man’s last name (think Brangelina only with second names) and post it below.