I Do-Change My Title That Is!
Figures released by The Legal Deed Service in April 2009 have found that the number of couples who are opting out of tying the knot and changing their name and title by Deed Poll is rocketing to an all time high, much to the outrage of globally famous party planner, Liz Brewer, whose clients include Dame Shirley Bassey and Ivana Trump.
The new report has found that since January 2009, applications made to The Legal Deed Service for their innovative title change deed poll, is up by 75 per-cent.
CEO of The Legal Deed Service, Jamie Jackson said, "We are getting so many people contacting us to change their name to that of their current partner and snubbing marriage altogether! It seems to be a mixture of the added expense of a wedding and lack of commitment that is seeing this new trend - it is a major indication of the state of marriage in the UK in today's society."
"With the average cost of a wedding being around £11,000 the current economic crisis is a huge hurdle for many couples wanting to embark on married life. I also think many couples are reluctant to tie the knot because of the increasing divorce rates experienced today - getting married by deed poll means that a divorce is not necessary."
"Similarly, we have lots of clients who have recently separated from their husband and who are simply reverting back to their maiden name and changing their title back from Mrs to Miss instead of getting divorced - potentially saving thousands in hefty legal bills".
In 2007 the Office for National Statistics reported that one in five men and women divorcing in 2007 had a previous marriage ending in divorce. This proportion has doubled in 27 years: in 1980 one in ten men and women divorcing had a previous marriage ending in divorce.
Liz Brewer, the etiquette expert and party organiser to the stars, who is set to feature on ITV1 in the summer with her new series 'Ladette To Lady', said, "It's simply appalling that women are doing this. Your wedding day is one thing that should really matter in your life. This is tragic."
"Weddings don't have to cost a fortune; it is not absolutely necessary to spend a lot of money on your big day. Some of the most beautiful weddings I have attended have been very simple, with the couple barefoot on a beach and flowers in the bride's hair."
Mr Jackson, whose online service costs just over £10 for a standard adult name change and just £11.50 to change a child's name, said, "One theory is that couples who were planning to get married before the credit crunch are finding it increasingly difficult to pay for their dream wedding. As a result they are opting for our name and title change service as a more cost effective alternative."
Angela Yates, from Kent recently put in an application with The Legal Deed Service to change her name and title after having two small children, she said, "I wanted to change my name to Mrs Childs, so that I had the same name as my kids."
Angela added, "I wouldn't want a big white wedding anyway but financially it is an issue."
"We have thought about marriage but when people get married these days it seems to ruin everything. I would recommend a name change to anyone in the same position, me and my partner consider ourselves to be married anyway."
Mr Jackson added, "It may be a sad reality, but with such desperate economic times set to continue, couples are looking to cut costs wherever necessary, even if this means cutting back on their big day."
Special Thanks:
The Legal Deed Service would like to thank Angela Yates (Client), and Liz Brewer for her assistance with this article, and for the photograph published at the top of this page. For more information about Liz Brewer you can visit www.lizbrewer.com.
Text & Images: © 2009, The Legal Deed Service Ltd. | Image (TOP): © 2009, Liz Brewer
Last updated: 10 April 2009
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