I do hope the name change is easier in the UK than in the USA. When we got married, my wife took my last name. That was a conversation. I hate my real name. I use a pseudonym here. My real name has historical connotations, and has been a source of constant grief for me. I have seriously considered changing it over the years, and I thought about taking her name when we got married.
My wife’s maiden name, on the other hand, was a very long and very Italian name that she was sick of having to spell out for people because Americans can’t handle exotic names. She ended up taking my name, then had to deal with the name change process. Easier said than done.
In the States, when you try to change your name, everyone assumes you are trying to hide, so it prompts all kinds of background checks and other scrutiny. To this day, she still gets mail addressed to her maiden name because some services like TIAA-CREF refuse to recognize name changes. It is really absurd.