Jaime Case and Chris Hodges knew they wanted a nontraditional last name when they married, which Jaime explains on their blog as being for the following reasons:
1) I didn’t want to take Chris’s name and he wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea of there being two Mrs. Hodges (the first being his mother).
2) Chris didn’t want to take my name, which is fine, because Mr. Case is in fact, my father.
3) We didn’t want to hyphenate our names, thus creating a new disease, the Case (of the) Hodges.
4) We wanted to choose a name that would work for the whole family, which may or may not someday include children, dogs, and random goldfish.
The journey to becoming Mr. & Mrs. Ford began with a few rules:
1) The name had to be American, because neither of us thought it was appropriate to take on an ethnic last name just because it “sounded cool.”
2) It couldn’t be the maiden name stolen from a good friend.
3) It couldn’t be a first name, last name. (ie: Chris Ryan, Jaime Bruce)
4) It couldn’t hurt anyone (ie: taking my stepdad’s last name would hurt my father)
5) It had to be easy to say and spell so that we don’t torture our future kids.
After months of deliberation, Jaime says the name Ford was chosen because:
1) The word “Ford”, as defined by dictionary.com, means “to cross a river.” It implies strength and determination, two qualities Chris and I hope to embody in our marriage.
2) President Gerald Ford, an adopted member of the Ford family, was from Grand Rapids, Chris’s hometown. Chris holds Gerald Ford in high regard, as does the rest of his family.
3) Betty Ford helped raise awareness for breast cancer and was considered a leader in the Women’s Movement. She is also the founder of the world-famous Betty Ford Clinic, which helps treat substance abuse and addiction.
4) Ford is the only American car company that didn’t take bailout money.
5) Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company with the idea that the common man should and would be able to afford his own car. The Ford Motor Company still works to achieve this goal today.
6) Roxy (the Ford Fusion the couple drove on a pre-wedding road trip) has been like a family member to us, and since her last name is Ford, we’re happy to share it with her. Even though we’re going to have to say goodbye to her this week, she’ll always live very large in our memories.
7) Driving around the country seeing the Ford sign everywhere made Chris and I feel like a part of a larger family- we loved that.
8 ) Chris’s mother has an extensive history with Ford.
9) My father, who was the student body president of Fresno State, was given a Mustang fastback during his presidency.
10) My first truck was a Ford Ranger- a vehicle that is infamous to anyone who ever drove with me in high school. My brother, who was one of my best friends growing up, always had Mustangs.
11) My grandfather Bud loves the entire country in his Ford truck.
The couple will keep their maiden and bachelor names as middle names so people will “know where they come from.” Their entire journey is documented at WeddingRoadTrip.com.
This story may sound plum crazy, but I’ve known and helped real Name Counsel clients who choose completely new last names. I’ve seen “Meadows” for a love of open spaces, “Carolina” because the couple met and married there, and “Bell” for Buddhist inspired mindfulness. Most often the new names come from a distant family member– a grandmother’s maiden name, perhaps– but more and more couples are opting for a choose your own approach. Wonderful that we live in a place and age where we have these options.
Best wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Ford!
