I wouldn't take my husband's name - because i'm straight
Essentially, it's down to personal choice and preference. It's only a convention that the woman takes the husband's name, nothing more.
bingo
Not married, never been married, probably never going to be married, so not really relevant but...
I used to joke that I'd change if his surname were towards the beginning of the alphabet. I never liked being an "R".
But seriously, probably not.
I wonder how many people start over--i.e. choose a new family name to go by. It'd be a hassle but maybe worth it to symbolize a new start.
^ You could always compromise and go for a hyphenated surname Mrs Natalie Smith-Jones.
My bf and I have discussed this a lot, actually. His last name is Lee, but he wants to change it to his mother's maiden name, Turnbull, because he hates his Father's entire side of the family (not to mention the fact that he can trace the name "Lee" all the way back to Robert E. Lee, whom he also hates). I, on the other hand, am planning to be an author, and am burdened with the unfortunate name "Grele", which is virtually unpronounceable. Most people assume it's "Grail" or "Greel". It's actually pronounced "Grey-lee". So I'd be very happy to trade my last name in for something easy like Lee, but since I'm already getting published at this age, I need to make that decision now, otherwise my publishing credits will all be under a different name! Thusly, I've decided to make Athene Lee my pen name, and if at some point I marry my bf and he decides not to change his name, it will also be my real name; if not, well, at least I have an easily readable name to be published under.
Needlessly complicated, but it works out well in the end.
Some cultures, such as Chinese -- have three names: personal name, family name and clan name. Is it a husband's name as much as a family's name?
Are there laws about a child's surname that must be given on a birth certificate? Must it be the father's surname if the parents are married? Or does it matter?
I have had people thinking that I hadn't understood their maiden name question. I find the whole thing amusing. It's easier now that we're married though. We used to get lots of questions before and had to do a little explanation run every time. I remember when we bought our home and were unmarried. The bank assumed we were brother and sister until we set them straight.
Actually my grandfather took his mother's name, but that was because he was illegitimate. So my family history has a weird change there.
That's interesting about the Iceland names. I've heard that it was an English tradition to have surnames according to profession (ie. Smith, Cooper, Taylor, Tanner etc) or just as Icelandic names so and so's son (ie. Johnson, Thomson, Jackon etc).
Yes, but in Iceland they also do it down the woman's side- so you get Anna Eydissdotir, Gudrun Annasdotir, etc. "Dotir" meaning "daughter", of course.
I love names. 
What I find most amusing is when the most ardent feminists are getting married, they will tell you they are not taking their husband's surname. Then there is always some degrading wedding tradition during or following the ceremony. During the ceremony a male relative usually accompanies the bride down to meet the groom and is "given away" by him. After the ceremony there is a ritual involving the groom removing a piece of the bride's underwear and throwing it to "eligible men" to provide an omen of good luck for their finding a spouse. The bride is supposed to throw a bouquet of flowers at a group of "young eligible women" to provide an omen of good luck for their finding a spouse. Other cultural rituals involve cutting the cake (symbol of bride's virginity), throwing old shoes, people throwing rice (to wish them fertility but really kills birds) or other objects.
throwing bird seed would be better. The cake could be cut and served out in the kitchen if you don't want to do that ritual.
What are gay/bisexual people supposed to do when they throw the garter and bouquet? I think if you have gay/bisexual people at a wedding, maybe you better not do that. I was at a wedding where two women didn't go to catch the bouquet. One was a nun and the other said she was not eligible because her marriage had been annulled. People were asking them why they didn't go up and they maybe seemed embarrassed.
it is better if people have a choice of what to do for their wedding.
maybe the bride should take off the groom's sock.
Some brides have their mother and father and siblings walk them down the aisle. It is giving their daughter/sister to another family but really getting another son in the groom. It is about joining two families together. I like that idea better than ownership and control over female relatives which is sexism.
The many tiered, elaborately iced, traditional wedding cakes of today are based on the unusual shape of the spire of St Bride's church in London.
Amusingly, "St. Bride" is another name for "St. Bridget", who was originally a mythological figure to the Celts, the goddess Bridget or Bride. She became a saint (as many ancient deities did) when the Christians incorporated elements of the old Gaelic religions into Christianity. Most of her symbology and even some of her shrines remain intact thanks to this absorption/preservation.
Bridget is one of my patron/matron/Mother deities.
I can't wait to get rid of my last name, it's so long!
A woman should carefully consider about changing her name after marriage -- all the pros and cons. Also be informed how to do it properly and legally. It might require a certain length of time it has to be done by and if any fees are involved. Where I live, if you don't change it within a certain time after the wedding, it will require a fee and going before a judge to change it. Some pieces of identification are easier to change than others. Often certain types of identification must be presented to change them as well. For example it might be easier to change the passport first and then the driver's license. It complicates matters even more if one is moving address as well.
It is going to be a two ring, two garter ceremony then?