A bride-to-be has gone viral on TikTok after revealing she and her fiancé will let their wedding guests decide whether to hyphenate their surnames. Danielle Bonadona, who is engaged to Jacob Bartlebaugh, posted a video explaining the couple's dilemma over their last names.
Both are attached to their own surnames and do not want to give them up. Mr Bartlebaugh suggested they hyphenate, but Ms Bonadona was concerned about the length of the resulting name, Bonadona-Bartlebaugh. To resolve the issue, they decided to put the decision to a vote among their wedding guests.
In a follow-up video, Ms Bonadona explained that she is known by her surname rather than her first name. 'I've been called Bonadona my whole life,' she said. 'It feels almost like changing my first name in a really weird way.' She added that she would be happy to include her fiancé's name.
The couple are offering three options: keep their own names, hyphenate, or create a brand new combined surname. Speaking to Newsweek, Ms Bonadona said her fiancé is rooting for the hyphenated option, and she now hopes guests choose it too, because 'the internet will be mad if our family and friends let them down.'
TikTok users have been enthusiastic about the hyphenated name, with one comparing it to 'a book making fun of rich people' and another saying it sounds like 'one of Sherlock Holmes's villains.' Ms Bonadona said she was shocked by the support and described it as 'a positive omen for our celebration.'
