I didn't take my husband's last name when we married. My great grandfather fought in the Dieppe Raid during WWII. He was a selfless and amazing man who gave selflessly to others and changed the lives of hundreds of people directly... And who knows how many indirectly. He was my hero, my mentor and influenced and meant the world to me. I didn't want to change my last name because I was proud of my family name and it was important to me to keep that connection I had with my great grandfather (he gave me away at my wedding as well). Also changing all your legal documents is a pain in the ass haha!

My husband was a bit hurt I think when I originally brought the topic up but after explaining why he understood and he's never expressed anything but respect for my decision to keep my last name my own.