Why This Business Bears my Maiden Name

When the handsome Mr. Hayes and I got engaged back in 2011, I remember the flood of questions from friends and family about our wedding and plans for the future. It was such an exciting time in my life and a completely joyous whirlwind.

One year and a half later Huey and I tied the knot. And I remember being asked countless times whether I would be changing the name of my business to Natalie Hayes Photography or leaving it the same. The new name had quite a ring to it… Looked mighty gorgeous in a logo (you can ask Krista about that!) and it would have signaled my corporate transition as a married woman, but something didn’t feel right.

The mere thought of changing this business to a new name left me uneasy. It would mean altering absolutely everything legally, financially, and socially – however, I wasn’t afraid of the time or resources it would take to make the change. There was something else weighing on my heart.

You see, I absolutely loved my new personal name and what it represented. After dating Huey through high school and college, it only felt natural to take his name. I absolutely love his family and I’m proud to be a Hayes, but why didn’t I feel the same way for my business?

The idea of leaving my Maiden Name behind in my business completely broke my heart.

After taking days to think about it, I made the final decision to keep my maiden name as a photographer. You see, this business was created by the girl with that name. It was Natalie Franke’s first big dream that came true.

This business belonged to the girl who dared to dream that she could start her own little company and with a camera in her hands. That same girl who vowed to work as hard as it took to build something she could be proud of.

Many called her naive for making friends with other photographers. They argued that she was foolish to believe in community over competition. But that sweet teenage girl refused to allow the doubts of others to creep into her heart. She relied on her convictions, pushed forward through the fog, and believed in herself completely.

It was Natalie Franke who paid her way through college shooting weddings on the weekends and finished term papers on the Amtrak train from Philadelphia back to Baltimore at 6am before class. She studied everything she could get her hands on, graduated with honors, and vowed to go full-time. That girl worked harder than she even thought possible, slept far too little, and gave her heart completely to her clients.

Keeping my maiden name pays tribute to the girl who believed in her ability to make a living doing what she loved.

She may have been seventeen years old without a clue of where this journey would take her… but, my goodness, if she didn’t have the courage to leap with both feet and climb every hurdle in her path.

I never want to forget where I came from and keeping my maiden name is an enduring reminder of exactly that.

And that’s a very long answer to a very short question.