US couple Danielle Bonadona and Jacob Bartlebaugh let wedding guests choose their joint surname

When Danielle Bonadona and Jacob Bartlebaugh got engaged in front of all of their friends and family at Danielle’s birthday party in June 2024, they didn’t know the uphill battle they would be facing. 

It was only as the months crept up towards their nuptials that it dawned on them the enormity of the task before them – picking a shared surname. 

Watch the video above

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Of course they could have gone with either of their long surnames, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, they toyed with combining their long, alliterating surnames, making them the Bonadona-Bartlebaughs. 

The couple, who are based in Kansas City, Missouri in the US, were understandably hesitant at taking on the 20-character long moniker. 

So they did what anyone else would do and consulted the internet – specifically, TikTok. 

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Danielle took to the social media platform to detail their plight, with thousands of responses in a matter of minutes. Eventually, millions of people had weighed in with their opinion. 

“The response on TikTok has been overwhelming,” Danielle told 9honey.

“Millions of people have watched and engaged with the videos about our name. We see it as a good omen for our special day and are incredibly grateful to everyone.”

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As the February wedding date approached, the couple were stunned at what a huge sensation their ordeal had become, with German musicians Bodo Wartke and Marti Fischer even creating a song out of their surname, which then became a TikTok dance trend. 

It was hard to decide what to do about their surname with the millions of new fans all giving their opinion, but Danielle and Jake went the old-fashioned route with voting cards on every table, asking their wedding guests to choose a surname for them. 

Many would balk at having their loved ones make such a huge decision on their behalf, but for this couple, it seemed like the right thing to do.

“We thought it would be a fun way to include our friends and family in our special day,” Danielle said, adding, “Yes, we will go with the last name our guest choose for us. We think it will be an amazing story to tell in the future.”

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The couple had asked to be surprised with the results of the votes, with their new name being announced as they walked in after the ceremony. 

And so after months of social media hype, the couple were finally announced as the new… Mr and Mrs Bonadona-Bartlebaugh. 

“It won by a landslide,” said the bride.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Wow, getting prescriptions filled is going to be an adventure.’ My husband, Jake, finds it absolutely hilarious and has already changed his name on social media to reflect our new name.”

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Not everyone was ecstatic about the name change, with Danielle sharing, “We had a couple family members vote for us to not change it but everyone was ultimately very excited about the whole experience. It was a unique way to include our family and friends in our special day.

“Luckily, our parents have a good sense of humor. We probably got it from them. They think it will be a fun and interesting addition to the family history.” 

The newlywed has already tried her new surname on for size, trying to book her honeymoon suite under her new moniker.

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“I wanted to try out the name for the first time so I attempted to make a reservation under ‘Bonadona-Bartlebaugh’. The poor worker on the other line was so confused,

“Eventually I gave up trying to spell it and made the reservation under my former name since we still don’t have our IDs with the new name.

“I am going to have to learn the NATO phonetic alphabet so I can explain it. Bravo, Oscar, November, etc…”

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