I have already gotten my entry clearance to go to the UK as a fiance, and honestly that application process, while expensive, was insanely easy and quick. I mailed the application on Saturday and had my passport back, visa in place by the following Friday (and this was the week of Labor Day). So... that was not nearly as bad as i thought it would be.

Anyway, I leave for the UK on 13 Nov. My fiance and I are going to wait 7 days after I arrive and then go to a Registrar's office to give notice we want to marry and get a date set. I feel fairly comfortable with the entire process we're about to face, outside of the costs. Reading the HO website is a little confusing for me, but from what I can tell, we're going to have to pay anywhere from 135GBP to 260GBP before I get my residency permit and permission to work in the UK. Does anyone have a more precise idea of how much we'll have to lay out cost-wise?

Totally another topic here... my name and my passport. I'd like to change my last name after we're married to match my fiance's. How difficult is this to do while abroad in the UK? We're going to live in the UK and I will not be back in the US for some time to visit my family, but I'm struggling to find anything on the US gov websites telling me how I can do it while I'm living in the UK. I need to change my SS card and my passport obviously, plus perhaps my driver's license? Is it even worth the bother?

The other question I have is this... I'm leaving for the UK in 2 months and I only have 2 1/2 blank pages left in my passport. I really need to get more pages added, but I'm not sure if I have enough time before I go to do it via regular mail? The US website says 6 weeks but maybe I need to pay for the expedited service? Or should I just wait until i change my name and get an all-new passport?

Sorry for the long list of Qs... just not sure best way to go about all of this....