Vanessa Minnillo is officially Vanessa Lachey. And she's thrilled about it.
The ex-Entertainment Tonight correspondent revealed the reason behind her decision to drop her maiden moniker in favor of taking new hubby Nick Lachey's last name.
And wouldn't you know it? Tradition won out over celebrity.
"I got my social security card on Friday," she told Access Hollywood. "Now it's Vanessa Joy Lachey, no Minnillo. And today, after this, I'm going to get my driver's license."
When asked whether the couple discussed the name change, the new Mrs. Lachey explained that she decided to do it for work, but only got around to legally making the switch now and Nick was fully supportive.
"We talked about it and he was so sweet," the model-actress recalled. "He said, 'Whatever you want, I understand.' And I said, 'But would it mean a lot to you if I took it? Because I'm old-fashioned and I want to.' And he said, 'What guy wouldn't want their girl to take their name fully?' So he wanted me to do it. [But] he didn't push me, no, no, no."
After dating for three years, Vanessa, 31, and Nick, 38, briefly split up in June 2009 only to reconcile that fall. The pair announced their engagement in Nov. 2010 and tied the knot last July.
The newlywed also had nothing but positive things to say about married life.
"It feels different, because you have this security blanket of knowing your partner and your best friend is there for you forever," Lachey added. "The good thing is, we learned how to communicate better."
Vanessa currently hosts ABC's hit reality competition Wipeout.