I'm personally a fan of both of the two name approach, especially with the kids. Allows a little bit of family history to travel through. Getting married seems kind of pointless if the only indicator to other people you are married is a tiny little ring. I have no idea why it is suddenly considered outdated. I feel it is more of a residual of the ease and commonness of divorce and our hesitancy to commit to anything all the way out of fear of it blowing up in our face....which is understandable enough. (I'd be getting yelled at so much right now if I were back in my feminist lit. class)