About two-thirds of newlyweds, 67%, say they took on debt to fund their big day, according to a March 2025 survey of over 1,000 brides and grooms from LendingTree.
To some people, the choice may seem frivolous. The cake gets eaten, the flowers die, and you end up with a bill that collects interest. But there’s another way to look at it, says Matt Schulz, consumer finance analyst at Lending Tree. “To me, good debt is all about a return on your investment,” he says. “And that return on investment doesn’t have to be financial.”
If having a certain kind of wedding is a high priority for you and your significant other, it’s OK to take on some debt to make that dream a reality, according to Schulz: That can amount to “good debt,” he says. You just have to be savvy and careful throughout the process.
The best ways to borrow for your wedding
If you can, the best financial option is to pay for the wedding yourself — even if that means only having as much celebration as you can afford, says Lauren Nowacki, a senior writer for Bankrate. “Obviously, cash is king, especially from your own account,” she says. “Don’t be borrowing money from anyone if you don’t have to — so, savings, income from a side hustle, your normal income.”
But if push comes to shove and you feel like you have to go into the red to fund your big day, some forms of debt are wiser to incur than others.
1. A credit card with a 0% introductory offer is ‘hard to beat’
If you must charge some purchases, your best bet is to use a credit card with a 0% introductory offer, says Schulz. You’ll generally need a credit score above 670 to qualify for one of these cards, which come with a period during which you’ll owe no interest on your debt — typically 6 to 21 months. Once that period expires, a standard credit card interest rate kicks in. The average is currently more than 20%, according to Bankrate.
As long as you have a plan to pay your debt back within the introductory period, you won’t owe an extra cent on the balance, says Schulz.
“If you’re looking for a low-interest way to finance a big-ticket item that you’re going to purchase, or a big event that you are trying to throw, it’s a pretty hard deal to beat,” he says.
2. Try a personal line of credit
If you have good credit, you may want to borrow directly from the bank. These arrangements, sometimes referred to as “wedding loans,” says Nowacki, “are really [a] great option for people that have bigger expenses.”
That’s because “the interest rate is usually lower than a credit card, especially if you have a good credit score and credit history,” she says, “and it’s spread out longer, so the monthly payments are smaller.”
For smaller expenses you’re confident you can pay back quickly, she says, charging on your regular card can be fine.
No matter which kind of debt you take on, she says, one piece of advice remains constant: Make a plan for how loan repayment will fit in your financial picture after the wedding. Without one, debt can get out of control. That could seriously sour whatever good feelings you have from your big day if it gets in the way of other goals like saving to buy a home or start a family.
“You know, a wedding is one day, but then you have a marriage the day after,” Nowacki says. “Do you want to enter that marriage with some joint debt? Look into what you want to do in your marriage and how that it’s going to affect that.”
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