- About 67% of surveyed couples used some form of financing to pay for their wedding, whether it was credit cards or personal loans, according to a report by LendingTree.
- The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is expected to be about $36,000 for 2025, according to wedding site Zola.
- If you re thinking about using credit cards as a main form of payment for your wedding, here s what to know, according to experts.
In order to pay for their wedding, many engaged couples in the United States are depending on credit of some kind. According to experts, if done carefully, the strategy can be wise.
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According to a LendingTree analysis, 24% of newlywed couples who were married within the last two years paid with credit cards, whilst 46% of them mostly used savings to cover expenses. In early March, 1,050 newlyweds were surveyed on the website.
31% of engaged couples surveyed by Aseparatereport by Zola, which is based on a study of 6,000 couples getting married in 2025, intend to utilize credit cards to pay for their wedding, including applying for new cards or using points.
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“If you’re strategic, a credit card can be an amazing tool,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst.
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Otherwise, according to experts, a credit card can be a steep slope that leaves couples with costly and long-lasting debt when they get married.
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According to a poll by LendingTree, over 67% of newlyweds took out loans for their wedding.
According to LendingTree, the average annual percentage rate, or the cost of borrowing, for new cards is 24.35%, the highest level since December.
Gloria Garcia Cisneros, a licensed financial planner with the investment and wealth management company LourdMurray, stated that a lovely wedding should never be sacrificed for a new marriage’s financial stability.
Every year, the cost of weddings rises. According to Zola, the average wedding expense in 2025 is anticipated to be $36,000. This represents an increase from $29,000 in 2023 and $33,000 in 2024.
“Charging a credit card and then immediately using those savings to pay off the bill can help you earn rewards like points or miles if you have savings set aside to cover your wedding costs,” Schulz said.
When you spend a certain amount on a credit card within a short time after opening it, certain credit cards give significant sign-up bonuses. That may be more than you typically spend, but it is within your means if you have significant expenses, like deposits and purchases for your wedding, approaching.
According to Schulz, you can benefit from the benefits for things like your honeymoon if you pay off the charge right away with your funds.
“It’s a way to make those savings work even harder for you,” he explained.
There are additional benefits to using a credit card. According to experts, if something goes wrong with a product or service that was bought using a credit card, the federal protections that credit cards provide can assist consumers dispute charges and receive a refund.
According to NerdWallet, certain cards also provide purchase protections, which are a type of insurance against loss or theft. Pay close attention to the fine print on the benefits and duration of the terms offered by your credit card.
However, Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate, stated that the most important thing when using credit cards “is to pay in full,”
“I definitely would not recommend putting wedding expenses on a card if you’re going to be dragging that out over time,” he stated.
You will begin your new marriage with high-interest debt if you don’t pay off the remaining balance.
According to LendingTree, 24% of newlyweds who were married within two years of the poll are still making payments on their debt. 47% of those who still owed money stated they would pay it off within six months to a year.
“You don’t want to sacrifice your long-term well-being for a short-term event,” Rossman stated.
Given that you will be paying little to no interest on outstanding debt for a while, a credit card with a 0% annual percentage rate (APR) might be used as a tool for wedding payments. However, experts advise making sure you pay off the card in full before the deal ends. If not, interest will be added to the remaining balance.
Ask suppliers if they take credit cards as a means of payment as you start planning the wedding, advised Los Angeles wedding designer Jason Rhee.
According to Rhee, some retailers may only accept payments in cash or checks, while others may impose extra processing costs for credit cards. According to Bankrate, these extra fees might vary from 1.5% to 3.5%.
Determine whether you can afford and value the additional expense, or if you would prefer to pay the provider in another way, according to Lauren Kay, executive editor of The Knot.
Additionally, certain shops might give you a discount if you pay with cash.
According to Kay, credit cards may not provide comprehensive safeguards or policies to cover greater expenses, like the reception or the venue, even though they can provide certain protections for made payments or transactions.
“In most instances, your credit card wouldn’t offer any real benefit if something were to go wrong with a purchase of that magnitude,” Kay said.
Wedding insurance coverage may be an excellent choice to think about for such costs. According to Kay, they assist in shielding you against unforeseen dangers like severe weather, thievery, or an absent vendor.
According to NerdWallet, the cost of a wedding insurance policy can vary from less than $100 to over $1,000, contingent on the type of coverage and policy size.
“It’s important to think about what you’re hoping to protect,” Kay stated.
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