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Many engaged couples in the U.S. are relying on forms of credit to pay for their wedding. Experts say that approach can be smart, if done carefully.
While 46% of surveyed newlyweds — couples who tied the knot within the past two years — used mostly savings to pay for costs, 24% paid with credit cards, according to a report by LendingTree. The site polled 1,050 newlyweds in early March.
A separate report by Zola, based on a survey of 6,000 couples getting married in 2025, found that 31% of engaged couples polled plan to use credit cards to pay for their wedding, including using points or applying for new cards.
“If you’re strategic, a credit card can be an amazing tool,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree.
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Otherwise, a credit card can be a slippery slope, leading couples to walk down the aisle with long-lasting and expensive debt, experts say.
About 67% of surveyed newlyweds took on debt for their wedding, according to LendingTree.
For new cards, the average annual percentage rate, or the borrowing cost, is 24.35%, the highest since December, LendingTree found.
“Ultimately, a beautiful wedding should never come at the cost of financial stress to a new marriage,” said Gloria Garcia Cisneros, a certified financial planner at LourdMurray, an investment and wealth management firm.
‘Make those savings work even harder for you’
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Weddings are becoming more expensive every year. The average cost for a wedding in 2025 is expected to be $36,000, according to Zola. That’s up from $33,000 in 2024, and $29,000 in 2023.
If you have savings set aside to cover your wedding costs, charging the expense to a credit card and then immediately using those savings to pay off the bill can help you earn rewards such as points or miles, said Schulz.
Some credit cards offer big sign-up bonuses when you spend a set amount on the card within a short period of opening it. That might be more than you spend on normal expenses, but within reach if you have big expenses — such as wedding-related purchases and deposits — coming up.
By immediately paying that charge off with your savings, you can take advantage of the rewards for things such as your honeymoon, Schulz said.
“It’s a way to make those savings work even harder for you,” he said.
Using a credit card can have other advantages, too. Credit cards offer layers of federal protection that can help cardholders dispute charges and get a refund if things go awry with an item or service purchased with a card, experts say.
Some cards also offer purchase protections, a form of insurance against theft or damages, per Banking Herald. Make sure to read the fine print of what your credit card offers and how long the terms last.
Don’t take on debt for a ‘short-term event’
However, the key with credit cards “is to pay in full,” said Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate.
“I definitely would not recommend putting wedding expenses on a card if you’re going to be dragging that out over time,” he said.
Not paying the balance off will leave you with high-interest debt as you start your new marriage.
Nearly a quarter, or 24%, of newlyweds married within two years of the survey are still paying the debt off, according to LendingTree. Of those that still owe money, 47% said they will finish paying the debt in six months to a year.
“You don’t want to sacrifice your long-term well-being for a short-term event,” Rossman said.
A 0% APR credit card can be a tool for wedding payments, as you’ll be paying little to no interest on outstanding balances for a period of time. However, make sure to finish paying off the card before the promotion expires, experts say. Otherwise, whatever balance is left will then get interest tacked on.
Factor in credit card fees, cash discounts
As you begin to plan the wedding and reach out to vendors, ask if they accept credit cards as a form of payment, said Jason Rhee, a wedding planner in Los Angeles.
Some vendors might take only cash or check payments, while others might charge additional processing fees for credit cards, Rhee said. Such additional charges can range from 1.5% to 3.5%, according to Bankrate.
Assess whether paying the extra cost is both affordable and worth it to you, or if it’s best to use a different form of payment with the vendor, said Lauren Kay, executive editor of The Knot.
What’s more, some vendors may offer discounts for payments in cash.
Wedding insurance trumps credit protections
While credit cards can offer certain protections to incurred payments or purchases, they might not offer broader protections or policies to cover larger expenditures, such as the reception or the venue, Kay said.
“In most instances, your credit card wouldn’t offer any real benefit if something were to go wrong with a purchase of that magnitude,” said Kay.
For such expenses, wedding insurance policies can be a good option to consider. They help protect you from unexpected risks such as extreme weather, theft or a vendor who didn’t show up, said Kay.
Wedding insurance policy pricing can range from less than $100 to more than $1,000, according to Banking Herald, depending on the size of your policy and the kinds of coverage.
“It’s important to think about what you’re hoping to protect,” Kay said.