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.
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.
