Financing a Wedding
3 Min Read | Published: 18 June 2023
Updated: 16 July 2025
Written by American Express
Planning your big day can be both exciting and challenging.
Before getting carried away with the perfect venue and preparing your guest list, work out how much you can realistically afford, set your budget, and explore the following tips to finance your wedding.
Set a realistic budget and stick to it
Discuss how much you can afford with your partner, taking into consideration your savings, as well as the amount you’re both willing to put towards the ceremony.
Create a detailed spreadsheet, including the venue deposit, catering, clothing and everything else you’ll need to pay upfront. Don’t forget to factor in unexpected expenses and smaller costs for invitations and flowers.
Use your savings
If applicable, using an amount that you may have saved can be the cheapest way to pay for your wedding, as you can avoid interest fees that come with borrowing money. Paying upfront for as many expenses as possible might also be a good idea to reduce costs.
And if you don’t? Once you have a realistic idea of your budget and how much you’ll need to put aside, start a savings account. This could also help you reduce how much you want to borrow.
You can consider taking out a personal loan
A personal loan will allow you cover all, or some of, your wedding expenses, but you’ll have to pay interest on it. This means you’ll need to repay the monthly instalments during a set amount of time, which could increase the overall cost of your wedding.
To decide if that’s the right option for you, you need to consider if you’ll be able to afford your repayments in case your circumstances change. The amount you’ll be able to borrow depends on your personal financial situation, but to find the best deal, remember to check your credit score and eligibility, look for additional fees and early repayment charges and shop around for the cheapest deal.
Consider using a credit card
Credit Cards can offer flexibility and convenience when planning your wedding, providing that you’ll be able to pay them off immediately.
Earn Rewards
Credit Cards also give you the chance to personalise your advantages and spend your rewards as you wish. For example, with American Express® Cards you’ll be able to earn cashback, multiple reward points and miles. You can then redeem these for travel or entertaining experiences, retail shops and so much more.
Example Card: The American Express® Preferred rewards Gold Credit Card: Representative APR 86.3% APR variable.1
To avoid starting your marriage with debt, never borrow more than you can afford to pay back.
Protect your purchases
Plus, with a Credit Card you can rest assured that your purchases are being protected if there are any issues with undelivered goods or services charged to your Card.
Please remember to spend responsibly and only buy what you can afford to repay. If you have an American Express Credit Card, you won’t pay any interest on purchases if you pay off your balance in full every month by the payment due date. If you are just making your minimum payment on a Credit Card, it will take you longer to clear your balance. If you have an American Express Charge Card, please refer to your current Cardmember agreement for payment details. You can find information about managing your Account in our online Help Centre.
1. Representative APR
APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate. It is designed to help you compare and understand the cost of credit. The Representative APR includes the Purchase Rate and the annual Card fee.
The Purchase Rate is the annual interest rate we charge when you use your credit card for purchases. If you pay off your balance in full each month, you won’t pay any interest on purchases.
Rates can vary for several reasons. Your purchase and cash interest rates will move up and down in line with the Bank of England Base Rate. For more information click here. Rates may also vary based on your individual circumstances, either when you apply for a product or afterwards.
Find the Amex® Card that fits your lifestyle and see what other benefits await year-round.