Best Wedding Loans in 2026: A Smart Way To Borrow for Your Big Day
From rings to dresses to catering, a wedding loan can help you cover costs without draining your savings
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- A wedding loan is a type of personal loan that you can use to pay for nearly any wedding expense.
- If you have 740+ credit, wedding loans usually have lower rates than standard credit cards. Interest also doesn’t compound on a wedding loan like it can on a credit card.
- A 0% APR card is likely the best option if you qualify and can pay off what you owe before your introductory period ends.
Wedding loan vs. credit card: Which saves more money?
Thinking about borrowing money to pay for your wedding? According to a LendingTree survey, 67% of newlyweds took on debt to pay for their big day. Among them, nearly one-quarter primarily relied on credit cards, while only 11% used a personal loan.
What many couples don’t realize is that, unless you can pay off your debt very quickly, a wedding loan is often the cheaper option if you have strong credit.
Credit card interest continues to grow when you carry a balance from month to month, which can cause debt to snowball. Interest on wedding loans is calculated up front and doesn’t grow as long as you pay on time.
How much more you’ll pay: wedding loan vs. credit card cost
Imagine that you need $15,000 for your wedding, you have excellent credit and you qualify for competitive rates on loans and cards.
Perhaps you aren’t sure whether a wedding loan or a credit card is best, but you’re leaning toward a credit card because that’s what you’re most familiar with. That could be a costly mistake. Unless you can make more than your minimum card payment each month, a wedding loan could save you thousands of dollars in total interest.
| Financing option | APR | Monthly payment | Time to repay | Total interest paid | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wedding loan | 16% | $527 | 36 months | $3,985 | $18,985 |
| Credit card (minimum payments) | 22% | $600
Estimated monthly credit card payments assume you pay only the minimum (about 4% of your balance), as required by many card issuers.
| 202 months | $12,506 | $27,506 |
| Credit card (aggressive payoff) | 22% | $800 | 24 months | $3,549 | $18,549 |
Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest dollar. Although this is a hypothetical scenario, rates assume the borrower has very good to excellent credit.
Average wedding loan rates
How much it costs to borrow money depends on a lot of factors, including your credit score. To lenders, a higher credit score is a signal that the borrower will pay their loan on time. That usually means easier approvals and lower annual percentage rates (APRs).
To help you get an idea of what you could qualify for, we’ve compiled average personal loan rates users see on the LendingTree marketplace. Find your credit band and plug the rate you see into the calculator below the table to estimate your monthly payment.
| Credit tier | Average APR |
|---|---|
| Excellent (800 and above) | 15.75% |
| Very good (740-799) | 17.89% |
| Good (670-739) | 23.27% |
| Fair (580-669) | 27.79% |
| Poor (under 580) | 30.25% |
What affects the cost of your wedding loan (and how to lower your rate before applying)
Every lender has its own way of calculating risk and rates. Some even use thousands of variables to underwrite loan applications. The same borrower can get drastically different rates from two different lenders, which is why comparing offers is so important.
Still, most lenders consider the standard metrics below in addition to their own proprietary rating systems to price wedding loans.
- Loan amount: A larger loan means the lender has more money to lose. Smaller loans tend to come with lower rates, so requesting less money can help you save.
- Loan term: As long as a loan is open, there’s a chance the borrower will stop paying. Shorter terms can unlock lower rates with many lenders.
- Credit score: Credit scores are a major rating factor for most lenders, with higher scores getting better rates. While you’re planning your wedding, plan ways to improve your credit score, too.
- Debt-to-income ratio: Lenders also look at debt-to-income ratio, or how much debt you have compared to how much you make. Making extra payments towards your existing debt can help you get a lower rate on your wedding loan.
Anyone who’s planned a wedding knows that as soon as you slap the word “wedding” on something, its price seems to instantly go up. Are loans the same? Well, kind of.
Lenders often use loan purposes in their rate calculations. Typically, loans for debt consolidation carry the lowest rates. Wedding loans, vacation loans and loans for other events can be more expensive, comparatively.
Best personal loan lenders for weddings
| Lender | User rating | Best for | APR | Term | Amount | See Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wedding loans for good credit | 7.99% to 24.99% | 36 to 84 months |
$2.5k – $40k |
||
|
Wedding loans with no fees | 8.99% to 25.29% | 24 to 84 months |
$5k – $100k |
||
|
|
Wedding loans for bad credit | 6.70% to 35.99% | 36 to 60 months |
$1k – $50k |
Read more about how we made our picks for best wedding loans.
Best loans for weddings at a glance
Best for: Wedding loans for good credit – Discover
- APR
- 7.99% to 24.99%
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- Competitive rates
- No origination fees
- Financial assistance options if you need help during repayment
- Won’t qualify with bad credit
- Can’t include a second person on your loan
Discover offers online personal loans with low rates and unique perks. If you get laid off or have health issues or another hardship, Discover has financial assistance options to get you on track. Its customer service department is also based in the U.S., and is available seven days a week.
However, Discover can be hard to qualify for. It requires strong credit (599) and has a relatively high annual income requirement ($40,000).
You’ll need to meet these eligibility criteria to get a Discover loan:
- Age: Be at least 18
- Citizenship: Have a Social Security number
- Administrative: Have a physical address, email address and internet access
- Income: Minimum income of $40,000 (individually or as a household)
- Credit score: 599+
Best for: Wedding loans with no fees – LightStream
- APR
- 8.99% to 25.29%
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- Doesn’t charge any fees whatsoever
- Will beat a competitor’s offer with Rate Beat program (stipulations apply)
- If LightStream approves you by 2:30 p.m. ET on a business day, can get your loan the same day you apply
- Can’t check rates without hurting your credit
- Other lenders offer lower starting rates
- No small loans
Even if you pay late, LightStream won’t charge you a fee (although missed payments affect your credit score). And if you get a better offer from a competitor, LightStream may beat it by 0.10 percentage points through its Rate Beat program.
Unlike many lenders, LightStream doesn’t let you prequalify for a personal loan. In other words, you must go through the full application process and agree to a hard credit inquiry to see if you’re eligible.
LightStream doesn’t specify its exact credit score requirements, but you must have good to excellent credit to qualify. Most of the applicants that LightStream approves have the following in common:
- At least five years of on-time payments under a variety of accounts (credit cards, auto loans, etc.)
- Stable income and the ability to handle paying their current debt obligations
- Savings, whether in a bank account, an investment account or a retirement account
Best for: Wedding loans for bad credit – Upstart
- APR
- 6.70% to 35.99%
- No formal credit score requirements
- Alternative factors like level of education can help you get approved
- Borrow as little as $1,000
- Might be on the hook for an expensive origination fee
- Can’t add a second person to your loan
- Only two repayment terms available
Discover is a loan marketplace that connects borrowers to lenders. It considers factors like your education and employment alongside your credit score. This helps it approve people who other lenders deny.
But if you qualify for a bad credit loan with Discover, it may not be cheap. Origination fees vary by lender. You also can’t add a co-borrower to get a lower rate.
Discover has transparent eligibility requirements, including:
- Age: Be 18 or older
- Administrative: Have a U.S. address, personal banking account, email address and Social Security number
- Income: Have a valid source of income, including a job, job offer or another regular income source
- Credit-related factors: No bankruptcies within the last three years, reasonable number of recent inquiries on your credit report and no current delinquencies
- Credit score:
Should you get a wedding loan for bad credit?
It’s possible to get a wedding loan with bad credit, but your options may be limited and rates will be higher.
You can improve your chances by applying for a joint loan. A joint loan is a loan with two borrowers. Your co-borrower is as responsible for the loan as you are, so they act as a sort of backup for the lender.
You could also consider a secured loan, which requires collateral like your car or a savings account. Collateral reduces the lender’s risk so they can be easier to qualify for. However, they do come with serious downsides.
If you fail to repay the loan, the lender can take your collateral. Before choosing this option, consider whether taking on that level of risk makes sense for your situation.
Save money and time by comparing real offers
You’d shop around for flights. Why not your loan? LendingTree makes it easy. Instead of applying to one lender and hoping for a good rate, you can see multiple lenders compete for your business — so you can choose the best offer.
Tell us what you need
Take two minutes to tell us who you are and how much money you need. It’s free, simple and secure.
Shop your offers
LendingTree users get 11 personal loan offers on average. Compare your offers side by side to find the one that works best for you.
Save money
Users save an average of $1,659 by choosing the offer with the lowest rate. Once you pick a lender and sign your paperwork, you could see money in your account in as little as 24 hours.
Why do millions of Americans trust LendingTree?
25+ years in business. 110+ million Americans served. $260+ billion in funded loans.
Security
Instead of sharing information with multiple lenders, fill out one simple, secure form in five minutes or less.
Savings
We’ll match you with up to five lenders from our network of 300+ lenders who will call to compete for your business.
Support
We provide ongoing support with free credit monitoring, budgeting insights and personalized recommendations to help you save.
Alternatives to wedding loans
Save up and scale down
How much you spend on your wedding doesn’t reflect how much you love your partner. Focus on ways you can save money on your wedding. Instead of spending thousands renting a hall, a backyard barbeque might be more reasonable but just as memorable.
0% APR credit card
With a 0% APR credit, you’ll get a period of time where you can borrow interest free. This is called an introductory period, and it usually lasts at least six and 21 months. Be sure to pay your balance in full before your intro period ends. If you don’t, interest will start to accrue on what you owe.
Buy now, pay later
Buy now, pay later might be a good choice for smaller wedding purchases like linens, shoes and accessories. These apps let you split up retail purchases. You’ll likely have a few payment plans to choose from, but the most common is four interest-free payments split over six weeks.
How we chose the best wedding loans
We reviewed more than 40 lenders and loan marketplaces to determine the overall best six wedding loans. To make our list, lenders must offer wedding loans with competitive APRs.
From there, we assessed each lender or marketplace across four categories: eligibility and access; cost to borrow; loan terms and options; repayment support and tools.
According to our standardized rating system, the best wedding loans come from: , Discover, LightStream, , and Discover.
Our categories
We assess how easy it is for people to qualify and apply. This includes state availability, soft-credit prequalification, membership requirements, funding speed and whether borrowers with less-than-excellent credit can get a loan.
We evaluate how affordable the loans are based on minimum and maximum APRs, loan fees and rate discounts. Lenders with unclear or potentially predatory costs receive lower scores.
We consider repayment term flexibility, loan amount ranges and whether options like secured loans, joint loans or direct-to-creditor payments are offered — plus whether the lender clearly communicates these options.
We evaluate borrower experience after funding: customer service access, hardship or forbearance programs, payment flexibility and digital tools like mobile apps or credit monitoring.
Our process
We gather data directly from lenders through their websites, disclosures and direct communication with company representatives. Our editorial team verifies and updates information regularly. We value transparency and award less favorable scores when lenders obscure or omit details.
Our editorial team applies the same scoring model and standards to every lender. Lenders cannot pay to influence our ratings. Read more about our editorial guidelines.
Why trust LendingTree’s methodology?
Our writers and editors dig through the facts, contact lenders directly and even go through the application process ourselves if it helps better explain what you can expect. As a Certified Financial Education Instructor℠, I’m committed to breaking down complex financial details so people can make confident, informed decisions with their money.
Jessica’s experience in editing and financial education helps shape LendingTree articles that are clear, accurate and truly useful to readers. Her certification means our recommendations are built on a foundation of consumer-first financial knowledge — not just numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, some people take out a personal loan for their wedding (also known as a wedding loan). Wedding loans come as a lump sum that you’ll pay off in equal monthly payments, plus interest.
Deciding whether any loan is worth it requires careful consideration. If you have at least good credit and are planning on using a credit card to pay for some parts of your wedding, a wedding loan might save you money. Wedding loans usually carry lower interest rates than credit cards, as long as you have strong credit.
If you have bad credit or otherwise don’t want to start your married life with new debt, then it may be best to save up and pay cash.
Every lender sets its own credit score minimums. Some don’t have a minimum credit score at all and rely more on your complete financial profile to determine your eligibility. In general, though, you usually need at least good credit (670+) to get competitive wedding loan rates. You may still qualify with bad or fair credit, but the interest might not be worth it.