Weddings are expensive. Between the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon travel plans, you can easily spend thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars on a wedding. Should you use credit cards to fund your special day, even in part?

There are pros and cons to credit card funding of a wedding, and they revolve around two primary questions:

1.    Does your credit card offer rewards?
2.    Are you able to pay off the credit card bills in full, or will it lead to longer-term debt?

Why you should consider funding your wedding with credit cards:

In a best-case scenario, funding a wedding (or any large event) with credit cards would look something like this: you use one or two high credit limit rewards cards that offer interest-free days or a low interest rate, and you pay off the charges quickly to avoid accruing a lot of interest.

Why is this better than just paying cash or writing a cheque? Cash and your bank accounts probably don’t offer rewards rivalling those of your credit cards. If you use a rewards card, you’ll accumulate rewards points either when you charge purchases or pay off your bill (depending on the card). Some rewards cards, like the Qantas American Express Premium card, allow you to earn frequent flyer points. Because wedding expenses can be stretched over a significant period of time for some couples, those wedding charges may be able to save you money on a flight in time for your honeymoon (or even amount to a free ticket). In other words, funding your wedding with credit cards could ultimately help you cut your wedding budget!

Even if you don’t have a need for frequent flyer points, you can earn cash back, gift cards, or other rewards depending on your credit cards.

Why you may want to avoid funding with credit cards:

While rewards cards offer definite benefits for funding a wedding over cash payments, they may not be the best option for everyone. This is especially true if you couldn’t pay for the wedding outright, and you’re looking at credit cards as a way to finance the debt over a long period of time.

In that case, chances are good that you will not only start off your marriage with a large debt staring back at you, but you and your new spouse will end up paying much more than you originally budgeted for. You’ll start accruing interest anywhere from the time the charges are made to a few months later depending on the interest-free period attached to the card.

Whether or not to fund your wedding with credit cards is an important decision you have to make with your new spouse. Factor in your wedding budget, other debts, and what rewards you may be able to earn in the process before deciding on the best way to pay for your nuptials.