The best wedding loans of 2026

Weddings are expensive. So if you're engaged, you may very well be exploring alternative ways to finance your special day.

Because they have much lower interest rates, personal loans are an affordable alternative to charging your big day on credit cards. (Especially with interest rates on cards sailing past 21%.)

If you're using a wedding loan to cover wedding expenses, CNBC Select has picked the best lenders, based on interest rates, fees, loan amounts and term lengths and other factors. (You can read more about our methodology below.)

Who's this for? If you're looking to cut costs, LightStream has a reputation for some of the lowest rates in the industry, and offers a discount when you enroll in autopay.

Standout benefits: Terms range from 2 to up to 12 years, the longest option among the lenders on this list.

Fees: LightStream doesn't charge origination fees, administration fees, late fees or early prepayment penalties for personal loans.

Who's this for? Going all out on your nuptials? SoFi approves personal loans for up to $100,000 and allows borrowers to choose between a variable or fixed APR. (Most other personal loans only come with a fixed rate.) 

Standout benefits: Borrowers earn a 0.50% rate discount by setting up autopay.

Fees: No origination fee, administration fee, late fees or early prepayment penalty.

Who's this for? Upstart is ideal if you have a low credit score or no credit history. It considers other factors, like education, work experience and past payment history. In exchange, the term loans are limited to three or five years.

Standout benefits: Upstart approves loans for as much as $50,000. If your credit is especially weak, you can use a vehicle you own as collateral for a secured loan. Borrowers can change their payment date every 12 months.

Fees: Upstart charges an origination fee of up to 12%. There's no prepayment penalty but there is a late fee of 5% of the last balance or $15, whichever is greater.

Who's this for? If you're rushing to get to the church on time, you can get funded with a Discover Personal Loan the next business day. That can be a blessing if you're trying to reserve a venue or make a deposit on a dress.

Standout benefits: Borrowers can cancel the loan within 30 days of funding without having to pay interest. That might come in handy if you call off the wedding.

Fees: No origination fee, administration fee or prepayment penalty. Discover does charge a $39 late fee each month you fail to make a payment. 

Wedding loans are personal loans designed to cover wedding expenses. They can be used to pay for the venue rental, wedding dress and tuxedoes, catering and other costs associated with the ceremony or reception.

Funding options can range from $1,000 to $75,000 or more, depending on your creditworthiness, with repayment terms typically between 6 and 84 months.

It's unusual for a couple to finance their entire wedding with a loan, however. Typically, they'll use a combination of savings and credit cards for some expenses, with parents or other family members contributing, as well.

Wedding loans have fixed rates and are unsecured, so no collateral is required. But that also means your credit score plays a bigger part in getting approval and a good rate.

You can usually apply for a personal loan online and the lender will review your credit history, income, employment history, current debts and other criteria. The higher your credit score, the better the interest rate you'll qualify for.

Depending on the institution, you can get approved the same day and receive the funds within one to three business days. (A larger loan from a brick-and-mortar bank may take up to a week.)

You'll need to start repaying the principal with interest in monthly installments, usually within 30 days of receiving the funds. Setting up autopay ensures you don't miss a payment and may even earn you a discount. It's increasingly rare, but some banks charge a prepayment fee for paying off the loan before the term ends.

If you won't reconsider your budget or delay the ceremony, there are other ways to finance your wedding besides a personal loan.

0% intro APR credit card

Depending on the card, you can enjoy close to two years without interest to pay off the balance. This is a smarter option if you expect to get a lot of cash as wedding presents. Otherwise, you could be hit with super-high interest charges after the welcome offer expires.

The Wells Fargo Reflect® Card offers a 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers (17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% variable APR afterward). Balance transfers made within 120 days from account opening qualify for the intro rate, the balance transfer fee is 5% with a $5 minimum.

Buy Now, Pay Later loans

BNPL services like Klarna, Afterpay and PayPal Pay in 4 let you break larger wedding purchases into smaller payments, often with no interest or late fees.

Maroo lets couples pay photographers, caterers, and even the reception hall, in installments. Affirm has partnered with top wedding retailers like David's Bridal, Men's Wearhouse and Kay Jewelers.

Payment plans

After you make an initial deposit, your wedding venue, caterer, photographer and other vendors may agree to be paid in installments.

Cash registry

More than 85% of couples included at least one cash fund in their registry, according to Zola. In some cases, it's to help finance a new house but you can use the money toward your honeymoon or even to pay off the credit card charges you racked up for the ceremony.

HELOC

If you're a homeowner with lots of equity, a home equity line of credit (HELOC) will offer a more favorable interest rate than even a personal loan. And unlike a personal loan or a home equity loan, you only borrow exactly how much you need instead of borrowing a lump sum upfront. That can be helpful with the unpredictable expenses associated with a wedding. But, you are using your house as collateral, so think carefully before applying.

A HELOC with FourLeaf Credit Union has no closing costs or origination fee.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal loan review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of loan products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best wedding loans.

To determine which personal loans are the best, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of U.S. personal loans offered by both online and brick-and-mortar banks, including large credit unions, that come with no origination or signup fees, fixed-rate APRs and flexible loan amounts and terms to suit an array of financing needs.

When narrowing down and ranking the best personal loans, we focused on the following features:

Rates: We considered a lender's average APR and whether they offered fixed or adjustable rates.

Fees: Lenders that don't charge origination fees, administration fees, late fees or early prepayment penalties were weighed more heavily.

Loan amounts/terms: The lenders on our list provide customizable financing options for borrowers who need both small and large loans. They also offer a range of timelines for repayment.

Application process: We considered whether lenders offered same-day approval and a fast online application process. 

Customer support: Every lender on our list provides robust customer service online, in person or via phone.

Fund disbursement: Lenders The loans on our list deliver funds promptly through either electronic wire transfer to your checking account or in the form of a paper check. Some lenders (which we noted) offer the ability to pay your creditors directly.

Autopay discounts: We noted the lenders that reward you for enrolling in autopay by lowering your APR by 0.25% to 0.50%.

Based on that criteria, our picks for the best wedding loans are:

Best for low rates: LightStream
Best for borrowing larger amounts: SoFi
Best for bad credit: Upstart
Best for next-day funding: Discover

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Fixed rates from 8.74% APR to 35.49% APR. APR reflect the 0.25% autopay interest rate discount and a 0.25% SoFi Plus interest rate discount.

SoFi Platform personal loans are made either by SoFi Bank, N.A. or, Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, operating from its Delaware branch, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

SoFi may receive compensation if you take out a loan originated by Cross River Bank. These rate ranges are current as of 02/23/26 and are subject to change without notice. Not all rates and amounts are available in all states. See SoFi Personal Loan eligibility details at https://www.sofi.com/eligibility-criteria/#eligibility-personal.

Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, and other factors.