Embrace the (bridesmaid's) dress: How credit cards can help lower your wedding expenses

There's nothing quite like the joy of being invited to participate in a loved one's special day. Whether it's through a thoughtful gift box or an enthusiastic phone call, when a close friend or sibling asks you to join their wedding party, you're likely to respond with a resounding yes.

However, after a week or a few months, you might find yourself reaching for your card to cover the costs of your dress (or suit or tuxedo). Plus, there's the cost of alterations, shoes, a gift, and planning your trip to Mexico for the bachelorette (or bachelor) party. And just when you thought it was simple, you discover there’s a dress code for the trip? Suddenly, that seemingly straightforward "yes" starts to feel quite pricey.

Having participated in numerous weddings over the past decade, when my best friend got engaged two years ago and asked me to be her maid of honor, I was well aware of what I was agreeing to. But since this isn't my first experience, I also recognized the opportunity to leverage my credit card rewards (both earning and redeeming) to manage the additional expenses without sacrificing this year’s holiday shopping.

In fact, if you play your cards wisely, you can plan a rewarding getaway for yourself after the wedding as a celebration for making it through the whole event. Here’s how to do just that.

My approach

Accumulating points for travel

The simplest and most effective way to utilize points and miles to help with bridal party expenses is by using them to offset travel costs. I'm well aware of this strategy. After I agreed to be my friend’s maid of honor, I felt no apprehension about her choice of destination for the bachelorette party. I had over 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ready in my account and knew how to put them to use.

So when the bride revealed her plan for a cruise for her bachelorette celebration, I couldn’t help but cringe internally. My cherished Chase Ultimate Rewards can get me to many destinations, but a cruise ship is not one of them.

It was time to change tactics. If I couldn’t use my points to pay for the trip, I would ensure I was earning points from covering the costs.

When we were ready to make the reservation, I grabbed my reliable Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which gives 2 points for every dollar spent on most travel purchases, including cruises. Before heading to the Carnival website, I checked the merchant offers on my Chase account and was excited to find a $40 cashback offer on a Carnival purchase, which I promptly added to my card.

As I began the booking process, I realized it would be more efficient to make all six reservations simultaneously. I offered to charge the expense to my card, allowing everyone to reimburse me later.

We booked during a promotion and paid only $292 each, totaling just over $1,750 for the six of us. At 2 points per dollar, I earned 3,503 Chase Ultimate Rewards points from this booking.

As per TPG's September 2024 valuations, these points are valued at 2.05 cents each, which totals just over $71.

By taking advantage of the merchant offer along with the value of the points I earned, I effectively saved $110 by charging the cruise to my card.

While this saving might not appear substantial, the bride is also budget-conscious and chose a bridesmaid dress from Amazon priced under $100. This means the $292 I had earmarked for the cruise also covered both my cruise and the dress, factoring in my savings.

Leveraging points for travel

Even though I couldn't redeem points for the cruise itself, my Chase Ultimate Rewards points proved useful. After booking the cruise, I needed to arrange a flight from my home in Nashville to reach the port. While we snagged a great deal on the cruise, securing affordable flight options was challenging due to the holiday weekend.

If I had paid cash for my flight, it would have exceeded the cost of the cruise itself. Additionally, after reading TPG's suggestion to arrive a day early and stay at a hotel close to the port, I realized my travel expenses would escalate even more.

Luckily, I could transfer some of my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest Rapid Rewards and World of Hyatt, allowing me to avoid cash payments for these extra costs. I managed to secure a round-trip flight from Nashville to Orlando that weekend for just over 20,000 Southwest points, and I booked a stay at the Hyatt Place Orlando Airport (Category 2, peak pricing) for just under 9,500 World of Hyatt points.

While these aren't particularly valuable redemptions, using points for my travel related to the cruise helped me save around $500 in out-of-pocket expenses.

Accumulate points for all other expenses

For the remainder of my wedding-related costs, I utilized my Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom Flex® to boost my Chase Ultimate Rewards points balance.

During the quarter, one of the 5% earning categories for the Freedom Flex was PayPal, so I utilized it to earn five points for every dollar spent on PayPal purchases. For more unique expenses, like dress alterations, I relied on my Freedom Unlimited to earn 1.5 points per dollar. Remember, you need to activate the 5% categories each quarter, which applies to up to $1,500 in combined purchases.

When combined with my Chase Sapphire Preferred, these cards enable me to maximize rewards on every wedding-related expense.

Your game plan

Leverage points and miles to offset travel costs

If you're part of a wedding, chances are you'll need to travel for both the bachelor or bachelorette party and the wedding itself. Using points and miles to cover these travel expenses is the most effective way to manage this significant cost.

Explore your travel options ahead of time, and if possible, choose a card that offers a welcome bonus sufficient to cover your travel expenses.

As you formulate your points and miles strategy, remember that you'll likely have limited flexibility in your travel dates, which may prevent you from securing the best deals. Be prepared to spend more of your points and miles for travel associated with your wedding party compared to typical travel bookings.

Opt for a cash-back card

Another effective way to help mitigate the costs associated with being part of a wedding is to leverage cash-back rewards. These rewards provide a straightforward way to benefit from your additional spending, allowing you to avoid adding to your already extensive wedding planning tasks.

For instance, the Citi Double Cash® Card (check rates and fees) enables you to earn an unlimited 2% cash back (1% at the time of purchase and another 1% when you pay) on every transaction.

With a cash-back card like this, you can easily redeem your rewards for a statement credit to lessen your out-of-pocket wedding expenses.

Accumulate points and miles

Finding a card that earns extra points on your supermarket and streaming purchases is relatively easy, but it can be challenging to choose the right card for spending in less common categories like shoe stores and cosmetics counters.

Luckily, there are excellent card options available that can help you accumulate points and miles from your wedding-related expenses. Here are some of our top recommendations:

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Current bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles by spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Annual fee: $95

Why it's an excellent option: This card allows you to earn unlimited 2 miles for every dollar spent, plus 5 miles per dollar on hotel stays, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

According to TPG's September 2024 valuations, these miles are valued at 1.85 cents each, so you'll enjoy a solid return on all your purchases, whether it's for dress alterations or that custom cutting board the bride desires.

Additionally, redeeming Capital One miles is straightforward. You can use them to offset travel expenses charged within the last 90 days directly from your statement, eliminating the need to transfer them to travel partners. This way, you can select flights based on the best cash prices for your travel dates and use your welcome bonus miles to help pay for those tickets.

For further details, take a look at our comprehensive review of the Capital One Venture Rewards.

Discover more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Chase Freedom Unlimited

Current bonus: Earn an extra 1.5% cash back on every purchase (up to $20,000 spent in the first year), which translates to a maximum of $300 cash back.

Annual fee: $0

Why it's an excellent option: This card typically offers 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% back on all other transactions.

Alongside its impressive earning capabilities, this card's flexibility truly sets it apart as a top choice.

While the Freedom Unlimited is mainly promoted as a cash-back card, making it ideal for those who prefer straightforward redemptions with solid returns on all purchases, holding a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve® allows you to transfer the rewards earned on your Freedom Unlimited to Chase’s extensive travel partners for even greater value.

No matter how you opt to redeem your points, this card offers remarkable earning potential on all wedding-related expenses.

For more details, take a look at our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

American Express Gold Card

Current bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Additionally, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible dining expenses (up to $100) during the first six months. This offer expires on Nov. 6.

Annual fee: $325 (see rates and fees)

Why it's a great choice: This card allows you to earn 4 points for every dollar spent at restaurants (up to $50,000 annually, then 1 point per dollar) and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually, then 1 point per dollar). Additionally, you'll earn 3 points per dollar on flights booked through amextravel.com and 2 points per dollar on eligible prepaid hotels and other purchases made through AmexTravel.com.

You’ll earn just one point per dollar on other purchases, but this card shines for many wedding-related expenses thanks to Amex's Send & Split feature.

This feature lets you charge group expenses to your card, request payments from others via Venmo or PayPal, and receive those payments as a statement credit. For instance, if your bachelor or bachelorette party is in Nashville, you can charge all restaurant bills to your card and then split the costs through the app after your trip.

This way, you'll earn the complete 4 points for every dollar spent on group expenses (up to $50,000 in purchases each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) while avoiding most of the hassle of collecting payments from everyone.

To find out more, check out our full review of the Amex Gold.

Bottom line

Joining a wedding party can be a costly commitment, but using the right cards and strategies can help you maximize the benefits of your extra expenses.

Whether you choose to use points to offset your costs, earn cash back on wedding-related expenses, or accumulate points for a future getaway, your credit card rewards can help you enjoy the entire season with a smile.