Nearly half of newlywed homeowners asked for down payment help instead of wedding gifts

The excessive cost of weddings can influence future life plans for newlyweds, like purchasing their first home. 

While the financial demands of a wedding can be overwhelming for couples, some aren’t hesitant to ask for monetary assistance to secure a down payment for a home. 

To find out how prevalent this is, LendingTree conducted a poll of 1,050 newlyweds 18 to 79 years old in the U.S. from March 12 to 19, 2025 to learn how couples juggle homebuying and wedding planning.

Newlyweds favor homebuying assistance over wedding gifts?

Why you should care:

Approximately 48% of newlyweds are requesting money to help pay for their down payment rather than wedding gifts. LendingTree shared in their report that this stat is higher among men (57%), those with children younger than 18 (53%) and couples married in the past six months (53%).

Wedding costs impact homebuying 

By the numbers:

Thirty-five percent of newlywed homeowners said their wedding delayed their homebuying plans compared to 36% of respondents admitting that they allocated less money to their downpayment because of their wedding. 

But LendingTree noted in their study that newlyweds asking for money over having a registry gave them a little financial relief, with 26% saying they put more money down because of their wedding. Another 34% say their wedding didn’t affect their down payment. Meanwhile, for newlywed homeowners who put money down, 41% said they wish they put down more and just 16% wish they had put down less.

More newlyweds use their wedding budget to buy their home

Dig deeper:

According to LendingTree, approximately 52% of newlywed homeowners said they had a smaller wedding to afford a bigger house, while 59% who made a down payment explained that they spent more on that than their wedding. LendingTree reported that the average down payment for newlywed homeowners is $46,741.

Homebuying and wedding planning cause stress for newlyweds

Local perspective:

There’s no question that purchasing a house and paying for a wedding can cause a ton of stress to the point that 36% of newlywed homeowners shared that they found buying a home more stressful, while 33% say wedding planning was more stressful. Additionally, another 31% say they were equally stressed. When asked in the poll which process caused more arguments, more respondents (36%) said wedding planning.