How I Earned More Than $1,000 Just by Planning My Wedding

With spring in full swing and summer just around the tulip-filled corner, many people are gearing up for wedding season. But if there's one thing nuptials are not known for, it's being inexpensive. Whether you're paying for some or all of your own wedding, it can be overwhelming to see the costs tally up higher and higher. But there can be a financial silver lining to all that spending: credit card rewards.

Make money while spending money

When my now-husband and I got engaged several years ago, we immediately jumped into all the details of planning our wedding. We had spreadsheets for venue possibilities, vendor options, guest lists, and honeymoon locations (we're planners). But one of the early decisions we made during the planning process paid off really well for us. We both applied for new credit cards that were offering generous sign-up bonuses.

We had compared credit cards before applying to make sure we found the one that was the best fit for our spending. In the end, we landed on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. We also decided to each apply separately rather than as a joint account so we could multiply our bonus earnings.

Once we received our new cards in the mail, off we went into the world of wedding spending. We bought decorations, made vendor deposits, and booked our honeymoon, using our new credit cards to pay for it all. Within an unsettlingly quick timeframe, we'd reached the spending requirements on both cards and earned our sign-up bonuses -- 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points each. Talk about a generous wedding gift.

Apply now for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Using the sign-up bonuses wisely

By the time the reward points landed in our respective accounts, a lot of our wedding had been planned and paid for, so we didn't get to use our points to defray the cost of our big day or honeymoon. However, we ended up planning another international trip not long after, and we were able to use our shiny new points to book five nights' worth of hotels in Norway at no cost to us.

Since we also booked those stays through Chase's travel portal, our points were worth even more (booking hotels, airfare, car rentals, and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards earns you 25% more on your points). In the end, the sign-up bonuses we earned on our wedding spending were worth $1,250 combined.

Let credit card companies pay you for your spending

It was really satisfying to know we were earning so many rewards points just by making purchases we were planning to make anyway. It's a great reminder that if you're able to keep your credit score in good shape and your spending in check, there are lots of great credit card offers to choose from.

In fact, the current sign-up bonus offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first three months. And that's not the only generous sign-up bonus on the market right now. Take a look at your options before applying for a new card so you can get the best fit for you.

Whether you're planning a wedding, are in the market for some new appliances, or just bought a home you need to furnish, consider applying for a new credit card before a major purchase so you can earn while you spend. Just make sure you're careful with what you charge and can make your monthly payments in full to avoid racking up credit card interest, which would make your purchases that much more expensive and cancel out the rewards you earned.