How one credit card is helping me pay for my wedding — and cover my dream honeymoon, too

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I'm getting married next summer and thus, like all personal finance reporters are compelled to do, I've opened a credit card to help pay for my wedding expenses.

My goal is to mimic the tried-and-true formula for scenarios like this: Open a travel rewards credit card, score a good welcome bonus (since we have a lot of spending in the coming months) and use all of the points we earn to help pay for our dream honeymoon to Europe.

While we were in between a few different credit cards, my fiancé and I ultimately decided on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) — here are four reasons why.

While I didn't get engaged in time for the Sapphire Preferred's massive 100,000-point welcome bonus earlier this year, I did catch the current 75,000-point welcome bonus — still a great offer compared to the card's usual offer of 60,000 points.

The 75,000-point bonus was earned after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This was pretty easy for us to hit; after putting down a deposit on our venue and booking our DJ, we were there.

Welcome bonuses are really only ever worth it if you know you can pay off your credit card bill in full every month it's due; otherwise, the interest you pay eats into the bonus you earned. For us, we had planned to pay off our balances in full when they were due.

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For me, credit cards aren't only about attractive welcome bonuses, they also have to complement your lifestyle and spending.

For instance, I'm a huge coffee fanatic and my American Express® Gold Card gives me an up to $7 monthly Dunkin' credit* at U.S. Dunkin' locations, so I basically get something I would've bought anyway complimentary every month.

*Enrollment is required.

What we like about the Sapphire Preferred's rewards is its 3X points on dining and online groceries since we get our groceries delivered weekly. Plus, we'd get 1X for all other purchases. These earning categories had longevity, meaning we'd continue to earn points for regular lifestyle spending even long after we're done with wedding expenses.

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In a world where premium travel cards are nearing a $1,000 annual fee, the Sapphire Preferred's annual fee of only $95 seemed like a steal.

We'll earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel, bonus points every account anniversary equal to 10% of our total purchases made in the previous year, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver and lost luggage insurance.

While there are other travel cards on the market that offer more lux perks, we don't travel enough to really take advantage and justify a higher annual fee.

Since our hometown airport is a hub for United, the fact that United Airlines is a transfer partner of the Sapphire Preferred was a huge motivator. We'd not only use this airline to fly for our honeymoon, but also any other regular travel.

Using transfer partners when you book travel is the best way to maximize your credit card rewards; with the Sapphire Preferred, you get a 1:1 transfer ratio, meaning you have flexibility to move your Chase points to whichever partner without losing any value.

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Just how far your credit card rewards will take you when trying to cover the cost of your honeymoon (or really any trip) depends on various factors, including:

• Where you plan to travel to and whether you're traveling during a peak or off-peak season
• Whether you're booking economy or more premium seats
• The type of hotel room you plan to book (premium suites are obviously more expensive)
• How long you plan to be away on your honeymoon
• The amount of points you've accumulated on your credit card
• Whether you're able to use a transfer partner when you book

Naturally, a luxurious honeymoon with first-class flights to a popular destination is going to require a lot more credit card points to offset.

And if you're hoping to use credit card points to pay for a honeymoon, there's one huge caveat I recommend you pay attention to: While putting wedding purchases (i.e., your venue, outfits and vendors) on your credit card can help you rack up points, some vendors may charge you a fee for paying with a credit card. It's a credit card surcharge fee of usually around 3% — and the rewards earned for the purchase may not always outweigh the surcharge.

We always ask vendors if there will be a surcharge for paying with a credit card, so we can make the financially smarter decision on how we'll pay.

The Sapphire Preferred offers straightforward earnings categories and perks that may not be as flashy as what other travel rewards cards have, but the offerings are sustainable for our needs and lifestyle.

Wedding expenses were a strong opportunity to open the card and rack up points for spending we needed to do anyway — all with the goal of later cashing in to help pay for our honeymoon.

So far, we've racked up 103,000 points, with just under a year left to continue spending and earning points for our honeymoon.

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