Most Canadians would rather scale back their wedding than be priced out of the housing market, according to a new Royal LePage survey.
The poll, conducted by Burson on behalf of Royal LePage, found 82% of respondents would either forgo a wedding or significantly cut wedding spending to redirect funds toward a down payment. Nearly eight in 10 said they would consider asking guests for down payment contributions instead of traditional gifts. When asked to name the single most important purchase of a lifetime, 83% of respondents picked a home.
These results come as the average Canadian wedding now exceeds $45,000 before rings or a honeymoon, according to The Knot’s 2025 Global Wedding Report.
“While a wedding is a meaningful one- or two-day event, a home is a lifetime investment,” said Anne-Elise Cugliari Allegritti, vice-president of research and communications at Royal LePage.
B.C. leads in prioritizing keys over rings
British Columbia had the largest share of people willing to reallocate wedding funds toward homeownership. Some 86% of B.C. respondents said they would consider requesting down payment contributions as a gift, and 54% — the highest rate nationally — said they would definitely skip or scale back a wedding to save for a home. Among married respondents in B.C., 66% said they would have made that trade-off in hindsight.
Ontario and Atlantic Canada were close behind. In Ontario, 84% said they would consider requesting down payment gifts and 86% said they would cut wedding spending to buy a home. In Atlantic Canada, 82% were willing to scale back, with 55% saying they would definitely do so. Alberta trailed slightly on willingness to redirect gifts, though 64% of married Albertans said they would have scaled back their wedding looking back.
Quebec stood out as the exception. Only 69% of Quebec respondents would consider requesting down payment gifts — the lowest in the country — and 67% said they would scale back a wedding. Quebec also records the lowest rates in Canada for both marriage and homeownership. Industry observers in the province note that some couples are working around market constraints by buying investment properties in recreational areas while continuing to rent their primary residence in the city.
Elopements and equity
Across several markets, real estate agents report couples choosing smaller ceremonies and reallocating savings toward home equity. In Calgary, backyard receptions and mountain elopements are increasingly common after couples funnel money into a first home. In Vancouver, many first-time buyers had been renting prior to purchasing together. In Halifax, family contributions toward down payments are becoming more routine, with couples postponing honeymoons or opting for more modest ceremonies to prioritize equity.
In Toronto, agents point to the First Home Savings Account as a practical option for couples balancing wedding plans with homeownership goals, offering tax advantages while helping build a down payment.
Among those already married, 57% said they would have preferred down payment contributions over wedding gifts, yet only 10% reported actually asking guests for that type of contribution.