I think this has to do with ongoing costs and upfront costs. You can't get a home without SOME upfront cash, and it's known that you need money to pay the taxes

I think this has to do with ongoing costs and upfront costs. You can't get a home without SOME upfront cash, and it's known that you need money to pay the taxes, additional utilities, maintenance, etc after you purchase the home. The comparison between a $50k loan for a wedding vs a $50k downpayment on a home is that they never had that money to begin with, and the payments on the wedding are just another expense vs buying into a mortgage with all the extra costs alongside it. I'm not claiming a loan for a wedding is a good idea, in fact I think it is a terrible one. But building off what you've said, that they're older and can make bigger financial choices, I can see how a loan for the wedding can seem like a viable option to someone.