I think the debt itself is only part of the issue. People can make financial mistakes, especially when they’re young, and having debt doesn’t automatically say anything about their character. A good person can struggle financially and still be a great partner.
The bigger question for me would be the secrecy. Marriage is a partnership, and major financial decisions affect both people. Finding out a week before the wedding would be a much bigger problem than the actual amount of debt.
That said, I’d want to understand the reason behind hiding it. Was it shame and fear, or was it an attempt to avoid responsibility and let someone else deal with the consequences? Those are very different situations.
I don’t think it has to be an automatic dealbreaker, but it would definitely require a serious conversation about honesty, trust, and how finances will be handled going forward. A difficult financial situation can be worked through; rebuilding trust after a major omission is usually the harder part.
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