Wedding Insurance

You said “yes” — yes to a beautiful celebration and a lifetime of happiness, not to a wedding day crisis costing thousands of dollars and endless strife!

Try as you might to pick the perfect day, the unexpected can and does happen. And when it does, you don’t want to be left picking up the pieces.

This is where wedding insurance comes in. For a low cost, relative to your total wedding expense, wedding insurance can give you peace of mind and protection from costly incidents.

Table of Contents:

• What is Wedding Insurance?
• Types of Wedding Insurance
• Wedding Insurance Cost
• What Wedding Insurance Covers
• What Wedding Insurance Does NOT Cover
• How To Find Wedding Insurance
• Alternatives To Wedding Insurance

What is Wedding Insurance?

Wedding insurance certainly isn’t mandatory if you want to get married, but some venues will require that you provide liability insurance.

Many insurers offer standard packages to simplify the enrollment process along with à la carte options for all of your wedding day needs.

Couples looking for the maximum amount of protection can choose from an array of supplemental options so that every aspect of the big day is covered.

You’ll benefit the most from wedding insurance if you want your special day to run as smoothly as possible. If you — and your families — have dedicated a lot of money to the wedding but can’t really afford to pay for damages if something goes awry, consider how wedding insurance might be useful. At the same time, make sure you’re looking at the big picture to ensure that you don’t accidentally over-insure your big day.

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Types of Wedding Insurance

There are two primary types of wedding insurance coverage: liability insurance and cancellation or postponement insurance.

Wedding Liability Insurance

Liability insurance covers incidents that happen on your wedding day that you’d otherwise have to pay for.

If you end up dealing with a no-show vendor or a double-booked limo, liability coverage will enable you to keep the festivities going.

Additionally, your insurer can step in if there’s been an injury or property damage to your venue.

For weddings, liability insurance often covers around $500,000 of damages, though some policies can insure up to $5 million.

Wedding Cancellation Insurance

Cancellation or postponement insurance prevents you from having to pay for your wedding twice if you have to reschedule your celebrations after a major disruption.

Typically, this type of insurance covers things like inclement weather and travel disruptions that leave the altar and aisle empty.

If an illness strikes or your reception venue goes out of business, cancellation insurance will take care of the cost of rescheduling your event.

Most policies cover between $6,000 and $200,000. However, they typically won’t cover a voluntary cancellation.

Wedding Insurance Cost

Luckily, you won’t need to carve out a huge portion of your wedding budget to enroll in wedding insurance.

As it’s a form of specialty insurance, you’ll only pay a one-time fee for a one-time occasion.

Most liability coverage policies cost about $80 to $200 but can reach upward of $1,000 if you opt for cancellation or other add-ons, or if you’re insuring an expensive event.

Compared to the average cost of weddings, this cost of wedding insurance is really minuscule.

According to WeddingWire’s 2019 Newlywed Report, the average American couple spends $38,700 on wedding expenses, including:

• $29,200 on the ceremony and reception
• $5,000 on the engagement ring
• $4,500 on the honeymoon

What Does Wedding Insurance Cover?

Wedding insurance providers try to make it easy by providing standard packages and tiered coverage options, but they understand that each wedding and couple are unique.

While each provider offers something different, here are the items you can typically include through policy add-ons:

• Liquor host liability
• Deposit coverage
• Military deployment
• Destination and cruise weddings
• Wedding attire
• Rings and other jewelry
• Photography
• Videography
• Wedding gifts
• Rentals
• Travel
• Transportation
• Stationary
• Catering
• Cakes
• Flowers
• Professional counseling

Many wedding insurance policies do cover some of these items by default. For instance, it’s common to include liquor host liability to cover any damages that result from your inebriated guests.

But you should check the fine print to confirm what you’re getting. Whether you’re getting married at sea on a cruise ship or renting thousands of dollars worth of event décor, you can choose the right coverage for your event.

It’s even possible — and in many cases, practical — to extend your policy so that it encompasses all of your wedding-related events, from the rehearsal dinner to the after-party, next-day brunch, and honeymoon.

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What Wedding Insurance Does NOT Cover

When considering different insurance options, look closely at the fine print to learn about the exceptions and limitations.

Particularly if you’re hosting an unconventional wedding, the policy might not cover everything. For instance, if you have your heart set on romantic but risky attractions like fireworks and bouncy castles, the insurer might actually decline you.

Even if you’re planning a fairly traditional wedding, you may be surprised to find that engagement rings and weddings outside the U.S. aren’t covered by certain providers.

For instance, while EventHelper offers a solid liability insurance package, it doesn’t protect things like vendor no-shows, jewelry, photography, and videography, which all may be essential to your big day.

You won’t typically be able to recoup a deposit if you voluntarily switch vendors, either. Also, be wary of exceptions like curfews that will leave you vulnerable after hours. Pay attention to the deductible, too. If it’s high, you might end up absorbing the costs of a lost deposit.

How Do I Find Wedding Insurance?

Most wedding insurance providers make it really easy to get a customized quote online.

Before you request quotes, assess how much coverage you’d like. Look at your estimated wedding spend — whether you want $25,000 or $2.5 million worth of coverage, you’ll need to specify this in your quote request. Also, consider if you want liability coverage, cancellation or postponement coverage, or both.

Armed with this information, visit the insurance provider’s website to request a quote.

Markel, a reputable event insurance provider, has a simple online form you can fill out. They ask for your state of residence as well as your wedding destination — they cover weddings in the U.K., Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean, as well as cruise weddings departing from these locations.

Next, you’ll need to specify the date of your event, the type of insurance you want, and the amount of coverage you’d like.

Alternatively, you can give the insurance provider a call to discuss your options over the phone. Just make sure they send you back a quote in writing.

Alternatives To Wedding Insurance

While wedding insurance might sound like a perfect solution since it’s designed specifically for events like yours, this type of specialty coverage might not be necessary.

Credit Card and Homeowners Insurance

Depending on your personal circumstances and the wedding you’re planning, your credit card account or your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance may already cover the essentials.

If you place your floral deposit using a credit card and the vendor never completes your order, or if you purchase a fairytale wedding gown and the dress manufacturer goes out of business, you can probably get that money back.

If you’re hosting your ceremony and reception at a family estate, the homeowners could look into expanding their umbrella coverage or enrolling in a liquor host liability policy to cover all the bases.

You can also add a rider to your own homeowner’s or renter’s insurance to cover things like wedding gifts and rings. Take a close look at what your existing policies do and do not cover to avoid double-insuring your wedding day.

The Venues Liability Insurance Policy

Depending on where you choose to get married, liability insurance may not be necessary. Some event venues are protected by their own liability insurance policies, so you won’t have to worry. If the venue provides coverage, find out what they do and don’t cover. This way, you can decide whether you want to seek out a policy for wedding auxiliaries like photography and transportation. Or, if you’re worried that the venue may fall through, consider cancellation or postponement insurance.

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Do You Need Wedding Insurance?

If you’ve considered wedding insurance, and have decided to insure your special day, first check your existing insurance policies and speak with your venues to see if some items are already covered — or if you are required to provide your own coverage.

Then spend a little time shopping around, gathering a few quotes from different providers. Ask about the claim submission process to see how easy it will be.

WedSafe, for example, offers a 24-hour claim center so you can submit a claim from anywhere at any time. Finally, check out the reviews to gauge how good the insurer’s customer service is.

Read the fine print so you know exactly what you’d be getting with each policy. When making your decision, choose a policy that covers the total of your wedding expenses — but nothing more. If you’re going to get insured, don’t skimp out on a less-reliable policy.

Make sure it actually covers everything, including the cost of rehearsal festivities or honeymoon, if applicable. After all, if your wedding gets postponed, your honeymoon will be disrupted, too.

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