What Is Wedding Insurance?

Wedding insurance, or special event insurance, is insurance that covers couples for losses that are not their fault. This can include vendors not coming through, illness or injury, extreme weather, military deployment, lost or stolen gifts, and damage to wedding attire.

Wedding Liability Insurance

Liability insurance is usually required by your venue. This insurance protects you and the venue if something like an accident happens.

• Damage to the venue caused by your party
• Injuries sustained at the wedding

If something happens during the rehearsal dinner, liability insurance will most likely pay for the repair costs and medical bills. However, it is essential to remember that liability insurance often only covers 24- to 48-hour periods. If something happens after the wedding ceremony, your post-wedding celebrations probably won’t be covered by insurance.

If you are catering the wedding yourself, or if the venue or catering company doesn’t have host liquor liability insurance, you will need to buy a policy that covers this. Host liquor liability insurance protects you if anyone gets drunk at your wedding and causes any problems.

Wedding Cancellation Insurance

Cancellation insurance protects you from unforeseen events that might prevent you from getting married and losing your deposits. These events can include:

• Extreme weather that prevents widespread attendance
• A serious illness that strikes you, your partner, or your immediate families
• Dealing with vendors who don’t show up or have gone out of business
• Replacing your wedding dress
• Military deployment

The details of your insurance coverage will depend on the company you choose. Review the different policies carefully to understand what is and isn’t covered.

Additional Insurance Options

If you are having a smaller wedding, you might want to consider these insurance options:

•  Homeowners’ insurance policies that provide special event coverage (this may apply only if the wedding is held at your home)
• Travel insurance coverage for destination weddings
• Special event insurance that broadly covers small, short-term, low-hazard events

What’s Not Covered By Wedding Event Insurance?

Wedding insurance protects you in many ways, but there are some situations where you will not be protected. This includes things like:

• If you change your mind and decide to cancel your wedding, you will be responsible for the costs.
• Suppose your engagement ring is damaged or lost. An engagement ring insurance coverage may be an option for you in this case.
• Your wedding party and guests damage or lose their jewelry and watches.

How Does Wedding Insurance Work?

While each company may have its processes for processing claims, the following is what you can generally anticipate if you need to utilize your wedding insurance:

Something Unfortunate Happens

A variety of mishaps may mar your wedding day. A storm might knock out the power, someone in your family might get sick, or there might be damage to the venue. If any of these things happen, you will need to scramble to figure out what to do. You might need to move your wedding date or find a way to pay for the unexpected costs.

You File a Claim

To file a claim, you will need to contact your insurance provider. You can usually do this online or by phone.

Your Claim Is Investigated

Your insurance company will need to know what happened and how much damage was done before estimating how much money you’ll get.

You Get Reimbursed

If you have cancellation insurance, you will usually get compensated for the money you paid to the venue or vendors. If you have liability insurance, you will be covered for medical bills and damage to the venue if someone gets injured or something is damaged. Keep in mind that your policies may have a limit on how much money they will pay out.

How Much Wedding Insurance Costs

The cost of wedding insurance can vary depending on a few factors. The number of guests attending is one factor that affects the price. Basic liability insurance, which provides up to $1 million in coverage, generally costs around $185. If you want to insure items like photos and videos, gifts, special attire, rings, and deposits, the price will range from $155 to $550.

The final cost of your wedding insurance policy could be much lower or higher, depending on your situation and the amount of coverage you buy. If you add cancellation coverage, the cost will go up.

Why Should You Get Wedding Insurance?

No matter how well you plan your wedding, something could go wrong. Something might happen that is expensive and will ruin your day. Recent events have shown us that anything can happen, so be prepared for the unexpected.

• The coronavirus pandemic has caused restrictions, showing that public health concerns can suddenly cancel or postpone a wedding.
• The COVID-19 outbreak has shown that illness can strike without warning. This danger to elderly people, who may be very important wedding guests.
• Bad weather can stop people from traveling to your wedding and prevent them from coming. The bad weather might also knock out the power at the venue.

Do You Need Wedding Insurance?

Many venues require couples to show proof of insurance in case someone gets hurt or something gets damaged. Protecting oneself from the unknown is worth the modest price.

No one can predict if something bad will happen at your wedding, but it’s a good idea to be prepared just in case. Wedding insurance can help you cover the costs if something goes wrong and you have to cancel, or if there is damage or someone gets injured. To be safe rather than sorry, consider purchasing wedding insurance if you can afford to do so.

Choosing the Right Wedding Insurance Policy

Deciding on the best wedding insurance policy can be overwhelming. But don’t worry; you can take a few steps to figure out what coverage you need.

1. Start With the Venue

Look through your contract with the venue to get started. Find out if the venue has its own liability insurance or if you will need to buy it.

Whether you choose, wedding liability insurance is something you don’t want to skip. If someone gets hurt or there is damage done to the venue, you could be responsible for paying thousands of dollars.

2. Decide on Liability, Cancellation, or Both

Next, determine what type of policy you’ll need based on the amount of money you want to protect. We know that wedding liability insurance is important, but you’ll also want to think about adding cancellation insurance. This type of insurance can help protect you if something happens and you have to cancel the wedding. It might mean you have to cut back on some expenses, like flowers or guests, but it can be worth it.

When deciding whether to get cancellation insurance, consider different factors that could affect your wedding. For example:

• Are snowstorms a possibility, or is it during hurricane season?
• Could you or your future spouse be deployed before tying the knot?
• What would you do if important family members became ill and couldn’t make the ceremony?

If you are considering getting cancellation insurance, do it before making any big payments, like for the dress, venue, or band. You will be refunded if there is a cancellation at the eleventh hour.

3. Find the Right Insurance Company

Now that you know how much wedding coverage you need, it’s time to find an insurance company. There are many wedding insurance companies, so how do you choose the right one for you? The company you choose should depend on the size of your wedding, the location of your venue, and any existing coverage limits.

Final Thoughts

No matter how much money you have to spend, your wedding day is usually a memorable one. Remember it for all the right reasons by protecting yourself against life’s unknowns. Whether you want to cover the basics or protect every possible aspect of your wedding, there’s a suitable policy.