While most of us want to have the perfect wedding, it is sometimes inevitable that we end up in certain circumstances beyond our control. From a sudden cancellation of wedding vendors, stolen gifts, to damaged gowns, these disasters can for certain ruin a supposed perfect day.
To make you feel more secure about your wedding, the trend of getting your wedding insurance can be your own protection against the unforeseen, which can also provide you great peace of mind. But what is wedding insurance and how does it work anyway?
Why have a Wedding Insurance
Just like any other type of insurance, this particular insurance provides protection for the couple’s investment and for the circumstances that could happen that are beyond their control. When a couple falls victim to such situation, they can reimburse their expenses.
Circumstances that are beyond the couples control:
- The limo driver does not show up and the couple has to book for another one at the day of the wedding, for three times the price.
- The DJ the couple talked with did not show up and was replaced by another DJ who played all the wrong songs.
- The bride’s wedding dress is lost in airport baggage, and she has to buy a new one the day before the wedding.
- The reception location goes out of business a month before the wedding and could not get the deposit back, which still ended in booking for another place in a hurry.
The Use of Wedding Insurance
Consider these situations:
Situation 1. Mark and Cathy spend months of planning a summer wedding, but on their wedding day, a big storm came that made their reception location inaccessible. Having the right wedding insurance policy will allow them to postpone their wedding and be able to get every penny they lost that includes money for the invites, cake, catering, attire, non-refundable deposits for ceremony musicians, floral designer and other vendors.
Situation 2. Right before the wedding, Jane’s wedding dress unfortunately catches Uncle Ben’s cigar that ended up with the dress instantly going up in flames. With the right insurance policy, Jane’s gown and even her veil can be replaced.
Situation 3. Ryan and Jessica hired a photographer they thought could be trusted. At the day they received their wedding photos, they got blurred pictures and photos that did not even capture the moments of the day. Although the couple cannot rewind the day they lost, the insurance company will find ways to recapture and remake the wedding day.
The Cost of Wedding Insurance
A basic policy can cost between $155 to $550 meant for loss of photos, videos, attire, presents, rings, and deposits, but this will still depend on the amount of coverage you want. General liability insurance that costs around $185 can cover up to $1,000,000 for accidents.
Know if You Need Insurance
To know whether you really need this type of insurance, check with your vendors. Know if each of them are well covered. For instance, you do not want to pay for overlapping coverage for the reception site or the caterer since they may already have their own insurance. Ask your vendors a copy of their policy so that you can decide for yourself whether you are covered or not.
The Sooner You Get an Insurance, The Better
Let’s say you have already put a deposit on a known wedding reception hall a year in advance, but weeks before the wedding, the place closed up or even burned down. With the help of your wedding insurance, you will be able to get your deposit back. Since most insurance companies have limitation on how far in advance you can purchase insurance, it is necessary to get this type of insurance the earliest.
Wedding Insurance Coverage
Site – Find out if the ceremony and reception site is already insured. If it is not, your wedding insurance can cover the cost that can happen out of unavoidable cancellation. If the reception location does not give back your deposit because it has burned down in a fire, experienced flood damage, or they just went bankrupt, your insurance will give back your money and even your rehearsal dinner site too.
Weather – Insurance covers rescheduling the wedding and all the details involved such as the flowers, tent rental, caterers in the event that any type of weather condition prevents the bride, groom any relative whose presence at the wedding is important, or the majority of the guests could not reach the location because of the bad weather.
No show of vendors – Vendors that are necessary for the big day such as the caterer or the officiant usually covers cancellation or postponement of the wedding.
Sickness or injury – The bride and groom can also include sickness or injury to their insurance.
What They do not Cover
- Getting cold feet
- Watches, jewelry or semi-precious gemstones or pearls
- Engagement ring
Supplemental Policies
Photography – Some policies can pay to retake the photographs if in case that the hired photographer fails to appear or the original negatives are lost, damaged, stolen or not properly developed. Some policies will take the time to create the event again with the important participants retaken. With the right policy, the couple can hire a new photographer, buy a new wedding cake and new flowers so that they can document the wedding day again. The same principle applies for videographers. Although a policy usually pays a certain amount to have either a video montage created, a video compilation made of the photographs or just retake the wedding by restaging.
Gifts – Party crashers may just get your gifts without you knowing so it is just necessary to get this additional coverage. Gift coverage pays to repair or replace non-monetary gifts that are lost, stolen or damaged. Your insurance company will require a police report for stolen gifts. And, the damage or theft should happen within a limited time frame that ranges from 24 hours to seven days depending on the policy.
Attire – This mostly cover to repair or replace the bridal gown or tux of the bride and groom. These covers lost, stolen, or damaged attire and includes the failure of the bridal store to deliver.
Every Wedding is Different
While nobody wants to have a bad wedding, it is also important not to waste your money. Every insurance policy is different and every scenario are not the same. Talk to your insurance agent and discuss with them if getting a wedding insurance is really a necessity on your part. Make sure that you also understand every detail of your policy before agreeing on signing.