9 Wedding Insurance FAQs

by Susan Evans

9 Wedding Insurance FAQs

Wedding insurance is similar to any other form of insurance: you may be reimbursed if the unexpected occurs. Below are answers to common questions about wedding insurance.

Be sure to talk to your insurance agent about what areas are covered under your current homeowners (or other insurance) policy before purchasing wedding insurance.

1. What is Wedding Insurance?

Wedding insurance is similar to travel, car or home insurance. If a hurricane or blizzard prevents your wedding from happening, you get sick before your honeymoon, or any other mishaps occur, you may be partially reimbursed for certain services.

2. Should I Buy Wedding Insurance?

In the end, this decision is up to you and your partner (and whoever else might be footing the bill). The average cost of a wedding is $26,000, according to a survey conducted by The Fairchild Bridal Group. Wedding insurance can offer peace of mind to those footing the bill.

If your wedding is small, you may choose a smaller policy to cover “trouble areas” like exotic honeymoons or reception costs. Or, you may choose to have no insurance at all.

If you are marrying or holding your reception in a historic or an expensive venue, you may actually be required to have a set amount of wedding insurance before you can book the location. Check with the location administration to see if wedding insurance is required.

3. What Is Covered?

All insurance policies vary so be sure to read your policy and talk with your agent about what is covered.

WHN TIP – Ask What’s Covered: Some items such as dresses, gifts, and liability may fall under your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy. Talk with your insurance agent about your homeowner or renter’s policy to see what is covered before purchasing wedding insurance.

  • Weather. If your event has to be postponed because of rain or other bad weather, your policy should cover the cost of rescheduling. Ask your wedding insurance agent what “bad weather” means. Does it mean drizzle, raindrops or downpours? A few snowflakes or blizzards?
  • Illness or injury. If wedding party members become ill or injured and cause the wedding to be postponed, rescheduling costs will be covered. Ask your wedding insurance agent what “ill” or “injured” means. Does it mean a cold, flu or surgery? A broken leg or worse?
  • Location site issues. If your ceremony and reception sites don’t already carry their own insurance, your wedding insurance policy can cover damage to the site, fire, electrical or mechanical problems, or going out of business that causes you to lose money or have to reschedule.
  • Missing officiant or vendors. If your officiant, caterer, florist, photographer, musicians, etc. fail to provide their contracted services, you may be reimbursed for some costs and possibly the rescheduling costs as well.

WHN TIP – Reimbursement: You may only be reimbursed if you have paid a deposit or in full ahead of time with the vendor or officiant. Be sure to keep track of all receipts and keep additional copies in a safe location such as a safe deposit box. Check these terms before assuming anything!

4. What Are Additional Coverage Options?

The following items may be included in your policy. If not and you’d like to include these options, talk to your agent about additional riders.

  • Foreign or Destination Weddings. The general policy may or may not cover costs incurred in other countries. Check with your agent to see if coverage is available for services in the country of your wedding location.
  • Honeymoon Delays or Cancellation. Wedding insurance may cover lost luggage or tickets or cancellation of your trip due to illness, bad weather or other circumstances. Consider travel insurance as well to insure the costs of your trip.
  • Liability. Wedding location sites such as churches and reception halls carry liability insurance. However, additional liability insurance on your part might also cover alcohol-related incidents among guests. Liability is especially important to consider if you’re having your wedding at home. Talk to your homeowner’s insurance agent about your current policy and if your policy has adequate coverage for a big event such as a wedding.
  • Military Service. If either the bride or groom is in the military or active reserves, insurance can cover rescheduling or postponement costs if they are called to duty. Be sure to ask if the reimbursement policy would change if either the bride or groom were on leave or on part-time duty.
  • Photos and Videos. You may be reimbursed if your film is ruined or destroyed or if the photographer fails to perform a contracted service. Again, check with your issuing company.
  • Rented Property. If you are renting furniture or equipment for the wedding, coverage can help pay for repair or replacement costs if the property is damaged.
  • Wedding Gifts. If your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance doesn’t cover gifts, you may want additional coverage to protect against theft or damage of gifts. Read your homeowner’s policy carefully or ask your agent. If you have a wedding insurance policy, there may be a limit for making a claim on gifts, such as 7 days after the wedding.
  • Wedding Gowns and Tuxedos. If either the tuxedo or the wedding gown is damaged beyond repair before the wedding, wedding insurance will cover replacement costs.
  • Wedding Rings. If your wedding rings are lost, damaged or stolen most companies will cover the insured values of the rings.

WHN TIP – Check Current Insurance: Before purchasing additional insurance, check to see if your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance will cover your rings. If not, consider attaching a rider to your homeowner policy to guarantee coverage before and after the wedding.

5. What Isn’t Covered?

The wedding costs will not be reimbursed if either the bride or groom have a change of heart. The policy only covers unforeseen events, not voluntary decisions such as calling the wedding off.

6. What Does Wedding Insurance Cost?

The average cost of a wedding insurance policy is between $200.00 and $500.00, with additional riders adding to the cost. However, this varies depending on the size, location and overall cost of your wedding as well as the company issuing the policy.

7. When Should I Buy Wedding Insurance?

Wedding insurance, depending on the company, should take a few weeks to go into effect. Most companies will not allow you to purchase insurance later than two weeks before your wedding.

Ideally, it would be best to purchase the policy as soon as you start signing contracts or make deposits with vendors and service providers. That way, if somebody backs out three months or a week beforehand, you may be able to receive financial payment.

Check with your agent to see how long it will take before your policy goes into effect.

WHN TIP – Make Copies: Before you buy insurance, gather all of your receipts and contracts. Make copies for the insurance company and store the originals in a safe location.

8. Where Can I Buy Wedding Insurance?

Weddings are a new arena in the U.S. insurance market. You might not be able to purchase policies from mainstream vendors but there are other commercial companies who specialize in wedding insurance such as WedSafe. Before purchasing wedding insurance, make sure the company or agent is licensed to do business in the state where you live. Click here to link to your state’s insurance department Web site.

9. How Do I Make a Claim?

Read your policy carefully. Be sure to write down contact details for your agent and company. Make copies of this information and remember to take it with you on your honeymoon, along with a copy of your policy.

Ask your wedding insurance and homeowner’s or renter’s insurance agents about specific instructions on how to make a claim.

WHN TIP – Hang on to Receipts! Keep copies of all your receipts, contracts and your insurance policy. Store your originals in a safe location outside your home (like a relative’s house or bank safe deposit box), in case your home is damaged in any way.

Photo Credit: Burst by Shopify

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