Planner 1 Events: June 2010

All About Wedding Insurance

You can make every effort to ensure that all of your planning details come together for the wedding day of your dreams, but there are many factors outside your control that can profoundly affect or even postpone your special day. The illness of the bride or groom (or a close family member), an unforeseen weather pattern, or a deposit lost to a vendor who goes out of business can all make adjusting or postponing your wedding unavoidable. There's no need to panic however - wedding insurance can safeguard the investment you've made in the perfect wedding, and give you the confidence (plus peace of mind) that your planning and beautiful day are covered. The remarkably affordable policies (starting at less than $195) are specially tailored to meet the needs of couples planning a wedding, and are appropriate for both small and large events.

What Is Wedding Insurance?
Wedding insurance are policies specifically designed to protect you from financial loss in the event your wedding must be cancelled or postponed due to circumstances beyond your control, or if one of the major elements of your wedding (e.g., photographs, wedding attire, and/or gifts) is lost or damaged. Most policies respond in the event of a cancellation or postponement resulting from causes ranging from such common concerns as adverse weather and illness, to events that are rarely considered, such as unemployment, military deployment, or acts of terrorism. In addition to providing coverage for cancellation and postponement, many wedding insurance policies include coverage to protect your wedding photography, wedding dress and attendant clothing, jewelry, and gifts from damage or loss. Finally, most wedding insurance programs also provide the ability to purchase liability and property damage coverage that protects the wedding couple against claims for damage to the premises and/or property rented for the wedding reception, as well as host liquor liability. Whatever your situation, there is a wedding insurance policy that is suitable for your needs.

What Is Usually Covered?
Not all wedding insurance policies are alike, and the cost for a policy naturally depends on the coverage limits you need. Some of the areas covered in a typical policy include:

Weather. Generally, if the policy is purchased more than 14 days before the wedding and extremely bad weather prevents the celebration from taking place or a majority of the guests from attending, the cost of rescheduling the event is covered. You should note that stormy skies and light rainfall alone won't qualify as reason enough to cancel your wedding.
Key People. If people crucial to the wedding are unable to attend due to illness or injury, the cost of postponing the event is covered. This also holds true if the officiant fails to appear on your wedding day.
Service Providers. If your caterer doesn't arrive with the food, for example, or the ceremony or reception site burns down or goes out of business, you're covered for the cost of your non-refundable deposits paid and expenses incurred so that you can reschedule your special day. Some policies will also include coverage for the increased cost of replacement items or services, if they are available, to avoid a postponement of your event.

Additional Coverage.
There are a number of additional areas that can be covered by a wedding insurance policy (either as part of a package, or as add-ons at an additional charge). The options include:

Photographs & Video. If your photographer fails to show, if the film used for your photos is defective, or if the negatives are lost, destroyed, or improperly developed, this coverage allows you to reunite the wedding party for a re-shoot.
Gifts. This coverage is designed to protect you against the theft, damage, or loss of your wedding gifts.
Wedding Attire. If your wedding gown or the attire of one of your attendants is lost or damaged, this coverage will provide for repair or replacement.
Loss of Deposits. If one of your vendors goes bankrupt or ceases doing business, this coverage will reimburse you for any deposits you may lose as a result.
Personal Liability. More and more, wedding couples are expected to carry their own liability insurance to protect their ceremony and reception sites against damage to property and injury to guests. Without such coverage, you may be left vulnerable to expensive bills and/or lawsuits.
Rented Property. If you are renting a tent, tables, or chairs for the wedding, this coverage will pay for repair or replacement of the rented property.

Cost And Acquisition.
The cost of wedding insurance generally starts at a one-time premium of less than $195, with a number of the coverage options previously mentioned included. Of course, higher limits and additional coverage options are available with only moderate increases in the premium.

One Last Thing.
Wedding insurance does not cover you for "change of heart." So, if either the bride or groom decides not to go through with the wedding, the people footing the bill will pay out of pocket.

A Few Couples Helped By Wedding Insurance:
The couples' wedding that was postponed to a future date because the groom was rushed to the hospital with appendicitis.
The bride who arrived to pick up her dress at the bridal salon only to find a "Bankruptcy" sign plastered across the window.
The couple whose garden wedding was canceled when a September hurricane blew in.
The couple whose caterer went to a tropical island with the deposit money and never returned.
The couple whose wedding gifts were stolen from the reception hall while the wedding ceremony was taking place.
The wedding that was rescheduled due to a fire rendering the appointed ceremony location unavailable.

Not being a wedding insurance agency, WeddingChannel.com cannot advise you about whether or not to purchase wedding insurance for your big day, but we can tell you all we've found out about the subject, and let you make your decisions from there. As you prepare for your wedding, you've no doubt made non-refundable deposits and signed contracts with service providers for such things as the reception location, the flowers, the catering and so on. These contracts protect your vendors, so it is important that you learn how you can protect yourself. We hope that this article has helped you better understand what wedding insurance is designed to cover, in order that you can decide whether wedding insurance is right for you.

Source: WeddingChannel.com