Planning a wedding is hard work, and when things go wrong it gets expensive – unless you have the right wedding insurance. But how do you decide which wedding insurance policy is right for you?
When a client of ours us told us how a three-year-old guest tripped headlong into her wedding cake only minutes before it was due to be cut, it reminded us why it’s essential to have good wedding insurance.
Our client wasn’t insured but, although there will never be a photograph of her and her husband cutting their magnificent four-tiered cake, she was fortunate.
Some uninsured couples are so unlucky that they end up with no photographs, no reception or even no wedding at all – and that can end up costing them thousands of pounds.
And while some problems are hard to put right, getting the right wedding insurance at least makes sure you don’t end up out of pocket because of them.
Choosing wedding insurance
When you choose wedding insurance, you need to take two main factors into consideration.
First, you need to decide how much insurance cover you need. If your wedding is going to cost £20,000, a policy that covers only £10,000 won’t give you peace of mind.
Second, you need to find a policy that insures you against the right things.
For example, if you don’t have a marquee at your reception, there’s no point buying wedding insurance that covers one.
Similarly, if you plan to have ceremonial swords at the ceremony, you certainly want a policy that insures them against damage or theft.
What can wedding insurance protect me against?
As with all types of insurance, every policy is different, and we recommend you take a look at Defaqto’s Star Ratings to get a deeper insight into the features and benefits offered by different policies.
But to get you started, below are some of the things to consider including in your wedding insurance.
If you have a good idea of the minimum cover you need, it makes it a lot easier when shopping around for the best wedding insurance policy to suits your needs.
- Wedding and/ or reception cancellation
- Postponement of wedding and/ or reception
- Failure of wedding suppliers
- Theft or damage of wedding gifts
- Wedding cars and transport cover
- Wedding rings, flowers and cake
- Photographs and video
- Personal liability insurance
- Personal accident insurance
- Legal expenses and fees
- Marquee cover
- Ceremonial swords cover
- Public liability cover.
Remember that each item on this list will be insured for a different amount, so you need to choose cover that meets your exact needs.
For example, if your wedding and reception will cost £10,000, you might opt for a policy that covers wedding and reception cancellation for up to that amount.
But the same policy may only cover wedding photographs and video for up to £1,500 – so if you plan to spend more than that, you will need to consider a different wedding insurance policy.
Where to get the best wedding insurance deals
Your wedding should be the most memorable day of your life – and for the right reasons!
That’s why you need to strike a balance between the cost of your wedding insurance, and what it covers.
For real peace of mind, we recommend you start your search with companies that specialise in wedding insurance, and have an excellent track record of putting problems right – fast.
Three companies that are particularly popular are John Lewis and Debenhams (both of which also offer excellent wedding list services), and Weddingplan. Insurance from all three can be used to cover civil partnership ceremonies too.
But whichever wedding insurer you choose, make sure you cover the right things for the right amount. A toddler running into your cake can upset your big day – but a cancelled venue can wreck it.
