At one point or another, almost every engaged couple will ask “do we need wedding insurance?” Common sense, expertise, and the many stories we have heard over the years point to only one conclusion – absolutely YES.
It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind, considering your wedding is probably many months away yet, you are counting on many suppliers you have left deposits with to come through for you without any glitches, and you are spending more money than you ever will on a single day. If something goes wrong, unfortunately you’ll be the one counting the losses. For every bride who took out insurance and gratefully used it, there is another bride who wishes she had! If you think the worst things that could happen would be your cake collapsing or your merry uncle causing havoc at the open bar reception, have a look at these real scenarios below from Weddingplan.
No-show registrar
Some say marriage is just a bit of paper. Many would disagree, but the registration documents and the registrar are vital to the legalities of the ceremony, both here in the UK and when getting married abroad. If there is a problem with the documents or the registrar on the big day, the wedding might not go ahead, and in previous years there have been claims resulting from last minute problems, either with the registrar or official documents, leading to the unfortunate cancellation and rearrangement of the weddings.
An unlicensed venue
Nowadays couples get married in wild and whacky places, but the UK law still prevents couples from marrying just anywhere. Ceremony venues need to hold a proper licence and couples should check this is in place before they book. But, what happens if your chosen venue loses its licence after you have reserved it? This has happened a surprising number of times, but when adequate wedding insurance and contracts were in place, the affected policy holders were able to claim back some of the costs.
Bride stuck in the snow
Think of this winter, cold wasn’t it!? You might have been snowed in a few times yourself. Think what it would be like if you had planned to get married on one of those “snow days”. Recent years saw a lot of couples claiming on their policy after being forced to cancel their wedding because they, or their guests, could not attend. There were even tales of brides and grooms getting stuck on their way to ceremony, taking the concept of a white wedding to a whole other level. Future winter brides – make note.
A trip down the aisle… in a ripped dress
Blushing brides run the risk of being left red-faced if their dress gets damaged before it even makes it onto the dance floor. Brides have ripped their dresses on the way to the ceremony but, as damage to wedding attire is not uncommon, they were able to claim back repair costs. Wedding insurance can give you some protection against your dream dress turning into a nightmare, especially if it happens before the wedding!
Fly-away marquee
Damage to a marquee in the hire period is something that you may become liable for in extreme weather conditions. High winds led to the damage of many hired marquees before, luckily some affected couples held adequate wedding insurance with optional marquee cover added, ensuring they didn’t set sail for the holiday of a lifetime with the albatross of an unexpected cost flying over their heads. Make sure you have the right coverage if you’re having a marquee wedding or reception.
Wedding disco inferno
Recently the barn of a country hall burnt down. The barn was a popular wedding venue in the area and the fire shattered the dreams of many couples who had booked the venue. Luckily some of the affected couples had taken out wedding insurance and when a suitable alternative was not found they were able to claim cancellation costs, or recover the costs they incurred so far and book their wedding elsewhere.
Engaged and redundant?
In these unstable times the threat of redundancy has been a concern for many people in the UK. If you are made redundant in the lead up to your big day you may face the difficult decision of whether to drastically cut back the budget, or cancel the wedding altogether. Wedding insurance gives you financial protection against redundancy where it meets the required terms of the policy, allowing you to claim back cancellation costs. Of course it’s not fun making redundancy claims, but it certainly helps take away some of the financial heat for couples already facing difficult times.
A broken leg and broken dreams
Many insurers will cover you in the case of wedding cancellation to unexpected serious illness or injury. This can include broken legs, especially if an operation is needed. Walking down the aisle in pain, in cast and on crutches is no dream for any bride. Wedding insurance helped to provide financial peace of mind for those forced to rearrange, meaning that their dreams were put on ice rather than completely shattered.
These are just some of the very real issues that affect brides and grooms in the lead-up to their wedding day, and on the day itself! Even best laid plans can unravel due to no fault of your own. Don’t just cross your fingers – hope for the best, wedding insurance for the worst!
Find a wedding insurance policy that’s right for you from Weddingplan in the Wedding Insurance Directory.
