by Olivia • January 20, 2023 • Wedding Planning Guides
As soon as you’ve decided on the dream venue for your wedding and confirmed the date you’ll be getting married, you’ll want to start thinking about wedding insurance.
Like most types of insurance, the sooner you get it in place, the better you’ll be.
In fact, many advisors recommend taking out wedding insurance before you even book a venue.
But why’s it so important?
Weddings cost a lot of money. And if something does go wrong – even the smallest of accidents – then you, your partner and your family could potentially lose a lot of money.
No one wants to think about things going wrong on or before their wedding day. And the chances are they won’t go wrong, everything will be just as perfect as you imagine.
But you never know. Is it worth that risk?
Wedding insurance gives you absolute peace of mind that should anything happen that shouldn’t, then you’ll be reimbursed for anything you’ve paid, or have the costs of replacements and alternatives all covered for you.
Getting wedding insurance in place as soon as possible minimises any risk to you and anyone else who has paid out for your wedding – and it will save you from losing a lot of money.
As with any type of insurance, the exact coverage you get with wedding insurance depends on the type of policy you take out. Each one is slightly different depending on the provider and the package chosen, so it’s important to check the small print and understand exactly what you’re covered for.
But generally speaking, wedding insurance covers all the key areas of your wedding:
It covers all the costs you’ve paid out to a venue or a supplier if something goes wrong at their end. For example, if the venue goes bust, gets shut down or stops hosting weddings for one reason or another, you’ll get all costs refunded that you’ve paid to them.
If your suppliers go bust, fail to turn up, or have double-booked – or any other reason that means they can’t deliver on what they’ve promised and what you’ve paid for, your wedding insurance should cover that too.
Most insurance policies will also cover all the costs of a wedding if you have to cancel or postpone because of any accident or illness to anyone directly involved in the wedding. In practice, this means that the Bride, Groom, close family, bridesmaids and Best Man are all covered if they break a leg or fall ill.
Some policies will also cover your liability for any damage caused by you or your guests to the venue itself or to supplier equipment/items. If you’re expecting a bunch of rowdy guests, this can be invaluable in itself.
Getting cold feet is not covered!
Unfortunately, wedding insurance doesn’t cover either partner changing their mind. If you decide the wedding isn’t right for you – for whatever reason (including budgets and costs) – then you’ll still have to pay out.
It doesn’t cover you for anything you knew about before you bought the policy either.
So if you knew a close family member was terminally ill for example, you wouldn’t be covered if they couldn’t make it to the wedding.
There are lots of restrictions on insurance coverage for weddings abroad too, including failing to get the right vaccinations or acts of war in your wedding destination. It won’t cover your honeymoon either (you’ll need travel insurance for that).
Most policies don’t cover bouncy castles, inflatables and fireworks. But always check the small print to see what is and isn’t included.
The key to getting the best type of insurance for your wedding is to make sure you buy early and then keep track of your budget and the amount you’re spending.
Wedding insurance doesn’t give you a large payout; it only covers you for the amount you’ve spent on the wedding itself and related costs. So there’s no point buying a large insurance policy for a £100,000 wedding if your wedding is going to cost less than £10,000.
As with any insurance, shop around online and don’t just compare prices. The cheapest isn’t always the best – look at the small print and any exclusions.
Make sure you have enough cover for all of the costs you have or will pay out for your wedding. You can always increase the cover if you find you’re total wedding costs have increased.
Wedding insurance starts from as little as £19 – in total – for a £3000 wedding. Around £50 will generally cover you for a mid-sized wedding of up £15,000.
You could pay up to £300 to get comprehensive cover for a £100,000 wedding.
Some extra cover and specialist weddings will cost more. Marquee weddings for example require a specialist type of wedding insurance.
At Heaton House Farm though, you can have a marquee-style wedding inside our Steeles Barn without needing to worry about marquee insurance!
Sorted your insurance but have not yet chosen your wedding venue? Come and see what Heaton House Farm has to offer.
