An Impartial Guide to Wedding Insurance and Why it Matters

It won’t be the first thing you think of. It probably won’t be the second, third or tenth item on your wedding planning agenda, but wedding insurance is well worth your consideration. It’s not sexy, you can’t see it, and it costs extra money. But if anything goes wrong on your big day, having protection in place for the most expensive elements of your wedding could help recoup lost investments.

This guide will take a deeper dive into what wedding insurance is exactly. What does it cover? What doesn’t it cover?  Read on to find out why you should think carefully about buying a wedding insurance policy and the potential benefits.

What is Wedding Insurance?

You would usually buy insurance for your home, car, maybe your pets, life insurance to protect your family perhaps, and travel insurance for holidays, right? Wedding insurance is no different.

It’s an optional policy you can purchase in case things go wrong with your wedding. While it won’t cover cold feet, it will provide protection if your venue ceases trading, for example, if an important member of the wedding party falls seriously ill or if an essential supplier lets you down.

If you’re wondering, how much is wedding insurance? The answer depends on the level of cover you need, the size of your guest list and the overall cost of your wedding plans. Bridebook reckons that the average wedding insurance cost in the UK is between £150-£180, but there are policies that cost a lot less and some that cost a lot more.

Who Needs Wedding Insurance?

Wedding insurance is there to recover the cost of your wedding should something go wrong. If you would have no trouble covering lost wedding costs, you probably don’t need wedding insurance, although there are a few instances where cover might still be required.

If the cost of your wedding is a major investment for you, and covering the loss of funds would leave you out of pocket, then consider taking out wedding insurance to protect your expenditure.

Anyone can take out wedding insurance and your premium will usually be paid in one lump sum up front. There may be conditions on how long your cover will last, so remember to check the duration of your policy, especially if you’re booking well in advance.

Other scenarios where wedding insurance may be required are if the venue doesn’t provide public liability cover and stipulates that you must cover this. Weddings that have marquees, tents or tipis supplied by a third party will usually require enough insurance cover to protect the cost of replacing these too.

Wedding insurance won’t cover your honeymoon; you need travel insurance for this. And for expensive purchases like engagement or wedding rings, check to see if your home insurance covers these items, rather than taking out additional wedding cover.

What Does Wedding Insurance Cover?

The level of coverage for each provider will differ, so as we’ve already said, check the small print. Below is a brief overview of what many insurance companies will and won’t cover.

Generally, UK wedding insurance will cover:

• If the wedding venue cancels or ceases trading

• If a booked supplier, such as a photographer, caterer or florist lets you down

• If you decide to cancel because a key member of the wedding party can’t make the wedding, this could be due to serious illness, death, jury service, etc. Pre-existing conditions won’t be covered.

• Cancellation due to extreme weather where more than 50% of your guests can’t attend

• Loss, theft or accidental damage to wedding attire, rings, cakes, flowers, gifts, etc

• Personal liability – if you are responsible for damage or injury to a third party

• Legal cover – should you have to pay compensation for any damage or injury

  
  

Wedding insurance usually does NOT cover:

• Cancellation due to minor illness

• Changing your mind

• Cancelling due to minor issues or damage

• Cancellation or postponement due to pandemics

• Cancellation due to financial difficulties

• Cancellation or changes to your honeymoon

• General poor weather

  
  

Types of Wedding Insurance

Wedding insurance broadly falls into two categories – cancellation cover and liability cover. Specialist wedding providers may lump these in together, or liability insurance may be an optional add-on to general wedding insurance that covers cancellations and postponements.

Let’s take a closer look at different types of wedding insurance options and what they may or may not include.

• Public liability insurance

Wedding public liability insurance offers financial protection if something happens during the wedding, such as guest injuries, property damage to the venue and alcohol-related incidents. Some venues will require you to have additional public liability wedding insurance cover so it’s a good idea to check with them before booking.

• Honeymoon cover

Your honeymoon won’t usually be covered by your wedding insurance. You’d need a specific travel insurance policy to cover cancellations or changes to your honeymoon plans.

• Marquee cover

If you are hiring a marquee, tipi or other mobile event space, the company renting these out to you will usually require you to have wedding insurance that covers loss or damage to them.

Most often marquee cover will be an add-on to standard wedding cover policy at an additional cost. Wedding insurance prices for marquee and tent cover will typically be more expensive than policies that don’t require this additional protection as they are deemed high risk.

• Gift insurance

Theft, damage or loss of wedding gifts will usually be included in your wedding insurance, so long as they are not left unattended. Different insurers will have maximum limits per item, and some might exclude covering cash or cheques, so again, check with your insurer.

• Overseas wedding insurance

Plenty of wedding insurance providers cover overseas weddings – some at an additional cost, and some will include it as standard. Again, check the inclusions on the overseas wedding insurance policy schedule to see what is covered and what isn’t for destination weddings.

You may need a separate travel insurance policy to cover flights and transport. It’s also important to check the specific terms around liability insurance as some providers won’t cover this in foreign countries.

When to Buy Wedding Insurance

As soon as possible! Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis says you should always buy your insurance ASAP – as soon as you book. You can buy wedding plan insurance up to two years in advance, so once you have your venue confirmed and your date booked, sort your wedding insurance out before you sign any contracts or pay any deposits.

If you completely forget to sort the cover, booking last-minute wedding insurance is possible. However, there are risks associated with this. Some providers won’t pay out in the first 7-28 days of a policy, and your options may be narrower the closer you are to your wedding date. You can also expect wedding insurance prices to be higher and less competitive the later you book.

Saying that, last-minute cover will provide more protection than no cover at all, so if it’s important to you to have an insurance policy in place, check your options carefully before committing to

a premium that suits your requirements.

According to Lloyds Bank, wedding scams are on the rise, so consider the risks involved in not insuring your wedding carefully before opting out of a wedding insurance policy.

How to Buy Wedding Insurance

There are a handful of ways to buy wedding insurance. You can use wedding insurance comparison sites such as MoneySuperMarket and GoCompare or you can go directly to specialist wedding insurance providers such as Dreamsaver and Wedinsure.

Additionally, there are insurance brokers who will assess the level of cover you need and find the best wedding insurance quotes for you. They’ll take a commission fee from the insurer, usually, so you shouldn’t have to pay for their services.

You can also look for recommended wedding insurance from couples you know that had to claim, or from online forums and reviews. Finding out how your shortlist of suppliers responds to claims may help sway you from one insurance wedding provider to another.

We can’t reiterate this enough, but CHECK THE SMALL PRINT. Before buying a wedding ceremony insurance policy, read through the inclusions and exclusions carefully. Find out what technical jargon means and make sure you understand what they cover, what they don’t cover and how claims are settled. It is important to note that some insurers will rearrange a wedding for a successful claim, rather than payout cash, which may be important to you.

Understanding the differences between policies and cover levels is vital when picking an insurance policy for the most important day of your life!

Top Tips for Buying Wedding Insurance

1. Buy your insurance as early as possible to ensure all eventualities are covered.

2. Get everything in writing – keep a record of emails, terms and conditions, receipts, invoices and contracts from all wedding suppliers, in case you need to make a claim.

3. Keep track of your wedding costs and adjust your insurance premium accordingly. There’s no point buying wedding insurance that covers you up to a certain threshold, only to discover that costs have spiralled and your cover doesn’t extend that far.

4. Check with your wedding venue if they provide public liability insurance, as some will and some won’t.

5. Use comparison sites to find the best wedding insurance policy for your wedding plans.

6. AND check the inclusions, exclusions and the fine print before booking!

Wedding Insurance FAQs

How much is wedding insurance?

On average, wedding insurance in the UK costs between £150-£180. However, basic policies can cost as little as £30, and more comprehensive cover can stretch up to £500, depending on the level of cover required. 

What does wedding insurance cover?

Essentially, wedding insurance covers cancellations or major disruptions to your wedding day. It does not cover cold feet or changing your mind!

Do I need wedding insurance?

That’s really up to you. The type of wedding you’re planning and the level of risk you’re comfortable with will help answer this question. Having read this article, we’d hope you’re in a better place to understand whether wedding insurance is relevant to your big day.

How We Support Couples at The Lawrence

Whether you opt for a wedding insurance policy or not, there are plenty of ways The Lawrence supports your wedding plans, offering peace of mind throughout your journey with us.

We welcome wedding deposits on credit cards, offering added protection for your payments. Our recommended suppliers are local, reliable and familiar to us, providing a trustworthy choice of vendors that won’t let you down.

Our dedicated in-house wedding coordinators are experienced at planning weddings and will talk you through all options based on your requirements before taking your booking. The added value and peace of mind this gives, with or without an insurance plan in place, should not be underestimated. We’re thorough, professional, dynamic and have stringent measures in place to deal with any hiccups that may arise during the planning process.

We also actively encourage online reviews of our venue so that couples and guests who haven’t visited us before can see how well we treat our customers. Check out our Trip Advisor reviews to see how we go the extra mile.

For an exceptional intimate wedding venue in the heart of Lancashire, look no further than The Lawrence. We go out of our way to make your special day unforgettable.

Get in touch to talk with our friendly team today.

Weddings at The Lawrence