When it comes to planning a wedding, dozens of different people, places and professionals come together to create a wonderful celebration. However, with so many moving parts, there’s a risk that one or two things may not go quite as planned. Usually, these things are small and can be replaced or fixed fairly quickly – but what happens when they’re not so small?
Thankfully, wedding insurance is available to give you peace of mind and protect you should anything unforeseen happen, which means you won’t lose your money or your chance to throw your dream wedding. But how much does wedding insurance cost and is it worth it?
In this post, we’re going to explore everything to do with the cost of wedding insurance, including the average amount couples pay, what’s included with wedding insurance and when the best time to secure coverage is.
What is wedding insurance?
Wedding insurance is the insurance you can buy to cover your wedding. This means, in the event that something happens either before your wedding or on the day itself, you won’t lose out on your money.
So, if something is cancelled due to financial failure, damaged, lost or stolen, or you or a close family member is injured or taken ill, you won’t have to worry about losing out on potentially thousands of pounds.
What’s the average cost of wedding insurance?
As there are so many variations available, the average amount spent by couples on wedding insurance in the UK is between £150 – £180. However, there are basic policies available for as low as £27. Similarly, more expensive policies may set you back around £500 but will offer a far more comprehensive level of coverage.
The average cost of a wedding in the UK is £20,775, so if you’re interested in insurance you’ll probably want a policy that includes cancellation cover that exceeds this amount. That means your policy may cost somewhere in the region of £98 for £20,000 cover; however, this is just an approximation and depends on your chosen insurer and your individual needs.
Is wedding insurance a one-off payment?
Yes, wedding insurance is a single, one-off payment. Most policies will cover you for up to two and a half years (30 months) and aren’t long-term and renewable like you might get with other policies, such as car or home insurance.
Where can you buy wedding insurance?
There are plenty of insurance companies that provide wedding insurance, and we would recommend getting several quotes before choosing your policy. Thankfully, comparison websites, like Money Supermarket, offer the option to gather different quotes all in one go.
Or, here at Bridebook, we have a number of great specialist wedding insurers, including Wedinsure Wedding Insurance and Emerald Wedding Insurance. You can also use our handy wedding budget calculator to make sure you buy a policy that provides you with the right level of coverage.
What’s covered by wedding insurance?
What is covered by a wedding insurance policy depends entirely on the insurer and the policy you go for. When securing quotes, make sure you know exactly what the policy will include and what is covered – the last thing you want is any unwelcome surprises in the unlikely event you need to make a claim.
Thankfully, a wedding insurance policy will cover most of the large expenses associated with your wedding, including your venue, catering and transport. However, before assuming it’s covered, we recommend you check with your chosen insurer. Your policy will likely include:
- Problems with the venue, such as if they were to cancel your booking due to bankruptcy or go out of business.
- Issues with a vendor you’ve made a booking with, such as a caterer or florist going out of business last minute or not showing up at all.
- Having to cancel due to death, illness or an accident.
- Having to cancel due to redundancy.
- Having to cancel in the event that adverse weather means more than half of your guests can’t make it.
- Critical items that have been lost, stolen or damaged, including your rings and dress.
- Faults with the photos or video, or if the photographer doesn’t turn up on the day.
The good news is that a number of insurance providers, like Wedinsure, now offer policies that cover your wedding if it’s taking place abroad, which is peace of mind if you’ve chosen to go for a destination wedding.
What isn’t covered by wedding insurance?
Unfortunately, should either of you change your mind at the last minute (not that it will happen, of course) and cancel your wedding, your insurance won’t cover you. Other reasons for cancelling a wedding that aren’t covered include:
- If an item that isn’t key to the wedding is lost, stolen or damaged (for example, table numbers).
- Having to cancel your wedding because you realise you’re not able to afford it.
- Having to cancel due to a preexisting medical condition.
- Poor weather, such as rain.
- Marquees – these require their own insurance (though most insurers will provide marquee cover).
That being said, some insurers will cover you for some of the above possibilities, though they may charge a premium. Check with your insurer before taking out a policy to make sure it covers everything you need.
If you’re getting married abroad, your travel insurance may cover you for certain items, such as your wedding attire or gifts, but you should check the single-item limit on your policy to make sure what those limits are.
Does wedding insurance cover an expensive wedding?
You can buy wedding insurance to cover any wedding, regardless of how much it might cost. However, the more money you spend on your wedding, the more you’ll have to spend on your policy.
Is your honeymoon covered by wedding insurance?
No, unfortunately, your honeymoon isn’t covered by wedding insurance. While related to your wedding, it’s still viewed as a holiday, so you’ll need to make sure you have the appropriate travel insurance policy in place. That means another cost to bear in mind when budgeting for your wedding.
What other types of insurance do you need with your wedding?
On top of wedding insurance, there are other types of wedding-related insurance you may want to consider.
If you’re hiring a marquee for your wedding, the majority of basic wedding insurance policies don’t include cover for this. However, there will be a marquee insurance extension that you can add to your policy for an additional cost.
Another addition you might want to consider is public liability insurance. This will cover you in the event that a third party is hurt or killed and a claim against you is made. Plus, many venues require public liability cover as part of the contract. Of course, this is massively unlikely, however, just to be safe the majority of couples choose to have public liability insurance if it isn’t already covered by their wedding insurance policy. But, don’t consider this a good enough reason not to go for it, because every wedding and set of circumstances are different.
When is the best time to buy wedding insurance?
You can buy wedding insurance up to 30 months before your wedding. Whether you secure your wedding insurance a year before your wedding or a week before, the price won’t change, so it’s important to buy it as early as possible (and before it’s too late).
Wedinsure suggests that you purchase wedding insurance as soon as you have a date and before you start paying deposits. The last thing you want to do is pay out hundreds of pounds only to lose it if your chosen vendor goes out of business.
Do you really need wedding insurance?
It’s highly recommended that you get yourself wedding insurance, because – and forgive us for using a cliché – what if?
With the average wedding in the UK costing £20,775, there aren’t many couples out there who could afford to take that financial hit if the worst was to happen.
If your wedding is small and intimate (for example, you’re getting married at a registry office), then you may not need to buy wedding insurance. But, if your wedding is much larger, and therefore you’re spending a lot of money, you should absolutely make securing wedding insurance a top priority.
Not only that, but some venue and supplier contracts may have requirements or recommendations around getting insurance, which you’ll need to take into account.
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