The last thing on most people’s mind when organizing the reception is wedding event insurance. A wedding is known for being a very special day for the bride and groom, exciting for all involved in the wedding. But it is also very stressful and requires a lot of work and preparation. If you opted for the big wedding, the one that takes a whole year to plan, you may need insurance.
Why buy wedding event insurance ?
The average wedding costs about 25.000$. This is a lot of money. As much as a car or a good down payment on a house. When things go wrong, even though it’s funny on screen in a comedy, it is not a laughing matter in real life. Nowadays, if someone gets injured or something gets damaged at any event, it’s more than likely that a lawsuit will follow.
There are several types of coverage going from wedding cancellation to flood and extreme weather but they can be costly. The most important wedding event insurance is General Liability.
If the size of the wedding is manageable and you are hosting the ceremony at home you may want to check the terms of your homeowner’s insurance policy to see if liability is included and covers weddings. If it is, you talk to your insurance broker and determine if an increase in coverage is necessary, due to the large number of people attending.
If you cannot host the wedding at your home and had to choose a venue, note that:
- Many venues will ask for a wedding event insurance.
- Sometimes the cost of insurance is included in the price of the rental cost.
- Some vendors already have their own coverage so they don’t need to be covered by yours
What does a wedding event insurance cover ?
The policy may cover :
- Injury or death of spectators
- Injury or death of volunteers
- Property damage liability
- Incidental medical malpractice
- All activities necessary to conduct wedding or wedding related events
- Ownership, use or maintenance of facilities
- General negligence claims
- Cost of investigation and defense of claims, even if groundless
- Corporal punishment
Consult with your insurance broker and read the fine print. Special events such as weddings are often covered but only temporarily starting at the rehearsal dinner to the end of the wedding reception, which is usually a 24 to 48 hours period. In that case, if an accident happens an hour before or an hour after, you won’t be covered.
Check the packages available in terms of duration of coverage and number of guests.
Go over your insurance policy or give your insurance broker a call to check your policies with them, verify if wedding event insurance is included, if coverage can be increased or if you need to buy a special policy for your special day. After all, this day should and will be memorable, and wedding event insurance will make sure that a bad incident will not turn it into a bad dream. Things happen that cannot always be foreseen but you can limit the damages.
Hotwire Insurance Services, a full-service independent agency, works for you and not insurance companies and does not charge broker’s fee. They address all your needs and tailor a custom insurance solution. Hotwire Insurance Services local agents can answer all your insurance requests.
Call for an appointment or get a quote online.