Wedding insurance: do you take this policy

By Sarah Modlock

12 March 2006

Your wedding day should be one of the best days of your life. It is also likely to be the biggest event you will organise and if disaster should strike it wont just be your memories that will suffer. Your bank balance could take a serious hit too.

Some 260,000 people are set to wed this year and with the cost of the average wedding (whatever that is) approaching £20,000, it's hardly likely that another £50 or so for wedding insurance will break the bank. But do you really need it?

With insurers now hoping to scoop up more business from civil partnership ceremonies, it's easy to fall for the marketing hype and grab the first wedding insurance policy you find. Let's face it, reading small print is likely to be way down your list of priorities in the run up to the big day.

How insurance could help

Wedding cover helps out in two ways. First, it covers the risk of cancellation. If you need to call the whole thing off - say because of an illness, accident, or death in the family - the insurers will compensate for the money you have lost in deposits.

The other part of the cover applies to damage, accident or theft on the day. Dented wedding presents, damage to hired wedding outfits and vehicles, as well as the marquee itself and third-party cover for personal injury. The biggest problem of the past few years has been the failure of companies running wedding reception venues, bridal shops and photography studios. One wedding policy is likely to be much cheaper than taking out the individual cover offered by suppliers.

Although financial compensation will not take away the pain of a spoiled wedding day it can help to limit the damage and may even allow the event to be rescheduled. Timing can also make a difference. It is best to take out wedding insurance as soon as you know the date of your wedding. This way, any expenses or commitments you make will be covered in the event of misfortune.

Faith Davies at Norwich-based specialist insurers Weddingplan knows all about marital mishaps. The company has paid out for claims involving bankrupt caterers, damaged and stolen wedding presents, illness and accident and disasters with photographs. The most common problem is the wedding gown being ruined, often by red wine spillage - a particular problem if the dress is hired.

What is not covered

Main exclusions usually include lack of funds and circumstances known to you when you took out the policy (other than redundancy after the policy is taken out). Some, but not all, insurers will cover you if you are abroad for your wedding day although this will not be a substitute for travel insurance.

It is not possible to obtain cover you for what the industry delicately terms 'disinclination to marriage'. That is if the bride or groom pulls out. If this happens, most policies will not cover wedding costs. Although some insurers offer stress counselling either before the wedding to prevent cold feet or afterwards if your beloved runs off with the best man or bridesmaid.

Check the policy carefully for any other exclusions. As with most insurance policies, expect to pay an excess on any claim - these usually start at £25.

What are you already covered for?

One easy way to protect against loss is to pay all your suppliers by credit card. Provided that you spend at least £100, under the Consumer Credit Act your credit card company will be jointly liable for providing the service, so if any of your suppliers go bust or don't deliver the goods you can claim back the money from your card company.

The other existing cover you are likely to have is home contents insurance. Many insurers automatically increase your usual cover by 10% for one month before and after the wedding. Legal expenses insurance is also offered with many household policies. But there are some things that won't be covered such as the cost of having to cancel the ceremony if a close relative is taken seriously ill or dies. So you may feel that it is worthwhile taking out wedding insurance just in case.

'Loss of a ring or damage to a wedding dress or presents will be covered under your household contents policy, both inside and outside the home if you have accidental damage and all-risks cover,' explains Kevin Kerridge of Hiscox Insurance. 'If your ring is particularly valuable, you may need to check that it is within the single-item limit.' Once you are back from honeymoon and have received all your gifts, you should contact your insurer to amend the level of contents cover.

What it costs

Most policies offer several different tiers of cover and you need to choose your level of cover depending on how much you are spending on the wedding. Booking online can often secure a discount.

Confetti (confetti.co.uk) starts at £54 and goes up to £154

Debenhams (debenhamsweddinginsurance.com) starts at £59 and goes up to £100

E&L (eandl.co.uk) starts at £49 and goes up to £479

Marks & Spencer (marksandspencer.com) starts at £59 and goes up to £189

MLR (mrlinsurance.co.uk) starts at £65 and goes up to £165

Weddinginsurance (weddinginsurance.co.uk) starts at £49.90 and goes up to £149.90

Weddingplan (weddingplaninsurance.co.uk) starts at £54 and goes up £154

Look carefully at the terms and conditions rather than opting for the cheapest. Reading the small print will also help you spot special features which may be particularly helpful. For instance, Debenhams offers additional options such as ceremonial sword cover in case you are crazy enough to marry a military man (don't ask).

And finally...

Sounds obvious but do make sure marry the right person. No amount of insurance could help a young Egyptian man who fainted on his wedding night when he lifted his bride's veil only to discover that he had married an unknown woman of 45 instead of his 18-year-old fiancée.