Wedding & Event Insurance | Protect Your Wedding Investment
Despite the type of event you plan to host, there's likely many moving parts to the day, and some investment of funds. If your event is a wedding, then you've probably poured your heart and emotions into planning as well. Your wedding day is likely one of the largest scale events you will personally throw in your lifetime. Whether you are planning to spend $10,000 or $250,000+, it's an investment worth protecting.
Wedding & Event Insurance | Why We Require Insurance
Weddings and events experience cancellations or unexpected fluctuation in plans for a myriad of reasons, including: bankruptcy of a vendor (like your venue), loss of product from a vendor (like lost footage from a videographer), illness of an immediate family member, military leave, job loss, severe weather, change of heart and more. Below we've laid out the types of wedding and event insurance available, when you should purchase it, and some event insurance providers. Always check with a certified insurance provider for up to date and accurate information.
When to purchase a wedding or event insurance policy:
We recommend purchasing event insurance as soon as you have chosen a venue. Some insurance companies will allow you to wait until days or weeks before the event. However, if something should go wrong between the time you book and pay all of your vendors, and those final weeks before your event, you may not be able to add coverage to your wedding or event.
Do other vendors require event insurance?
Many venues require that you carry or purchase a liability policy and list the venue as 'additional insured' on your Certificate of Insurance or 'COI'. If your venue is requiring this, the most common amount of coverage required in our experience is 1 million or 2 million dollars. Check your venue and vendor contracts if they require insurance to ensure you are purchasing the correct amount and type of coverage.
How much insurance coverage should I opt for?
There are a few factors that may impact the amount of coverage you select. Your vendors requirements may determine a portion of the coverage you select. Other factors include the amount of investment and the add ons you decide are worth covering.
What does event insurance cover?
There are two types of event insurance: Liability and Cancellation.
Consumer Advocate has laid out the two types of coverage, and what's generally covered under each:
"Liability insurance is meant to cover injuries or property damages that occur during your wedding. Insurance companies also offer important add-ons to this type of coverage, like host liquor liability (if you’re serving alcohol), to protect you from incidents during your wedding day. Coverage can also be extended to other wedding-related events, like your rehearsal dinner or honeymoon.
Cancellation insurance protects you from unforeseen circumstances that may lead to a postponement or cancellation of your wedding. This type won’t usually cover a wedding being called off for personal reasons, but will help in situations out of your control, like a critical injury or illness."
Does my homeowner's insurance cover my event?
It might! The best way to find out, is to check with the experts (your policy holder). You'll want to get a written confirmation of coverage and what's included. Some credit cards also cover certain aspects of an event.
Jewelry Coverage:
If you plan to wear or bring valuable jewelry to the wedding, we recommend you purchase an additional insurance policy to cover loss or theft of those items, prior to the wedding day.
Event Insurance Providers
(In no particular order. These are not sponsored links).
Is COVID-19 Covered?
In very rare cases, if you had previously added pandemics to your insurance policy, this may be covered. Most insurance policies do not cover COVID-19 or any COVID-19 related issues.
What else should I know?
Read the insurance policies before signing! It's important that you know and understand what is covered with the type of insurance you've opted to purchased.
To read an in-depth review and comparison of event insurance offerings, you can view the Consumer Advocate article here.
Photos: Chloe Luka Photography
