Wedding Insurance
Weddings can be large and
expensive spectacles. Although the recent economy has forced brides to consider
scaling back their plans, the average cost of a wedding still approaches
$30,000. Appropriately, it has become quite common to arrange for special
protection for this extremely important, personal event.
Wedding insurance is not
standardized, so policy wording can be quite different among the specialty
insurance companies that offer the protection. Wedding insurance can help
protect against the huge expenses suffered if, for certain reasons, the wedding
is either postponed or is cancelled. Protection can be purchased to respond to
loss involving unrecoverable expenses as well as to lawsuits that result from a
wedding that is held as planned.
In most instances, to
qualify for coverage, the wedding’s cancellation or delay has to be caused by
an eligible source of loss/disruption such as catastrophic weather, a church
where the wedding is to be held suffers smoke damage and is suddenly closed, or
the reception caterer closes her business the day before the wedding.
Items covered by the policy
are usually expenses that can’t be recovered (non-refundable). Eligible
expenses often include the following:
·
Facility
Rental (church, reception halls, etc.) Costs
·
Catering
Costs
·
Clothing
Rental Fees
·
Photographer
Fees (in some cases, videographer fees may also qualify)
·
Hotel
Costs
·
Transportation
Costs (limos, taxi costs for transporting wedding party or guests incurred by
insured or honoree)
·
Air
Transportation
·
Other
miscellaneous, non-refundable costs
Eligible expenses include
those related to the honeymoon as well. Examples of “Other expenses” may be the
deposits for services, such as florists, entertainers, etc. Naturally, payment
of these costs is subject to the policy’s limit.
When this coverage applies
is purchased, the insurance company will protect the insured against losses or
lawsuits that allege that the insured/honoree is responsible for bodily injury,
personal injury or property damage to a third party. However, any claim must be
due to an incident that takes place at the wedding (including reception). The
coverage obligation does not only apply to losses, but also includes a duty to
legally defend an insured/honoree against claims/losses.
Example: The Brydals are
sued by a best man who was seriously injured when the nervous groom turned
abruptly to get the wedding ring and knocked the best man off a podium.
Many wedding policies offer
additional coverages such as:
·
Photographs
and Video Tape Coverage
·
Gift
Coverage
·
Rented
Property Coverage
·
Special
Attire Coverage
·
Jewelry
Coverage
When some accident comes
about to turn the big day into the big cancellation or the big disaster; having
wedding insurance could take the financial sting out of the situation.
COPYRIGHT: Insurance Publishing
Plus, Inc. 2008
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