Cover Yourselves
Your wedding is a major investment for all involved. why not guard it against catastrophe?
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Insurance for your wedding. How . . . unromantic.
Still, you ought to think about it. Considering the complexity and expense of what you are contemplating, and all the things that might conceivably go wrong, wedding insurance could be just the thing to put at least one part of your mind at ease.
From your own experience as a guest or a member of the wedding party, or just as a reader of interesting newspaper stories, you may already know about the classic tales of wedding woes—the sudden wind storm that created havoc with a long-planned reception outdoors, the videographer who went to the right town in the wrong state, the winter storm that cut the power to the reception hall, the florist who abruptly put an “Out of Business” sign on her door, the groom who ended up in a Las Vegas jail cell and never made it to the ceremony. The list goes on and on—but now so does the list of all the ways you can be covered.
It may not be an especially romantic thought, but a wedding is a major investment, and it really should be protected like any other major investment. You routinely get insurance for your car or property, or extended coverage for a new computer—why should a wedding be any different? If you consider that a typical wedding costs nearly $30,000, the cost of insurance for the event, beginning at around $160, is not much of a price to pay.
One package is the Wedding Protector Plan from Travelers (protectmywedding.com). It’s an insurance policy that offers financial protection if certain unforeseen events occur during the period leading up to and including the wedding day. The plan offers a number of coverages, including cancellation or postponement, no dress, lost rings, severe weather, damaged photos, sudden illness, and even damaged wedding gifts.
This means you should be reimbursed if an important item related to your wedding (for example, your rings or your dress) is lost or damaged before you get married or during the ceremony, or in case you lose nonrefundable deposits if a vendor (for example, your florist, photographer or caterer) goes out of business before your wedding or does not show up. This, unfortunately, has occurred with some frequency in the current economic climate.
“What this indicates is that some wedding vendors and venues are facing many of the same financial challenges as other businesses,” says Alan Tuvin, vice president of product management for Travelers. “The reality is that no one entity is immune to the issues with today’s economy.”
You’ll even be able to get your deposit back if someone at the wedding is injured or causes damage to the property of others, or if your fiancé gets called up into active duty or for a police or fire emergency.
Unfortunately, ice storms may be covered, but not cold feet—you cannot be reimbursed if you or your fiancé have a change of heart.
For more information on the Travelers Wedding Protection Plan, you can contact Jaime C. Randle at (914) 598-3004.
