Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

Over the Labor Day holiday, Hurricane Earl threatened to slam New England with gale force winds and treacherous waves, rather rudely timing its expected landfall for one of the area’s most popular wedding weekends. Thankfully, Earl stayed out to sea, but many couples were left wondering right up to the last minute about guests’ travel plans and whether to dismantle their reception tents.

Even the most expertly planned event can fall victim to disaster. But wedding insurance can help to safeguard you against the unforeseen, as well as lend some peace of mind. Wondering what’s covered and whether to buy some? Here’s the skinny.

What is wedding insurance?
Much like car or homeowner’s insurance, a wedding policy protects the investment you’ve made in your big day. That includes covering costs in the event that your wedding must be cancelled or postponed due to circumstances beyond your control. Anything from a major storm to a fire at your reception hall to an unexpected illness. Wedding insurance can reimburse you for the site rental, reception food, flowers and other expenses.

What does wedding insurance cover?
Unforeseen problems involving the site, vendors, weather, key, people, illness and injury.  The list of possible scenarios is long and varied but could include:

• Your ceremony site catches fire and burns to the ground, or the power goes out at your reception location on the day of your event
• Your catering service no shows, your florist uses your deposit to pay for a flight to Bora Bora or your bridal salon goes belly up before you can pick up your gown
• An ice storm prevents you, the officiant, your family or the majority of your guests from reaching the ceremony site (a few snowflakes don’t count)
• The groom is stricken with a case of pneumonia or the father of the bride breaks his leg in an auto accident the day before the wedding.

You can also buy supplemental coverage for loss, theft or damage related to photography and videography services (it could pay for a reshoot), gifts (bad taste isn’t covered) and attire (your bridesmaid’s lost luggage). Another area is personal liability insurance, which covers property damage and personal injuries that take place during the wedding. Say, your niece scribbles her name in marker all over the bridal suite’s walls, or Uncle Ron face plants on his way to the bar for another gin and tonic.

What doesn’t it cover?
A change of heart, for one thing. Cold feet don’t count, nor does anything you knew about before buying the policy, such as an illness.

How much does it cost?
A basic policy will run you anywhere from $125 to more than $500, depending on the cost of your wedding and the coverage you want. The liability insurance typically costs around $200. Be sure to read the fine print about maximum covered amounts and the deductible.

Do we really need it?
Check with your vendors to see what insurance coverage they carry before you buy your own, and ask to see their policies to avoid purchasing overlapping coverage. If you’re hosting an intimate event, you could get away with a less expensive policy or risk having no coverage at all. Policies tailored to military personnel who face shipping out at a moment’s notice might also prove well worth the money. If you do decide to buy wedding insurance, meet with an agent sooner rather than later (some companies limit how far in advance you can purchase a policy).

Fate may have brought you and your honey together, but remember, it has a way of disregarding well-laid plans (and nonrefundable deposits).