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Wedding Insurance

Wedding Insurance
Wedding insurance is something all brides should consider! Though you might not want to think about it, disasters can strike your wedding day. From a sudden cancellation to stolen gifts to a damaged gown, wedding insurance can help protect you against the unforeseen, and can also afford you great peace of mind. Wedding insurance is not just for the military bride or let’s face it the runaway bride. Why wedding insurance?
For the bride and groom: as you celebrate the beginning of your lives together, wedding insurance can help protect your financial future if something beyond your control should go wrong.
For the parents of the bride or groom: an investment in your child’s wedding is an investment in their happiness. You want to protect their dreams of a perfect wedding–and your own financial security. If the unforeseen occurs, wedding insurance is there.
Basically, wedding insurance protects a couple’s investment from circumstances beyond their control, and reimburses expenses incurred. For example, what if your limo driver doesn’t show up and you have to book another one the morning of the wedding– for three times the price? Or what if the groom’s custom-made tuxedo is lost in airport baggage, and he has to buy a new one the day before the wedding? What if your reception space goes out of business a month before the wedding, and you lose your deposit and have to book another space? These are the types of big-day financial losses that wedding insurance can help to protect.
Some vendors may have this insurance built into their contract; however, if they go bankrupt, you’re out of luck. Some insurance carriers such as Traveler’s, Aon, and other insurance brokers, have riders or policies you can add to your existing coverage. The decision to purchase Wedding Insurance is a highly personal one–a financial decision that is an additional cost for your wedding budget, but will protect you from unforeseen disasters and mishaps. As the average cost of weddings rises, now $27,000 in the U.S.,
wedding insurance becomes more of a necessity. After all, you wouldn’t buy a new car that cost that much without insuring it against damage. Wedding insurance can save you an unnecessary headache and money loss.

How to Avoid Wedding Vendor Scams

Unfortunately, some people take advantage of blissful couples planning their big day. Often these vendors take your money and never provide the services they promised, or they send you products that aren’t what you expected. These nightmares can ruin your wedding day, but you can protect yourself from becoming a victim. Here is how:

Do Your Research

Before hiring a vendor, do some research. Talk to other couples who recently got married, and find out who they recommend. Also, know what to expect before you meet with a vendor. Find out what prices are common and what is expected of the service provider. Most likely, if the vendor offers something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Be Cautious

It bears repeating: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Yes, sometimes you can find great deals, but make sure those deals are being offered by reputable sources. This is especially true for online vendors. If you are ordering a designer dress online for less than half the retail price, ask yourself how the vendor could offer you such a deal. If the dress is being sold by a woman who bought the dress for a wedding and never wore it, it could be a good deal. If someone supposedly runs a highly discounted online store, you may not be happy with the dress you get.

Get Insurance

The most effective way to protect yourself is by purchasing wedding insurance. For just a few hundred dollars, you could avoid losing thousands of dollars if a vendor decides not to show up. Talk to an insurance consultant to find what is covered.

The Basics of Wedding Insurance

Your wedding day is not only one of the most important events of your life, it’s also one of the most costly. Wedding insurance offers protection against unforeseen circumstances that could postpone your wedding day or add a major snafu. Before you decide whether or not wedding insurance is right for you, here’s an overview of what it is:

Wedding insurance protects you from circumstances out of control, including everything from a freak blizzard to a destroyed wedding gown. If your wedding needs to be postponed due to a natural disaster, illness, military duty, or injury, wedding insurance will cover the money that you’ve lost for everything from cakes and caterers to flowers and invitations. If a disaster threatens a component of your wedding day—such as a ruined tuxedo, stolen gifts, or lost video footage—wedding insurance will cover the cost to have them replaced. It also covers your expenses if a vendor doesn’t show up, a site is unusable, or a vendor goes out of business and needs to be replaced.

Wedding insurance ranges in cost, depending on the amount of coverage you want or need. A basic policy that covers wedding essentials, such as photos, video, attire, gifts, rings, and deposits, can range from $155 to $550. However, many vendors and sites carry their own insurance. Be sure to ask about their policy and what it includes before purchasing a policy of your own.