Wedding Disaster? Wedding Insurance May be the Answer!

By Beth Slagle, Esq. & Kirstin Kennedy

The arrival of warm weather, graduations and kids getting out of school also brings with it the biggest time of year to say “I do.” Couples all over the world are busy preparing for the vows, cake, and kissing.  Steeped in tradition, June happens to be one of the biggest wedding months out of the year, perhaps because of nice weather and school breaks, but some suggest that June celebrations are actually rooted in ancient Roman religion and practicalities.

According to Leslie Anne Graham, author of WeddingTrix.com, June weddings trace their roots to ancient Rome “when couples would marry in June in observance of Juno, the goddess of marriage”. It was thought that the goddess would give her blessing to the wedded union.

Whatever the reason for the abundance of June weddings, we know one thing for certain – weddings are big business. Feeding on the unbridled spirit of the soon to be wedded bride and groom, wedding planners, photographers, bakers, stylists, caterers, dj’s, and florists (to name just a few), are all plying for a piece of the bridal action. It’s big business at its best.

As a “singleton”, attending weddings is rather simple, the biggest preparation being what dress to wear and how to keep frizzy hair tame during the inevitably muggy ceremonies. That’s manageable. But for the soon to be brides and bridesmaids, hair is only one of the thousands of bullet points on the to-do list of planning a wedding.  My wonderful friend Kate, who is planning her late-June wedding, has turned into a less-than wonderful ball of nerves.  Between looking for new housing with her fiancé, to keeping up with her professional life, Kate has to pick out flowers, choose silverware, and worry about bickering bridesmaids.  With little time to spend with her fiancé now, she cannot wait to walk down the aisle and start her life as a married woman.  She, however, has one looming fear: what if something goes wrong?

And something inevitably will.  Doesn’t it always?  At any given reception, there will be a food malfunction, a broken glass, or a missed table setting.  Typically, the bride doesn’t have to be bothered by these things, and most mishaps aren’t even noticeable to the guests, with such small matters being handled by the staff at the reception.  But sometimes, things get worse.  Flower girls fall and break their ankles; second cousins imbibing one too many tequila shots and karaoke to “Every Body Wang Chung Tonight;” co-workers taking the reception as a time to confront one another about vengeful gossip. I attended a wedding last summer where the DJ publicly got into a verbal smack-down with the manager of the reception hall. Can you say “awkward?” It set an uncomfortable tone for the rest of the evening. I’ve heard of everything from the wedding dress not being ready, to the community hall burning down, to the DJ not showing up, and the photographer having a camera glitch, resulting in zero photos. The possibilities are, unfortunately, endless. And they happen.

With the average cost of a wedding being in the neighborhood of $30,000, that’s a significant chunk of change to invest for one day of wedded bliss without some reassurance that if something goes horribly wrong, that the money’s not gone for good.  Says Cathy Mullin and Kathy Puchy, of Liberty Insurance Agency, “Most of us would not buy a new car costing the same amount without insuring it against damage. Why should your wedding day be any different?” “Wedding insurance is exactly what it sounds like – an insurance policy that covers your wedding and financially protects you against mishaps,” informs Ms. Mullin. Also, wedding insurance policies are relatively inexpensive with a basic policy costing several hundred dollars.

Obviously, purchasing wedding insurance is another item to add to the bottom line of an already overstretched budget. Some brides (and more likely, parents who are footing the bill) opt for the investment, and some do not. But is it worth it? Obviously, you HAVE to read the fine print, as insurance policies are filled with exclusions that reduce the amount of coverage you get, but reviewing a few wedding policies reveals some of the “misfortunes” covered which include:

• Weather: If your celebration has to be rescheduled because of weather related issues (think typhoon, hurricane, tornado), your policy should cover the cost of rescheduling.
• Essential People: If a vendor (think DJ or caterer), or your minister is a no-show, you’ll recover some of your costs, and potentially the cost of rescheduling.
• Location: If there is damage to the reception or church site (think fire, water, electrical or mechanical problems), or if the reception hall went belly up and closed its doors, you’ll likely be able to recoup costs.

And what isn’t likely to be covered by wedding insurance? Here’s a few:

• Cold Feet: A change of heart – sorry – you’re out of luck, on both counts (no hubby; no insurance).
• Jewelry: The loss or theft of jewelry is likely not covered.

Couples can also take out supplemental policies to insure against damages incurred by other wedding-related items such as photography, videography, and lost or stolen gifts.

Just like we cover our homes, our computers and our cell phones, we can now cover our wedding.  Remember — every insurance policy differs, so be sure to talk to your insurance agent, and have her explain what the policy covers and, even more importantly, what it doesn’t cover. And . . . have a wonderful wedding!

Beth Slagle , Attorney at Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, wannabe and sometimes entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of BizChicks.

Kirstin Kennedy, an undergraduate English major at the University of Pittsburgh, is an A&E staff writer for the Pitt News and the business coordinator for the Pitt Writers Club.