Your wedding day will likely be one of the most expensive days in your lifetime - no pressure! With so much at stake financially, it is extremely important that you protect your money with wedding insurance. An insurance policy will cover you for the need to reschedule or cancel your wedding, and for other factors that may go wrong. Sometimes, the issues won't be on your end. Your wedding venue, for example, could go into liquidation, or there could be a last minute problem with your cake maker.
Having wedding insurance will cover you in the lead up to your nuptials and on the big day itself, so the sooner you purchase it, the better. During the planning and execution of a wedding, you’ll need to lean on many people, and businesses, to pull things off – a venue, caterers, entertainers, your wedding party, a seamstress, cake decorator, and so much more. By ensuring you have protection early on, you rule out concerns around being out of pocket if anything goes amiss.
It’s important to keep receipts and notes of everything that you purchase, make written agreements with suppliers, and take out the policy as soon as possible – you can do this up to two years in advance. If you're getting married overseas, different policies may apply, so be sure to check out your terms and conditions, or look for destination wedding insurance specifically.
What does wedding insurance cover?
All wedding insurance policies differ, with some being a lot more comprehensive in what they cover, and others being a little more simplistic in their nature. For this reason, it's important that you pay close attention to the small print before making the choice of who you'll take a policy out with. If you have questions around a policy, talk to the insurance provider before signing up, to make sure that you are buying a policy that’s right for you. Like with most insurance policies, you will not be covered if you change your mind, or simply decide that you don’t like what you have ordered. Your honeymoon will also not be covered in your wedding insurance policy.
A typical wedding insurance policy may cover:
1. Illness, accident or death
This part of your insurance will include the betrothed couple, and, in some circumstances, extend to the couple's immediate family and wedding party. For instance, you may be covered if you, your best man, or mother-in-law is taken ill, has an accident or, in more rare circumstances, are called away for jury service or on military commitments. However, pre-existing medical conditions will likely not be covered.
2. Venue cancellation
![A newly married couple overlooking their historic wedding venue surrounds]()
A newly married couple wandering the idyllic grounds at The Manor House
This is perhaps the part of wedding insurance that most people take a policy out for. Your venue will probably be the most expensive part of your special day, and for that reason, you’re putting a lot of money and trust in another party. If your venue is to cancel because of financial difficulty, an unpredictable flood or the roof caving in, a fire, or another reason that prevents your venue from honouring your booking, you’ll be able to lean on venue cancellation cover.
3. Lost, stolen or damaged items
Your wedding rings (although you will need separate insurance for your engagement ring), flowers, outfits, gifts, and wedding cake should all be included in your coverage of lost, stolen or damaged items. These little extras and big ticket items make up a huge part of your celebration, and protecting them is key. There are lots of fine print details around this part of the policy that you may want to be mindful of. If you damage your wedding dress by running through a muddy puddle on the day of your wedding, or leave gifts unattended, you probably won’t be covered. There will also be a limit to the amount you can claim per item, and any rented items will have different terms.
4. Suppliers failing to come through
![Elegant catering and floral arrangements]()
Beautiful catering and floral arrangements at The Milestone Hotel & Residences
If your cake decorator fails to bring your cake on the day, your DJ cancels, or your florist shows up with damaged flowers, you may be covered under your wedding insurance policy. No two policies are the same, so be sure to read the fine print. But, one thing that tends to be a common theme is the need to have a written agreement in place with your suppliers, so that if anything goes wrong, your insurance provider will know exactly what was supposed to be delivered.
5. Extreme weather
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A happy bridal party making the most of less than ideal weather at Tudor Barn Eltham
Here in Britain, we’re no strangers to a storm or flood. Some wedding insurance policies will cover for extreme weather conditions – such as heavy snowfall or a bad flood, but not all. If 50% or more of your guests cannot attend the wedding due to these conditions, you may be entitled to use your cover.
6. Public liability insurance and legal action
It's unlikely that these accidents will happen, but if there is damage caused to a third party or the venue on the day of your wedding, you may need cover. It's very unlikely that you will be covered if the fault lies with a guest in attendance, but having personal liability insurance and cover for legal action means that you can rest easy knowing that you'll be covered in case of court action.
7. Photography issues
![A couple taking their first dance]()
A couple enjoying a picturesque first dance at Holmewood Hall
Capturing your special day in photos or on film is a huge part of the celebration, and will create memories that last a lifetime. If, by unfortunate circumstance, there is a fault with your photographer's equipment and you cannot be provided with your photos, you'll be covered with your wedding insurance. You may even be offered the chance to reshoot them – if that would work for you.
What does wedding insurance cost?
There’s no one answer to this question, as your wedding insurance premium will be based on the total cost of your wedding, among other factors, and these are unique to each couple. Typically, wedding insurance can cost anywhere from around £30 to £100. For such a small cost, when you’re spending so much on your big day, it’s a no brainer. Depending on your provider, you may have the option to add on extras, such as guest public liability cover, marquee cover, and ceremonial swords cover.
![The grounds and floral arrangements at Lainston House]()
The sweeping grounds and magnificent floral arrangements at Lainston House
Providers of wedding insurance
With the average wedding costing £23,700, you’ll probably spend under £100 on your wedding insurance policy, annually. Be mindful that if you are planning two years ahead, you’ll need to pay for a two year policy. Wedinsure offers insurance from £38.99 with 10 levels of available cover, while WedCover charges £95.50 for a £24,000 wedding.
Emerald Life offers up to £100,000 of cancellation cover for anywhere between £38.50 up to £410, with the option to add cover for overseas weddings. Insure My Day offers the option to add on cover for your honeymoon, amongst other things, and costs around £101.25 for £24,000 of cover.
Last but not least, we’ll mention Dream Saver, which offers international wedding cover and up to £5 million in public liability, and would cost around £85 a month for a package that covers an expenditure of £20,000.
Wedding insurance is just one of many costs to factor into your wedding budget – check out our wedding budget breakdown for a helpful guide to managing the other costs of your celebrations.