According to the latest figures, 1.8 billion singles are planning on proposing to their loved ones this year, so there’s a lot of money being saved for future weddings. At an average of £18,000 per celebration – a huge sum of money to splash around – make sure you protect your wedding funds properly. In comparison to the spiralling costs of the ceremony itself insurance can be fairly cheap, so it could be worth spending that little bit extra for peace of mind.
- Find out why wedding insurance might be a good idea.
- How does it work?
- Check out our best buys.
- Shop around for the best wedding insurance using our comparison page.
- Check out our tips on how to afford and plan your wedding
Insurance may not be the first thing that springs to mind when planning your wedding but things can go wrong on your special day. It is a good idea to get some protection. Here are the top five reasons why couples claim on wedding insurance from one of the leading wedding insurers Ecclesiastical:
- Damage to clothing including wedding dress and jewellery
- Cancellation of the wedding
- Problems with the venue
- Problems with suppliers e.g. caterers
- Loss of, or damage to, photographs
Wedding insurance ensures that if any mishaps or unforeseen circumstances occur (except for the bridge or groom getting cold feet and running out on the day – God forbid!) you won’t have to lose money and see the whole wedding go down the drain.
As with most insurance policies, there are various levels of cover which increase in price depending on how much protection you want. All levels of cover tend to protect the same things i.e. cancellation and rearrangement fees, wedding attire, cake, gifts, photography/video, flowers and suppliers deposits.
It’s a good idea to sit down and work out exactly what you would like your insurance to cover then shop around to see what suits your needs. Here is a list of some of the major insurance providers and their cover policies:
- Four tiers of cover.
- Prices: £59 to £189.
- Unavoidable cancellation: They will pay up to £5,000 for the lowest tier and £17,500 for the highest tier.
- Rearrangement: They pay up to 75% of the cost of the original service.
- Four tiers of cover (Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Plus).
- Prices: £53 to £318.
- Unavoidable cancellation: They pay up to £9,000 for the lowest tier and up to £70,000 for the highest tier.
- Rearrangement: They pay up between £6,000 and £20,000 depending on the level of cover
- Buy Debenhams wedding insurance online now for a 10% discount.
- Five tiers of cover.
- Prices: £30 to £282.
- Unavoidable cancellation: They pay up to £5,000 for the lowest tier and up to £50,000 for the highest tier.
- Rearrangement: They pay up to 75% of the cost of the original service.
Greenbee (John Lewis Partnership)
- Twelve tiers of cover
- Prices: £46.34 to £355.22
- Unavoidable cancellation: They pay up to £5,000 for the lowest tier and up to £50,000 for the highest tier.
- Rearrangement: They pay up to 75% on the lowest tier and 60% on the others.
DON’T FORGET that for most claims, e.g. for damaged/stolen wedding gifts, flowers and photographs, you will have to pay an excess which means that you’ll have to pay a certain amount of money towards any claim. For example at Debenhams the Gold and Platinum tiers do not cover the first £25 and both Diamond tiers do not cover the first £50. Also do check the policy thoroughly for any other exclusions.
Obviously the bigger and more expensive your wedding is, the higher the level of cover you will need. The pricier cover levels will pay out more money if something goes wrong so it’s not worth buying an expensive policy that pays out more than you need it to. At the same time it may be better to spend a little extra on a higher cover level so that if anything unfortunate happens the insurance policy actually makes a difference when it comes to paying for any damage.
Best for basic cover:
Unlike most insurers Marks & Spencer DO NOT expect you to pay an excess so you will not have to put any money towards any claims. This is really fantastic, if for example your wedding gifts are lost or damaged, because with other policies you would have to pay towards each claim. They will pay for these presents for up to seven days prior to the wedding and 24 hours after the reception.
Best for weddings abroad:
Both Debenhams and Greenbee provide their insurance for a wedding abroad. However Marks & Spencer and Ecclesiastical only cover weddings in Great Britain, including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
Best for extensive cover:
Debenhams’ Diamond Platinum cover certainly isn’t cheap at £330 but it does pay up to £20,000 more for cancellation than Greenbee’s highest cover (level 12) which actually costs more at £355.22. However don’t forget that this isn’t good for a small, cheaper wedding.
Best for choice:
Greenbee have a massive 12 levels of cover compared to the measly four options from the other insurers we looked at. This may make it easier for you to find a level of cover to suit your budget and give you the protection you want.
Discounts and offers:
Make sure you check regularly for discounts and special offers. Debenhams currently have a 10% online discount. Also, if you create your wedding list with them, they will provide you with cover for those gifts for three months (one month before the wedding and two months after).
Other options
As long as you can afford to pay it off, use your credit card to pay your suppliers and ask your guests to buy their gifts on credit card, too. This will mean that as long as you’ve spent over £100 you will be able to claim back money from the credit card company.
Get protection for your wedding with your home insurance. Direct Line automatically increase their home insurance contents for special occasions so that any items for the big day, like your wedding dress, jewellery and gifts before and after the wedding, are protected in your house.
There are other home insurance providers who have similar policies to cover special occasions, like Christmas and weddings, so for more information see our article on home contents insurance and check our home insurance comparison table.
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You’ve got a great writing style, thanks for the post!
Really, any of the insurance companies we have mentioned should cover your dress. You may have to pay an extra premium as you are taking it abroad but you just need to tell the insurers and they will let you know what, if anything, you need to pay.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am currently looking into insuring a wedding dress.
The case is this: We will be travelling from the USA to Egypt, the wedding dress will be with us on the plane therefore we want to have the dress it self insured. Do you know who can provide insurance for such cases
Well…..I agree with most of the things you said. Anyway, thanks!