Wedding Insurance Claims

We all know how important it is to make sure that you take out adequate wedding insurance to protect your big day. With the average cost of a UK wedding being over £20,000, you'd be daft not to.

Here we look at some of the scenarios that are most likely to lead to a claim as well as some of the less common ones.

The Top 10 Wedding Insurance Claims

Specialist insurer Voyager has published their top ten reasons for couples claiming on their Dreamsaver wedding insurance policies.

In the past, the more common claims tended to be for damage to bridal or wedding attire but in today's uncertain economic climate, claims relating to bankruptcy of suppliers top the list. In fact, bankruptcy claims now feature in the top four spots!

It's interesting to see claims for "adverse weather" making the list and this is probably as a result of the severe snow that affected much of the country last winter.

The top 10 list, which is based on the actual number of claims rather than the total value of the claims, is as follows:

1. Bankruptcy/liquidation of dress supplier
2. Bankruptcy/liquidation of caterers
3. Bankruptcy/liquidation of venue
4. Bankruptcy/liquidation of other wedding suppliers
5. Loss of wedding photography
6. Damage to bridal attire
7. Adverse weather preventing majority of guests and couple reaching the venue
8. Death/injury of family member
9. Death/Injury of bride or groom
10. Marquee damage

Jonathan Buttery, director at Voyager commented:

"The list of most common reasons why wedding claims are made very much reflects the economic times we are in. This explains why wedding insurance has a higher profile and more couples are opting to purchase it in order to financially protect their big day."

"While bankruptcy of suppliers is highly unlikely to disrupt a royal wedding, everyone else planning theirs should carefully check policy wordings, as cheaper policies will not cover claims for financial failure of suppliers, rings or wedding attire among other things."

With many wedding insurance policies valid for up to two years before the big day, couples thinking about taking out cover should do so as soon as they can. This makes sure that any deposits are covered under the terms of the policy as soon as they have been paid.

Unusual Wedding Insurance Claims

After locking their underwriters in a room for a few days to sift through the claims paperwork, Weddingplan published some of the more unusual wedding insurance claims that were seen in 2011.

Here are the scenarios they described:

The Unlicensed Venue

These days, it's not just Churches or Registry Offices that couples can get married in. Couples can tie the knot in a whole variety of locations, even on the beach! However, the law requires those venues to hold a proper licence in order to hold marriage ceremonies. In 2011, a number of couples found themselves having booked a venue that lost its licence before their big day. As a result of adequate wedding insurance and contracts between themselves and the venues, those couples were able to claim back some of the costs.

A Bureaucratic Nightmare

A wedding is about two things, the couple and their love for each other. But in order to get married, there are a number of formalities, such as the Registrar and the necessary legal paperwork. If there is a problem with either of them, it's possible that the wedding may not be able to go ahead. In 2011, a number of claims for rearrangement were as a result of problems with the Registrar or Officiant or an issue with the official wedding documents.

When Disaster Strikes - Twice!

Having picked her dream venue, one Bride couldn't believe her bad luck when she found out there was a problem and it was no longer fit for use. Imagine her disbelief when the same thing happened a second time and she found herself having to look for a third venue! A number of claims were received from couples who'd suffered a run of problems with their venues but again, so long as sufficient cover and contracts were in place, any associated costs incurred as a result of having to book a new venue would have been covered.

It's Snow Joke

Last winter, large parts of the UK saw significant snowfall. Whilst this was a minor inconvenience for many, just imagine what it would have been like if you were about to get married! Numerous cancellation claims were made on wedding insurance policies as couples found they and/or significant numbers of guests could not attend.

Broken Leg, Broken Dreams

Walking down the aisle on crutches is no dream for anyone! For one poor Bride, a broken leg meant having to cancel the wedding. Fortunately her dreams were put on ice rather than being completely shattered.

Most wedding insurance policies will cover you if you have to cancel or rearrange your wedding as a result of serious illness or injury. This can include broken legs, especially if an operation is needed.

A Short Trip Before The Honeymoon

Just imagine, you're walking down the aisle, your heel gets stuck and you trip, ripping the back of your dress in the process. It's every Bride's nightmare, but as damage to attire is not uncommon, those that had wedding insurance were most likely able to claim back the cost of repairs.

Bring The House Down

Last minute problems with the reception venue resulted in many couples having to cancel or rearrange their big day. One claim was received when a whole ceiling collapsed only days before the wedding was due to take place! If sufficient cover was in place, any rearrangement costs incurred would have been met.

A Blustery Start

The weather is something that simply cannot be controlled and for many couples, particularly those having their wedding outside in a marquee, it's something they keep a very close eye on as the big day approaches. High winds led to the damage of many hired marquees in 2011, but fortunately for those couples with adequate insurance and optional marquee cover added, they didn't 'take off' or 'set sail' on honeymoon significantly out of pocket.

Disco Inferno!

The dreams of many couples were shattered after a fire destroyed the barn of a popular country wedding venue. Luckily, some of the affected couples had taken out wedding insurance and it's likely that any costs incurred as a result of having to cancel or rearrange their big day would have been met.

Redundancy

Perhaps not so unusual given the current economic climate, a number of claims were made in 2011 as a result of redundancy. If, having been made redundant you choose to cancel your wedding, you may be able to submit a claim for any deposits that are lost as a result.

These are just a small selection of the issues that, according to the insurer, caused couples to claim on their Weddingplan insurance policies last year. While it's never nice to hear about wedding disasters, these scenarios do highlight just how important it is to have adequate protection in place, just in case the worst should happen.

Our comparison table lists a number of wedding insurance providers and can be sorted by both premium and level of cancellation cover. It's important to remember to read policy documents carefully to see exactly what is and isn't covered and compare policies on more than just price alone as cover does vary.

WeddingPlan is a trading name of UK General Insurance Ltd who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.