Guide To Wedding Insurance: Top ways you can have a stress-free celebration.

Expect the best, plan for the worst

With the average wedding or civil-partnership costing £20,000, with it rising to £30,000 after including stag/hen parties and the honeymoon, it’s definitely a good idea to insure your dream day. 

While wedding insurance can't stop disasters from happening, or guarantee it won’t rain on the big day, they can at least help with the financial cost of rearranging your wedding. A good proportion of this is just on wedding outfits, gifts and wedding rings. If you need to cancel the wedding altogether, you could lose a lot of money on the wedding venue, reception and catering.

So, hope for the best and plan for the worst. Wedding insurance can help you recoup some of the costs of your wedding if you need to cancel or postpone the date.

What type of wedding insurance do I need?

First of all, ask yourself whether you need specialist wedding insurance or if you can manage with cover that you may already have. 

Specialist insurance covers you against the cost of cancelling or rescheduling your wedding, as well as common things that could go wrong. However, there are various things it won’t cover, such as changing your mind or getting cold feet! You may also find your current insurance is enough to cover you ahead of your special day. We’ve put together a simple guide to help soon-to-be brides and grooms understand the different types of insurance they might need on their marriage journey!

Hen-do and honeymoon insurance

Even before the big day, it might be worth thinking about insurance, and with 33% of hens and 51% of stags choosing to go abroad for their last hurrah, there are a few things you might want to consider to make your trip as stress-free as possible. Obviously, people still travel after tying the knot and many choose to honeymoon abroad.

Having good travel insurance is the number one thing you can do to minimise any travel-related stress. If you get to the airport and your flight’s cancelled, with LV= travel insurance you’ll be able to claim back any money you lose on hotels as a result of the cancellation. So, although it may not end up being the hen, stag or honeymoon you expected - at least you’ll get your money back.

You may also choose to elope abroad - what could be more romantic than sun, sea and serene landscapes? If so, travel insurance is a must. For peace of mind and a stress-free day of celebration, our policies come with up to £10,000 cancellation cover if you have to cancel your trip, cut it short or cancel for a reason that wasn't your fault. Our insurance also covers lost luggage items - every bride’s worst nightmare is to lose their dress ahead of the big day.

Do you need to insure your engagement ring?

Although it may not be a romantic conversation to have, it’s worth knowing the value of your engagement ring to make sure you’ve got the right cover just in case it goes missing!

Wedding rings are often covered by your content insurance, but you may need to add it as a specified item on your personal possessions cover. Our contents insurance policies have a limit of £2,000 per item (the limit is £5,000 if you have a Home Plus policy), so any item worth more than this must be specified on your policy for it to be covered at home as well as out and about. Shock horror - if your wedding ring’s stolen, as long as it’s listed as a high value item, we’ll be able to cover you for a replacement.

You’ve said yes to the dress, now what?

Just like your engagement ring, your wedding dress will usually be covered under your contents insurance, but this depends on the cost of your dress. If you have accidental damage cover, your wedding dress may also be covered against spillages.

But contents insurance won’t cover you all the way to the altar. You’ll need personal possessions insurance to make sure your personal belongings are covered even when you're out and about.

If you’re having your dress made for you, you could think about having specific wedding insurance in case your designer goes out of business or doesn’t deliver the gown you wanted. Of course, no one plans for these things to happen but you may want to think about taking out specialist insurance just in case disaster strikes!

Wedding gifts

You’ve said I do and you’re spending the morning opening all the gifts your generous guests have given you. You’ve been given the perfect dinner set and the coffee machine you’ve been pining after, the last thing on your mind the day after your wedding is your home insurance.

The average wedding day guest spends £30 - £80 and family members or close friends tend to contribute between £50 - £100. With an average of 81 guests attending UK weddings in 2022, by our calculations you could be sitting on around £4,050 - £8,100 worth of gifts… so it’s worth making sure they’re insured.

Our contents insurance pays out when the items in your home, including your wedding gifts,  are lost or damaged as a result of fire, theft, flood and vandalism.

Here at LV=, we provide additional contents cover for special events like weddings at no extra cost. So, we can increase the amount of cover on your contents insurance by 10% for one month before and after your wedding, meaning you can rest assured that you’re covered should the worst happen. However, you may want to look into covering any high-value items you’ve received on a long-term basis and permanently updating your policy.

Credit card payments

Did you know? It can be a smart move to pay for your wedding with a credit card. If you use a credit card to pay for items for your wedding, you may be covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Essentially, it makes your credit card company equally responsible with the seller if something goes wrong with your purchase. 

When you order something that costs between £100 and £30,000 with your credit card, and the retailer goes bust, you can often claim your money back from the credit card provider. Meaning you can get your money back if something goes wrong. A handy thing to know!

You’re married…Now what?

Congratulations you’ve tied the knot! With marriage comes a new chapter and a fresh set of rules for your joint financial journey. It's wise to revisit your life insurance and protection policies, as your rights to property, savings, and combined assets could change – consider exploring joint life insurance for an added layer of mutual security.

It’s also a good time to update or create your will. Worth noting that remarriage automatically revokes any previous wills, making this step essential, particularly for those blending families. Make sure your wishes and the future of your loved ones are clearly outlined and protected. 

Now, with all this in mind, you should be all set to get hitched - without a hitch!