Wedding insurance
Wedding insurance protects you while planning one of the most important days of your life. Find out about cover for bad weather, supplier failure and illness on your wedding day.
What’s wedding insurance?
Wedding insurance is a type of event insurance that covers you for losses associated with problems and cancellations when you’re planning your wedding or civil partnership ceremony, such as the venue cancelling or caterers failing to deliver.
No one wants to think about something going wrong with their big day. But as well as being one of the most important days of your life, your wedding day will likely be one of the most expensive – which means there’s a lot of money at risk.
While wedding insurance won’t be able to make up for the disappointment if something does go awry, it can protect you from losing out financially.
We don’t compare wedding insurance - but here are some companies[1] offering quotes[2]
-
Assetsure provides insurance for your big day. Underwritten at Lloyd's of London, comprehensive cover is offered to protect your wedding plans, including cancellation, rearrangement, failure of suppliers and liabilities. Cover can start as soon as the premium is paid. Assetsure is open seven days a week to provide you with quotes and arrange insurance.
-
E&L is an experienced insurer that offers 80 years’ understanding of the industry. It provides comprehensive wedding insurance with eight levels of cover. A straightforward one-off payment could cover you for up to £50,000 on cancellations and expenses, as well as supplier deposits and personal accident.
-
The Insurance Emporium is a one-stop shop for insuring the things you love. With seven levels of wedding insurance cover available, they aim to help protect your big day and give you peace of mind with a simple one-off payment. Their diamond policy could cover cancellation costs of up to £50,000. Wedding rings, flowers and cake could also be covered up to £12,500, and much more.
£32,273 The cost of the average wedding
According to the Hitched 21st Century Bride Survey
What does wedding insurance cover?
Wedding insurance will cover loss or damage due to unforeseen circumstances, such as fire damage to the wedding dress or lost rings.
A wedding insurance policy should also cover you for:
- The venue cancelling
- A supplier letting you down
- Cancellation due to ‘key people’ (immediate family, bridesmaids, best man) not being able to make it for serious and unforseen circumstances like a death, illness or jury service
- Lost, stolen or damaged cake, rings or gifts
- Not receiving your wedding photos or videos
- Public liability cover and legal expenses
- Weather disruption
- Miscellaneous other expenses - marquees and even ceremonial swords protection
Policies won’t cover you if you cancel due to cold feet, financial difficulty, a pre-existing medical condition for you, the groom or anyone else in the wedding party, or something minor going wrong.
How to buy wedding insurance
If you’re using a wedding planner, they might offer you wedding insurance alongside their services, but it’s worth shopping around online to make sure you get the right cover for the best price.
There are some simple steps to follow when choosing and buying wedding insurance:
- Work out how much your wedding is going to cost
- Choose what level of cover you want - you might not need all the options available
- Shop around the find the best cover for the right price
Try some of our wedding insurance specialists to find cover that suits you.
Some department stores also offer wedding cover, or you might be able to get it through your home insurance policy.
Levels of wedding insurance
Wedding budgets come in all sizes, so it’s important to make sure you get the right level of cover.
Wedding insurers will usually have policies for several tiers of cover, so you can pick the right amount for what you’re spending.
Wedding costs can easily spiral, so make sure you’re not underinsured and contact your insurer to increase your level of cover if costs do go up higher than expected.
When to buy wedding insurance
Most wedding insurance policies allow you to take out cover up to two years before you’re planning on getting married.
It’s a good idea to get cover as early as possible, so you’ll be covered from the early planning stages right through to your big day.
You can also buy wedding insurance days before the ceremony, even if you’ve already paid out for the venue and other expenses – but you can’t then claim for something that’s already gone wrong or that you knew was going to happen.
How much is wedding insurance?
According to the Hitched 21st Century Bride Survey, the cost of the average wedding is £32,273.
The cost of your wedding insurance depends on factors such as:
- The cost of your wedding
- Whether you need any extra cover
- How likely it is that something might go wrong. For example, a winter wedding is more likely to be cancelled due to extreme weather.
Tips for cheaper wedding insurance
-
Lower the total cost of your wedding
Reduce the size of your guest list, make your own invitations and stock the bar yourself
-
Lower the amount of cover
Decreasing the amount of financial compensation you’d require for cancellation and failure of suppliers may result in a lower premium
-
Don’t add optional extras
Unless required, don’t add extras such as increased public liability cover, marquee cover or ceremonial swords cover
-
Have your wedding in the UK
Overseas wedding and reception cover will often incur extra charges
-
Shop around for quotes
Compare insurance from a number of providers to find the right deal at the right price
Alternative cover
If you don’t take out wedding insurance, you might still have some financial protection if things go wrong.
Your home insurance might cover some aspects of your wedding, such as your rings and gifts, so check your policy.
As long as you can afford the repayments, buying anything costing between £100 and £30,000 directly from the supplier with a credit card means you’re protected by the Consumer Credit Act.
If it’s not already covered under your wedding insurance, don’t forget to arrange your travel insurance for peace of mind over your honeymoon.
Home insurance guides and tools
[1]We do not offer a full comparison service on wedding insurance at Gocompare.com but instead have provided links to some companies that offer wedding insurance. These companies are not listed in an order that indicates that one is better than another but are instead ordered in line with our commercial arrangement with each one. Please remember, as different companies offer different policies, it is up to you to choose the one that best suits your needs
[2]Gocompare.com introduces you to Assetsure, E&L and The Insurance Emporium to provide learner driver insurance quotes. All providers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Gocompare.com's relationship with Assetsure, E&L and The Insurance Emporium is limited to that of a business partnership, no common ownership or control rights exist between us.