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Jonathan Borba

The Essential Guide to Wedding Insurance


Alison Hargreaves
Alison Hargreaves Updated:
2nd of January 2024

For many couples, protecting their wedding investments has never been more important. Insuring your wedding is the easiest way to do this and post-pandemic, wedding insurers have started selling their policies again.

So, if you are considering wedding insurance, here are the most common FAQs answered for you.

What is wedding insurance?

Wedding insurance provides you with security and peace of mind in the unlikely event anything goes wrong in the lead up to or on your wedding day. Essentially, if you have to cancel your big day because something unexpected happened, such as a pipe bursting or a fire at the venue resulting in the wedding not being able to take place, then your insurance would cover your losses. It also covers smaller eventualities such as the theft of wedding gifts on the day or the failure of individual suppliers.

Couple laughing together on wedding day
Devon Divine

Do I really need wedding insurance?

Wedding insurance is totally optional and whether you feel you need it will depend on your circumstances. However, with the average wedding in the UK costing around £18,500 you will want to weigh up whether you can afford not to protect your wedding investments. You wouldn't spend that much on a holiday and not get travel insurance, so it's worth seriously considering insuring your wedding as you go through the planning process.

When should I get wedding insurance?

As a rule of thumb, we suggest investigating wedding insurance options as soon as you start paying deposits on your wedding venue and suppliers. For most couples, this is around 18-24 months prior to the wedding taking place. However, you can get wedding insurance closer to the day as well, so as long as you are within a couple of months of the wedding taking place, most insurers will provide you with cover.

It is worth being organised when it comes to getting a policy, as while wedding insurers will allow policy purchases 2 years out from your wedding, many have a cut off point as the big day gets closer. Generally, this is 1 month prior to the wedding taking place. Best practice is to check the small print to make sure your policy will be valid before you make your purchase.

Inter-abled couple wearing bright colourful wedding attire about to kiss on wedding day
Ellie Cooper

How much is a wedding insurance policy?

You'll be happy to know that wedding insurance is a very nominal cost in comparison to how much you'll be spending on your day as a whole. The cost of a policy will depend on the level of cover you need with the majority of insurance companies starting their prices at the £50 mark.

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From the experts

According to recent industry research, the average couples spends around £18,400 on their wedding. I looked at several wedding insurers and found that costs to insure a wedding of this budget ranged from £110 - £165 depending on the policy and insurer. That's less than 1% of the cost of the wedding.
Nikita Thorne Guides for Brides
Nikita Thorne, Wedding Planning Expert and Newlywed

Remember, depending on your circumstances you may need additional cover for specific elements of your wedding. For example, many insurers offer additional cover for the use of ceremonial swords, additional public liability cover or marquees. We recommend reading up on the additional extras and what they cover before adding them to your policy.

We find that reserving 1% of your wedding budget for wedding insurance suits the majority of couples. Most insurance policies tend to fall below this figure, but it gives you an indication of what it may cost you if you do not require the additional extras.

How do I work out how much cover I will need?

In order to identify the level of cover you need for your wedding, you'll need to know how much you plan to spend on your wedding as a whole. By the time you have paid your wedding venue deposit, you should know the budget you are working towards.

Essentially, you will need to get cancellation cover up to your total wedding budget amount so that you can be compensated in the unlikely event that your wedding day has to be called off entirely.

Bride with her bridesmaids on wedding day
Guy Basabose

What can I expect my policy to cover?

Your wedding insurance policy will cover a number of key things. Here is a list of what policies will generally give you financial protection for:

  • Venue cancellation or financial failure - The cancellation of your wedding due to the venue cancelling your booking, going bust or closing due to an unexpected event such as flood or fire that would mean they can no longer honour your booking.
  • Cancellation of your wedding for an unavoidable and unexpected reason - Insurers will generally cover cancellation of your wedding if something unavoidable prevents it from going ahead. For example, if there is extreme weather that prevents 50% or more of your guests attending. You'll be able to find exactly what this covers within your insurance documentation.
  • Cancellation in the event of illness, injury or death - If you or someone close to you (i.e. your mum or your maid of honour) gets sick, seriously injured or passes away before your wedding, many insurers will cover you for cancellation of the event.
  • Personal liability - In the event a third party property gets damaged or third-party is injured and you or your partner are legally liable, you should be covered.
  • Wedding supplier failures or no-shows - In the event that one of your wedding suppliers fail to turn up to work on your wedding day, go into liquidation or administration prior to the event or deliver damaged goods on the day (i.e. your wedding cake arrives damaged), you may be able to claim for compensation. You'll want to check the types of suppliers that are covered within your individual policy, but most will cover transport, cakes, hair and make-up suppliers and florists.
  • Photographer or videographer failure - if your photographer or videographer doesn't turn up on the day or if there is a problem processing the images / video, then you may be able to claim compensation.
  • Wedding outfits - you may be financially covered by your insurance if your wedding dress or other ceremonial attire arrive damaged or get stolen.
  • Wedding gifts - many insurers cover your wedding gifts on the day so if they get lost, stolen or damaged you may be able to claim on your policy.

Obviously, each wedding insurance policy is different and will have various different requirements that need to be met before a claim can be made. We always advise couples to read their policy documents and any small print prior to making a purchase; many insurers will have a page on their website that shows example documents so that you can be fully informed before making a purchase.

Is my honeymoon covered?

As wedding insurance is designed to cover your wedding (wedding ceremony and reception), it will not cover your honeymoon as well. This is usually covered by a separate travel insurance policy.

Couple on their honeymoon
Darren Lawrence

Is my destination wedding covered?

A standard wedding insurance package is unlikely to cover a wedding abroad. Usually, this is an additional extension to your policy. However, lots of insurers only provide cover for UK weddings so it's best not to assume you will be covered for a wedding overseas. Speak to your insurance company if you are unsure as to whether their policy covers a destination wedding.

Please note that due to the various travel restrictions that are still in place around the world, it may be a little tricky to find an insurance company that will cover your destination wedding at the moment. However, a small number of insurers are now offering cover for destination weddings.

Are multi-day weddings covered by insurers?

If you are having multiple wedding events then it is unlikely one insurance policy will cover all of the events. A policy will (generally) cover 1 ceremony and 1 reception event. Of course, this will depend on the insurer, so it's worth doing your research.

Some insurers such as Wedinsure allow couples to purchase more than one insurance plan in this instance. So, if you are having a civil ceremony and reception and then a big faith wedding ceremony and party on a different day, you would need 2 insurance policies - one to cover the civil wedding day and the other to cover your cultural wedding celebrations. If something goes wrong on one event, you must then claim on that particular insurance policy. It cannot be claimed on both.

Bride walking into her asian wedding ceremony
Raj Rana

What additional extensions are available to add to my wedding insurance policy?

While you are covered for lots of things in your standard policy, you may need additional policy extensions to cover specific wedding elements. These will generally be an optional, additional charge as they are not included in the main policy. Additional extensions may include:

  • Marquee cover - If anything happens to the marquee you have hired for your wedding during the time you are hiring it (i.e. loss, theft or damage).
  • Public liability insurance - Covers you if one of your guests causes damage to a third-party item or injury to a third-party that you could be legally liable for.
  • Ceremonial sword cover - If you are hiring ceremonial swords they are covered for loss, damage or theft during the hire period.
  • Cover for Covid-19 cancellation - Some insurers offer extensions to cover cancellation of your event due to Covid-19.
  • Destination wedding insurance - Covering a wedding that is taking place outside of the UK.
  • Excess waivers - Remove the excess charges if you need to make a claim.

As with your main policy, it is always important to make sure you understand exactly what you are covered for before you purchase an extension to your policy.

If I buy more than one insurance policy does it increase the value of the cover?

No, in our experience, a cover amount cannot be increased by purchasing more than one insurance policy. The best thing to do is try to find a wedding insurer that covers the amount you need. The highest cover figure we've seen post-covid has been for a wedding of £80,000. So, there are options out there for couples with big budgets!

wedding flowers held by bride
Julia Solonina

Will I be insured if I cancel my wedding because I change my mind?

Most policies don't cover "dis-inclination of the bride or groom". This means that you're not covered if you get cold feet and choose not to get married or call off your engagement. However, if the venue cancels, or a supplier fails to deliver, you should be covered.

Will my wedding insurance policy cover Covid?

In general, cover for cancellation or postponement of your wedding due to coronavirus depends upon the insurer you have chosen to go with. Since restrictions were lifted in July 2021, Covid-19 has not impacted weddings in the way it did during the height of the pandemic. During that period, many insurers stopped offering cover all together, while others adapted their policies to support couples.

Today, some insurers are offering Covid cover within their standard policies, others are offering coronavirus cover as an additional extension to the policy, while others are not covering it at all. If you are nervous about how covid will affect your day and whether you will be covered, contact your insurer and speak to an agent.

Couple popping confetti on wedding day
Devi Firdaus

How do I make a claim on my wedding insurance?

It's usually very easy to get in touch with your insurer and make a claim as long as you have all the necessary evidence and paperwork. In the first instance, you'll need to get in touch with your insurer by phone or through an online form. You may then need to provide further information or evidence depending on what the claim is for. The evidence they may ask you send includes (but is not limited to) the following:

  • Receipts or invoices proving a purchase
  • Copies of contracts or written agreements with suppliers or your venue
  • Proof of purchase or booking dates
  • Bank or credit card statements
  • Medical reports from a doctor or relevant medical professional
  • Crime reference number in the event of theft
  • Proof from an expert that an item is damaged beyond repair.

Our recommendation is to be prepared for all eventualities by ensuring you have written agreements with your wedding suppliers (ideally contracts) and keep all proof of payments. Make sure you take photos of any printed receipts so that you have back-up digital copies.

If you are claiming due to damage, you will want to ensure you have photographic evidence of this to back-up your claim. Your insurer may also ask to inspect any items that have been damaged, so make sure you keep hold of them if you can.

Once you have returned all the necessary evidence, the team at the insurance company will validate your claim and give you a decision on whether you will be compensated.

How can I prevent the need to make a wedding insurance claim?

There are a number of ways you can lower your risk of needing to claim on your wedding insurance. We recommend the following:

  • Do your research to ensure the suppliers or venue(s) you are choosing are reputable. You can do this by reading reviews, having conversations with them, checking they have the necessary insurance to run their business (etc). In short, you want to feel confident they are running a legitimate and responsible business which lessens the risk of needing to claim.
  • Keep in touch with your suppliers. Making sure you are on the same page and that everything is running smoothly is a very good way of making sure things are going as planned and lessens the risk of unexpected issues prior to the wedding.
  • Be clear on the back-up plan. A reputable wedding supplier will have a plan B in place in case of illness or supply chain issue. Be clear on what that is before you book.
  • Use a credit card to pay deposits (where possible). If the goods or services you are paying for are over £100 and under £30,000 it's a good idea to ask if you can pay the deposit by credit card as this will ensure you are protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. We are aware that this is not possible for every supplier, but it is worth asking!
  • Always be health and safety conscious. Always check your suppliers that are working at the venue on the day have the necessary public liability insurances and if anything is particularly high-risk (such as fireworks) you use a professional supplier.

Engaged couples hands with diamond engagement ring on display
Daria Kopylova

Wedding Insurance Providers in the UK

We partner with the following wedding insurance brands and we may earn a commission if you purchase through the links provided below. Please always read the small print of any policy you wish to take out to ensure you understand what you are covered for prior to purchase.

Wedinsure

Wedinsure provide financial protection to couples planning their weddings that covers you in the event something goes wrong on the lead up to or on your wedding day. They have 8 levels of cover insuring weddings from £5,000 to £50,000. Wedinsure's wedding insurance policies start from just £50, find out more and get a quote here.

Wedding Insurers who are not yet offering cover post-covid.

The wedding insurers mentioned below are not yet offering new policies to couples post-covid. For those that have an existing policy, we have included information about how they are supporting couples during postponements and rearrangements. We will update this when we know more.

Information was last checked in October 2022.

John Lewis Wedding Insurance - John Lewis is not currently taking any new policies. If you already have a policy, it remains in place and unchanged. We recommend reading John Lewis's FAQs on their wedding insurance if you have a policy in place as this was updated in February 2022.

Debenhams - Debenhams Wedding Insurance is not currently taking any new policies. If you already have a policy in place with them, please read their FAQs to understand more about their reaction to covid-19.

Ensuring you have everything set in place for a big day is so important so here are our top tips when it comes to making sure you're covered!

Please note: This article is designed to assist and inform readers and give a general answer or opinion to common FAQs we receive about wedding insurance. It is not designed to offer financial advice and every insurer will have different policies. We always recommend speaking directly with a professional provider if you have queries about their policies and reading wedding insurance policies thoroughly prior to purchase.

Alison Hargreaves

About the author


Alison Hargreaves

The ultimate wedding expert, Alison has been advising brides, grooms and bridesmaids for more than 25 years. If you are looking for legal, financial or insurance advice, Alison can use her expertise to assist you in your query.

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