Wedding Planning & Wedding Insurance: The Perfect Partners
In addition to having items old, new, borrowed, and blue, one of the best ways to guarantee good luck on your wedding day is having a thorough wedding planning process. Whether you choose to oversee all the steps yourself or hire a wedding planner, starting early is always key, especially when it comes to time-sensitive items like booking your ideal venue before it’s no longer available and sending out save the dates and wedding invitations before your guests’ calendars begin to fill up.
As one of the most important events of your lifetime, your wedding should be a day you cherish and not be remembered as one of the most stressful occasions. But, by attending to details large and small — and avoiding setting unrealistic expectations — you can prevent wedding stress and unwanted mishaps.
If it sounds unmanageable, a wedding planner can be a key partner in your union. They help clients with a long checklist of items, like coming up with a budget (and sticking to it), determining the best vendors and handling all communication with them, coordinating transportation and accommodations for wedding guests, and executing all details (not to mention putting out any fires) on the big day.
According to The Knot, 37% of couples hired a planner for their weddings in 2023, an increase from years prior. Like any skilled task requiring experience and focused attention, the planning process can be a time when you’ll want to call in the experts.
But, as the saying goes, even the best-laid plans can often go awry. Even with the most thorough planning and detailed agendas, things inevitably happen. A pop-up hurricane may force the cancellation of your outdoor ceremony. Several people could trip on the dance floor and injure themselves. A liquor license may fall through and affect your cocktail hour. Or maybe the bride’s father missed his flight and the event is delayed to ensure that the important first dance can happen.
Whatever the situation, the only way to find true protection from wedding mistakes — big or small — is to secure wedding insurance before the day comes. For a nominal fee, having wedding liability and cancellation policies in place can mitigate any financial impact that may arise from situations that are no fault of your own, such as extreme weather, vendor no-shows, issues with the venue, illness or injury, or property damage. Even if the bride announced she has cold feet and a change of heart in moving forward, some wedding insurance policies will cover that, too. With such extensive coverage, here’s why it’s worth saying “I do” to this extra protection — and why BriteCo wedding insurance can come to the rescue for common wedding mistakes.
What You Will Learn
Vendor No-Shows or Subpar Services
Beyond you, your partner, family members, and guests, other important people are involved in your wedding day and planning process: the wedding vendors. This list often includes caterers, photographers, videographers, florists, makeup artists, DJs, and other providers, all of whom you count on to show up on time and provide exemplary service.
But, here, too, things can happen. Your makeup artist could come down with COVID, or maybe your DJ had the opportunity of a lifetime to appear at Lollapalooza and bailed. Wedding dress designers could face bankruptcy and shut down before your big day, or a florist could have double booked and run out of the type of flowers you requested in the bouquet or boutonniere.
Even if your wedding vendors show up without any issues, they may not provide the level of service you expected. For example, your caterer might have messed up your menu and served guests chicken when they asked for a vegetarian dish, or the wedding photos include a blurry image of your first kiss.
These hiccups happen often and can add to wedding stress — unless you know how to prevent and solve the problem.
- How to prevent these wedding day mishaps:
- Research and vet all vendors ahead of time. Check their websites for testimonials, look at sites like Reddit and Google Business pages for customer ratings, and check official social media pages for a healthy following and good customer engagement.
- Always request detailed and itemized contracts outlining expectations, deadlines, and responsibilities. Be sure each contract lists contingency plans in case of the unexpected.
- Communicate regularly with the vendors, with monthly or more frequent updates, to see the progress and know if there are any hurdles you can figure out together ahead of time.
- How BriteCo wedding insurance can help:
- Cancellation coverage protects you from any financial losses due to wedding vendorsthat don’t show up or provide unacceptable service.
- The policy includes reimbursement for any deposits or installment payments already made to your vendors, so you’re not out of the money you invested.
- BriteCo can also help with last-minute assistance, providing replacements for any wedding vendors that go out of business.
Extreme Weather Conditions
Mother Nature is often known to crash weddings, and her unexpected appearance can wreak havoc on events, especially if you have an outdoor ceremony planned. If you have an outdoor wedding planned between June and November in regions bordering the Atlantic Ocean (think Florida, North and South Carolina, and some parts of Texas), you are particularly at risk since that is the average length of hurricane season.
But it’s not just these parts of the country — or this time of year — that should be considered for possible weather events. If you have a winter wedding, snow and ice can be a factor. In the spring, summer, and fall, storms can pop up any day, any time, and they’re nearly impossible to plan around since wedding planning begins months or even years before the actual day arrives. If you have a destination wedding in mind, it’s even more imperative to have a contingency plan since you may not know the climate well and you’ll have to consider any guests that are traveling.
- How to prevent these wedding day mishaps:
- If you are planning an outdoor ceremony and/or reception, have a backup plan you can execute quickly if weather issues arise. See if your venue has an indoor alternative and specify in the contract that you can use it if needed.
- Monitor weather forecasts. Begin with a long-range look a week or two out to see if there’s any potential for a storm system. But, weather can drastically change, so keep an eye on weather patterns in the days leading up to your wedding, too, and plan accordingly.
- If you are planning a destination weddingin a particularly volatile weather area, perhaps schedule the event during a time of year with more predictable patterns, such as avoiding hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean basin.
- How BriteCo wedding insurance can help:
- BriteCo wedding insurance will cover any event cancellation or postponement due to unforeseen circumstances, such as severe weather.
A cancellation policy will also cover any additional expenses you face when putting backup plans into motion, so you can rest assured that you are protected no matter what happens.
Wedding Venue Issues
Here today, gone tomorrow. It can happen with venues, too. Even if you booked the rotunda of your favorite centuries-old art museum for your wedding day — a building that has been around since before you were born — there’s no guarantee that everything will go as planned.
What if the museum is the victim of a collapsed roof and has to shut down for months of repairs? Or, maybe you booked a newer loft space that goes out of business weeks before your ceremony and reception — what then? There are also some cases where a clerical error might have resulted in a double booking, and they can’t accommodate your wedding party and the family members of the other couple on the same day.
It sounds like a nightmare scenario, but being prepared can avoid this unnecessary wedding stress.
- How to prevent these wedding day mishaps:
- Confirm any venue bookings with clear, written agreements. Ensure there is a detailed fine print of contingency plans and what happens with any of these worst-case scenarios. Knowing this info beforehand is always better than dealing with it later.
- Visit the venue on multiple occasions before your wedding day arrives. During these on-site visits, meet with the venue staff to keep the line of communication alive and ask any questions that may have come up since your last time taking a tour.
- Have a backup plan, including a list of alternative venues, in case something happens with your first choice.
- How BriteCo wedding insurance can help:
- Cancellation coverage will protect you if you suffer financial losses due to venue-related issues, such as the property going out of business.
The BriteCo team will also help recoup any deposits or payments made to the venue before your event was affected.
Wedding Day Accidents and Injuries
Accidents happen — even on your wedding day. While everyone may have taken their vitamins, gotten plenty of sleep, and stayed healthy before the big day, unexpected situations can happen during the ceremony or reception that result in injuries.
Maybe Aunt Sue busts a move on the dance floor, falling on a slick spot and hurting her back. Or, during cocktail hour, a bartender might accidentally drop a crate of drinkware, and the glass pieces could cut family members. Whenever you have a large gathering and alcohol is involved, the probability of an incident increases. Hopefully, it just requires a first aid kit, but you never know.
Without proper insurance, you could face a precarious situation, paying out of pocket for medical bills or worse. In fact, most venues require couples to have liability insurance to lock in the event, so having a policy already in place saves you one more step in the wedding planning process.
- How to prevent these wedding day mishaps:
- When you tour venue sites, be sure to ask about their accident safeguards and safety policies. For example, does staff check the dance floor for rough terrain or gaps that could result in a fall? Do they have supplies for accidental cuts?
- You may want to consider hiring additional staff to help manage the event, especially if you’re booking with a more DIY-type venue that may not have a fully dedicated event team.
- Request that the venue mark any potential hazards before your family members arrive, such as putting out signage for wet floors.
- How BriteCo wedding insurance can help:
- BriteCo’s liability coverage covers qualified claims resulting from injuries on your wedding day, so you don’t have to worry about paying out of pocket.
The coverage also extends to any medical expenses related to injuries that guests experience so that you can have peace of mind you are not liable.
Bridal Party Illness or Injury
In a best-case scenario, everyone invited to your wedding day will be there and part of the special moment. But some people are just non-negotiable and must be present: the bride and groom, maid of honor, best man, the bride’s father and mother, the groom’s parents, and other essential family members.
If anyone in the bridal party falls ill or becomes injured during the ceremony or reception, it could derail the whole event. This is especially important in our post-pandemic world, where COVID is still an issue and could require canceling the entire event to prevent spreading the illness to vulnerable wedding guests.
But there are other “what ifs” to consider — what if one of the bridal party members has an allergic reaction to the main course during dinner service, or what if the bride’s mother accidentally trips while walking down the aisle and needs medical attention? Here, too, is where prevention tactics and a good wedding insurance policy can help.
- How to prevent these wedding day mishaps:
- Adhere to safety practices before your wedding day, and consider all possibilities. For example, if you don’t usually wear dressier shoes, try them out a few times before the event to ensure you are comfortable in them and won’t risk falling.
- Find out if thebridal party has any serious food allergies, and be sure that the caterer is aware of foods that should be avoided.
- Keep an eye on how much guests are drinking and cut family membersoff if needed to avoid any alcohol-related illness or injury.
- How BriteCo wedding insurance can help:
- BriteCo’s liability coverage covers qualified claims resulting from injuries on your wedding day, so you don’t have to worry about paying out of pocket.
BriteCo also includes specific COVID coverage in its liability policies, protecting you in case the event is canceled.
Wedding Venue Property Damage
While you want all guests to feel “at home” during your wedding day, some might take that invitation too far and damage the wedding venue or its property. Even if it’s something as innocent as spilling red wine on white tablecloths during the cocktail hour, you may still be liable if the materials can’t be salvaged.
If your tiered cake is hefty and you break a table during the cake-cutting part of the reception, you may also have to replace it. Or, if your wedding planner hangs some extra lighting or wall décor and ends up chipping paint or damaging the walls, that’s another scenario where you may be on the line to cover repair costs. As you can see, there are so many situations where minor damages can occur. If you can prevent them from happening and also have an insurance policy that covers repairs and replacements, you’ll be better off in the long run.
- How to prevent these wedding day mishaps:
- Consider hiring professionals experienced in event setup and teardown skilled in mitigating damage risks. Or, ensure your vendors are accredited and experienced in working with multiple venue setups.
- Work with your wedding planner to ensure all decoration is secure and carefully installed.
- Ensure wedding invitees know the rules and expectations when it comes to being not only your wedding guest but also a venue guest.
- How BriteCo wedding insurance can help:
- BriteCo liability insurance covers damages to property and rentals during the entirety of your wedding event, even the bridal suite and rehearsal dinner, and has a zero deductible policy if you need to make a claim.
- This protection extends to financial liability incurred for accidental damages, so you don’t have to worry about paying out of pocket to fix the situation.
Change of Heart
As sad as it may be, some couples do experience one or both members getting cold feet and having a change of heart before the wedding day. There are so many reasons this could happen, and it may have nothing to do with how much two people love each other.
Perhaps family members become very ill, and you or your partner have to refocus attention and reconfigure your wedding timeline. Or, maybe you or your partner get an unbelievable job offer across the country and need time to re-evaluate whether you can go through with the marriage.
If unexpected circumstances arise, you’ll want to know you are protected with cancellation coverage that can help recoup any financial investments you have made.
- How to prevent these wedding day mishaps:
- Have a heart-to-heart conversation with your partner about what you or they might do if these situations arise. If you can both get on the same page about your point of view, you’ll have an easier time dealing with unexpected changes together.
- Find an insurance policy like BriteCo that offers an exclusive “cancel for any reason” clause.
- How BriteCo wedding insurance can help:
- BriteCo wedding cancellation insurance is one of the few in the market that offers a “cancel for any reason” add-on that will cover up to 75% of wedding costs.
Suggested Reads:
What Wedding Insurance Do I Need?
How Much Does Wedding Insurance Cost
Wedding Planning FAQs
How soon should the wedding planning process begin?
It’s largely dependent on the date of your wedding. If you have a long engagement and your wedding day is three years away, you have some time before creating a detailed wedding timeline. However, if your big day is just six months away, you’ll want to start as soon as possible.
Do I really need a wedding planner?
A wedding planner can help you manage every step of your wedding checklist, such as finding the best vendors, creating a budget and helping you stick to it, and communicating with everyone on your behalf. But, it’s not a must to hire a wedding planner since you could, of course, handle all these responsibilities on your own — although, if it creates wedding stress to do so, you may want to have the extra help.
What’s the best way to plan for a destination wedding?
If you have a destination wedding in mind, you’ll want to do a good amount of research to ensure you know the locale’s ins and outs and can easily plan for the bridal party and family members to travel there. Another important factor to consider if you plan an outdoor ceremony is knowing the area’s traditional weather patterns and how to plan around them.
What if I have a change of heart about the wedding?
Hearts and minds can change, even when it comes to something as significant as your wedding day. There are many reasons why a couple may have cold feet, and having a wedding insurance policy can help you recover any money you have already invested. BriteCo wedding insurance is one of the few in the marketplace with the option to “cancel for any reason” and receive up to 75% of your money back.
Is wedding insurance essential to have?
Wedding insurance can give you extra peace of mind in case of the unexpected on your wedding day, such as having to cancel due to weather or illness, like COVID. It can also protect you against damage to the property or vendor no-shows. Many venues require couples to have liability insurance, so securing a policy ahead of time will save you an extra step.
Wedding Insurance Is An Essential Part of the Wedding Planning Process
“Expect the unexpected” is not just a saying; it’s a wise practice, especially when planning significant events like your wedding day. While you may have hired the best-rated wedding planner in the tri-state area and created the most detailed checklist and wedding timeline, there’s always the unpredictability factor to remember. Whether it’s severe weather, venue issues, or illness, so many situations are entirely out of your control.
It’s why a contingency plan and protection are essential to your wedding planning process. With so much money invested into the event, being financially recouped if something comes up is important. Wedding insurance can be a huge benefit, especially if you work with a partner like BriteCo that provides comprehensive coverage to safeguard you against financial losses from common wedding mishaps.
In addition to covering liability issues such as property damage and cancellations (even a change of heart), BriteCo policies also have zero deductibles, meaning you won’t have to pay upfront when filing a claim. If you’re beginning or in the middle of wedding planning and want extra peace of mind for your big day, get a BriteCo quote to see how little it costs to be protected.
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