Wedding Insurance is a grey area for many people. Consumer expert Tina Leonard tells RTE1's Four Live what it is, how much it costs, what it covers and what it doesn't cover.
Wedding Insurance is a grey area for many people. Consumer expert Tina Leonard tells RTE1's Four Live what it is, how much it costs, what it covers and what it doesn't cover.
It's the biggest and most exciting day of your life, and in Ireland the average cost is €17,000. I'm talking about your wedding day and Irish couples spend approximately €1billion a year on weddings.
No wonder then that the insurance industry is promoting and selling wedding insurance policies to happy couples looking for peace of mind.
The costs
As with all insurance policies the price of premiums vary, and are often linked to the cost of your wedding.
Prices can range from €49 to €89 (covering up to €5,000) and up to €149.99 for cover up to €40,000 or €199 covering up to €16,000, so it definitely pays to shop around.
What you are covered for
Cancellation, clothes, gifts, rings, flowers and cakes, photography, transport, legal expertise, additional public liability; personal accident.
There will always be an excess - often €35 or €50, which you have to pay before you make any claim, so check what that is first.
What you cannot claim for
As with every insurance policy, when shopping around the first thing you should look at re the exclusions, or what you're not covered for.
Each policy is different but some things that you may not be able to claim for or need to double check are:
The policy only kicks in from the date of purchase, so if you are looking to claim for something purchased before then you won't be able to.
Cancellation due to industrial dispute, pregnancy or childbirth, redundancy in some instances, opting out of the wedding are often not covered.
If you cancel due to a pre-existing illness or death and haven't declared that in advance, or even if you had hazardous activities planned and didn't declare them.
Check for what you can claim for photos - some policies stipulate that you can only claim if more than 75% of what was commissioned wasn't provided.
You won't be covered for theft if you were negligent or if items were stolen from a visible place, i.e. on view in a locked car, or if you haven't reported it to the gardai, or even if after a break-in there are no visible signs of forcible entry.
The failure of a supplier might not be covered if money is recoverable from another source.
For some cover you may have to claim within 48 hours, so that is worth checking too.
These are some of the key questions to ask
If I don't have wedding insurance can I claim elsewhere?
If the venue has cancelled you are entitled to a refund.
If the venue or any business closes down, you can claim a charge-back if you've paid on a credit card or Visa debit card.
If anything is stolen or damaged in your home, you may be able to claim on your home insurance.
If a supplier lets you down or doesn't do the job properly your consumer rights entitle you to redress.
Some wedding insurance policies include honeymoon insurance, but if you already have travel insurance this will already we covered.
Any accidents in a venue will be covered by the venue's public liability insurance.
More information
