Best Wedding Insurance Companies

Planning a wedding can be stressful, so when your big day arrives, you want to enjoy it. Even if you spend a lot of time preparing for the unexpected, certain circumstances can be beyond your control.

Wedding insurance can help you cover expenses and recoup some of the thousands of dollars you fork out for your wedding. Wedding insurance is special event insurance that can help pay for unexpected financial losses related to your big day. This can include cancellations, illness, damage to property, injury to guests, postponements, liquor liability and more.

When you weigh the cost of wedding insurance versus all the calamities it covers, it can be an excellent investment for your peace of mind. Here are some of the best options for insuring your big day so you and your significant other can relax and enjoy the event with friends and family.

The Best Wedding Insurance Companies

If you’re shopping around for wedding insurance, you will find many options with a variety of coverage. To give you a head start, we’ve narrowed down the choices and included what makes each one stand out.

Allstate

Allstate offers two options for your big day: event cancellation coverage and event liability coverage.

Event cancellation insurance can help you pay for lost deposits or nonrefundable items if you have to reschedule or cancel the wedding due to serious illness, deployment or severe weather. It may help reimburse you for honeymoon costs if the event is canceled or postponed.

Event liability insurance can cover costs associated with injuries or damage to property. For example, if one of your wedding guests makes a hole in the wall of the reception venue or if the DJ sprains his ankle coming off the stage, the insurance may cover the resulting bills. Most coverage lasts only 24 to 48 hours after the reception is over (always read the fine print!).

If you have other insurance through Allstate, such as auto or homeowners, you may be able to bundle your policies and save on the premiums.

Progressive

Progressive offers wedding and special event insurance coverage through The Event Helper starting at $66. They say the policy will meet the insurance requirements for 99% of all venues. You’ll also get a nice 5% discount for purchasing your policy through Progressive.

You can customize the coverage based on individual needs. Progressive offers wedding & event liability insurance, wedding cancellation insurance and special coverage.

Liability coverage is standard and covers injuries to guests and property damage. Wedding cancellation coverage must be purchased at least 20 days before your event, and covers non-refundable expenses in case you have to cancel your wedding.

Special coverage can insure your wedding dress, tuxedos, photographs, gifts and more.

EventHelper

EventHelper has been in the business of offering event insurance since 2009. The company’s policies are issued by Evanston Insurance and Lloyds of London. EventHelper offers event and vendor insurance besides wedding insurance.

The insurer does not offer more than $3 million in aggregate coverage for most events and can cover events with up to 5,000 guests. Policies offer host liquor liability and the option to include multiple venues (such as a church and a reception hall) in the basic policy.

EventHelper asserts that their insurance fits 99.95% of venue requirements, and if it doesn’t, they will refund your entire policy. You can also cancel your policy until the start date of your policy period. Refunds will be subjected to the terms and conditions of your policy.

Policies start at $66.35 but you will need to fill out the online form to get a quote that fits your needs. The application process is quick and easy and takes only a few minutes. The entire process is paperless, including payments.

Customer service representatives are ready to help Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Markel

Markel offers wedding liability insurance that covers non-refundable deposits, lost or stolen gifts, cancellation costs, injuries and damage during your wedding. This can help you offset costs associated with a cancellation or postponement because of things out of your control, such as extreme weather.

Even if you plan to hold your wedding at a home rather than a venue, you may still need additional coverage. Many homeowners policies only offer wedding liability if the event is held at the home of the bride or groom. They also do not include cancellations.

You can purchase a Markel policy up to one day before the date of your event. The policy can cover the ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner and event set-up and removal. Event cancellation can be added to your liability policy at an additional cost.

Markel wedding liability insurance can range from $75 to $235 based on coverage options and limits. Liability limits start at $500,000 and offer an optional liquor liability. Wedding cancellation insurance starts at $130 and is based on your overall wedding budget.

Travelers Wedding Insurance

Some wedding insurance companies only cover U.S.-based weddings. If you’re considering a destination ceremony, Travelers Wedding Insurance may offer the coverage you need for peace of mind.

Destination wedding coverage extends to all U.S. states and territories, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the Caribbean islands (excluding Cuba and Haiti). It also covers cruise ships leaving port from any of these locations.

There is no additional cost for insuring weddings outside the U.S. Travelers Wedding Insurance policies cover cancellations, postponements, wedding videos and photos, wedding gifts, special attire and jewelry, lost deposits and additional wedding expenses.

Optional wedding policies include wedding liability insurance and liquor liability coverage. Both can be purchased at an extra cost.

Wedsure

Wedsure offers wedding liability coverage backed by A+ rated Allianz, the second-biggest insurance carrier in the world. You can get liability coverage of up to $5 million for your event with rates starting at $125.

The company claims that its liability policy matches 99.9% of event site requirements and includes free host liquor liability. You can purchase coverage as early as two years before your wedding date and as late as the night before the first wedding event.

Wedsure also offers wedding cancellation insurance that covers non-refundable expenses incurred during the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, wedding or private event, or reception. The policy covers wedding cancellation or postponement because of injury, illness, extreme weather, missing caterers or wedding officiant, event facility bankruptcy and more.

You can also add optional coverage to your policy to include gifts, jewelry, photography and video, special attire, rented property, professional counseling, loss of deposits and weather insurance. This is also one of the few wedding insurance vendors that offer change of heart coverage in case the bride or groom gets cold feet.

If you’re planning a destination wedding, Wedsure can cover weddings in Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Property coverage is available for weddings in Australia, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Scotland, U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands and Wales.

WedSafe

WedSafe was established in 1999 by a couple who couldn’t find wedding insurance for their event. Policies are underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, a Fortune 100 company, and one of the largest insurance service organizations in the U.S. with a strong A+ rating from both A.M. Best Company and Standard & Poors.

Like other wedding insurance providers, WedSafe offers two main types of policies: wedding liability and wedding cancellation/postponement insurance. If you’d like a quote for either one (or both) of these insurance products, you can get one via their website. When buying both liability and cancellation/postponement coverage, you can get up to a 15% discount for bundling.

Many wedding venues require wedding liability insurance, which protects you if you’re held liable for injuries or property damage during your event. WedSafes policy also offers host liquor liability, which protects against alcohol-related accidents. WedSafes wedding cancellation/postponement policy covers your losses and expenses if your wedding is canceled or postponed because of severe weather, sudden illness, vendors who don’t show, or if you suffer damaged photos, attire or gifts.

Procrastinators will be happy to know you can purchase liability coverage until the day before your wedding. WedSafe makes it easy to send the certificate of insurance directly to your wedding venue, if required. The company also has a dedicated customer support team that can help answer questions regarding your event coverage.

Who Should Buy Wedding Insurance?

Weddings are expensive. According to a survey of 27,000 couples by the wedding website The Knot, the average wedding cost $33,900 in 2019. While that price tag includes the wedding ring, it doesn’t account for the honeymoon expenses.

With so much money on the line and the potential liabilities around hosting an event, wedding insurance can give you peace of mind. It’s a financial investment just like a home or a car, so it makes sense to protect it so you can focus on planning your dream wedding.

Here are typical risks covered by wedding insurance:

Damage to the facility caused by a guest or a vendor
Bodily injury to guests
Costs associated with accidents that occur during the rehearsal, wedding or reception
Severe weather
Sudden illness
Vendors who don’t show up
Damage to wedding attire
Lost or stolen gifts
Loss of deposits

Everyone hopes their wedding day will go off without a hitch, but that’s not always the case. Wedding insurance gives you comfort that if something happens, you have coverage in place to help you pay the associated costs.

Will Wedding Insurance Cover COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Cancellations?

Most wedding insurance companies have a disclaimer on their website that they will not cover cancellations or rescheduling of events related to coronavirus. In general, wedding insurance does not cover potential problems that you know about before buying a policy.

Since the pandemic is among the list of exclusions for most wedding insurers, you should not buy a policy if you plan to use it for coronavirus-related costs. However, there are many other potential problems from severe weather to wedding accidents where a policy can save you thousands of dollars.

How Much Does Wedding Insurance Typically Cost?

The cost of wedding insurance depends on several factors, including the location of your wedding and the size of your wedding.

Of the insurers on this list, EventHelper offers the lowest starting price with policies as low as $66.35. Markel wedding liability coverage can cost you between $75 and $235 with wedding cancellation policies starting at $130.

The best way to find out how much a policy will cost for your event is to get a quick online quote. Get a quote from several of the companies on our list and compare costs and coverage before deciding which one will fit your needs.

Bottom Line

When dreaming of your wedding day, severe weather or an injury to a guest are not what comes to mind. However, both can happen and end up costing you more than you expect. Just like a house or a car, weddings are an investment where insurance coverage can make sense.

Buying wedding insurance can let you focus on planning your wedding, knowing that you are covered in case something happens. Before deciding on a policy, get multiple quotes and compare insurance providers. Don’t forget to read the fine print, so there are no unpleasant surprises if you need to use your policy.

Have you purchased wedding insurance? Did you end up making a claim? Share your experience in the comments.