The day has come: You have just spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars creating your dream day…you get to marry YOUR PERSON and nothing is going to stand between you and the alter (not to mention the dance floor)…or so you think…
Let me paint a picture for you –
It’s a beautiful summer day, the type from a movie – the birds are chirping and the sun is shining as bright as the fresh squeezed orange juice perfectly complimenting your avocado toast and yogurt parfait curated from the local farmers market. It’s 8am and all you can think of is dreamily floating down the aisle in your gorgeous dress with your favorite person looking adoringly back at you. Your Maid of Honor has compiled the best day-of wedding mix and the tunes are already pumping through the speaker. You’ve hired Northern Hospitality to assist in your wedding planning and opted for the Girl Code package – your “friend for hire” has everything under control – champagne is poured, juice choices available, and a beautifully executed charcuterie board for everyone to nibble on. Better yet, she has everything in order so there is no confusion when the hair and makeup artists come; you feel at ease and your bridal party gets to enjoy the day with you, because you have NoHo to do all the dirty work. PERFECT!
Fastforward to 4pm – you have arrived and you are minutes away from walking down the aisle. Yes, sky has gotten a little dark but according to your wedding assistant you are good to go – a few clouds can’t stop you now. That is, until Mother Nature literally shows up out of nowhere and she is not happy; the wind is whipping, people are running for cover, chairs are being lifted and thrown, the reception tent is now waterlogged, and the cocktail hour bar your caterer had set with pre-poured bubbly to welcome all 150 guests now looks like remnants from the Titanic. There is no sign of this storm stopping and your day is what we would call “a total loss.” It’s unfortunate, but it happens.
Some of you think, “this won’t happen”…until you talk to an insurance agent. Northern Hospitality had the pleasure of speaking with Kelly Gonyo, founder and president of Blue Line Insurance Agency, Inc. She has been in the business since 2001, seeing her fair share of misfortunes. Kelly knows a thing or two about events and how to cover your ass when planning your dream wedding.
What is event insurance?
Simply put – protection. If something goes wrong, though it isn’t ideal, you can breathe a little easier knowing you are protected. A wedding is an investment, and as the average cost of weddings rises, now up to $30,000, wedding insurance is needed more than ever. After all, you wouldn’t buy a new car that costs that much without insuring it against damage.
Why get event insurance?
Peace of mind. You have to prepare for the “what if’s.” I could go on and on, but here are some examples –
What if your reception venue goes out of business?
What if your caterer pulls out last minute?
What if your photographer is a no show?
What if your bridal shop goes out of business after you’ve made a deposit?
What if you have terrible weather the day of your outdoor wedding and you can’t get married?
What if we have a national shutdown due to a pandemic? (This is super relatable right now..)
For as little as $160 your wedding insurance policy can cover all of those “what if’s” plus some.
We have painted quite the grim ‘what if” picture; does insurance actually cover all of it?
• No dress – You can get repair or replacement cost if the bride’s wedding gown or groom’s tuxedo is lost or damaged.
• Lost deposits – We can reimburse your deposit if a vendor goes out of business, declares bankruptcy before your wedding, or simply fails to show up
• Lost rings – You can receive repair or replacement cost if the bride or groom’s wedding bands are lost or damaged.
• Severe weather – If severe weather (such as a hurricane) forces you to postpone your wedding, we can provide reimbursement for certain non-recoverable expenses.
• Reimbursement is available if a necessary and unavoidable cancellation or postponement of the event
occurs. Reimbursement is available for transportation, food, catering services, property and equipment rentals, hall and location rentals, and more.
• Ruined photos – If your photographer’s film is defective, or negatives are lost or damaged, we can help cover the cost to retake new photos.
• Call to duty – If the bride or groom is unexpectedly called up to active duty, or has her or his military service leave revoked, forcing you to postpone the event, we can provide reimbursement for non-recoverable expenses
• Damaged gifts – You can get repair or replacement cost if your wedding gifts are damaged
• Sudden illness – If the wedding needs to be postponed because sudden illness prevents the bride, groom or their parents from attending, you can receive reimbursement for certain non-recoverable expenses.
• Venue requires insurance – As an additional option to your policy, you can add liability coverage to protect yourself in case a guest is injured or causes damage to property.
• Liquor liability – As an individual liability option to your policy, you can add this coverage to protect yourself against liability arising from alcohol-related occurrences (subject to policy conditions and exclusions.)
• Additional expense – If a vendor suddenly becomes unavailable for your event but you can find a last-minute replacement, we can reimburse you for the difference in cost, up to 25 percent of the original contract price.
With everything going on in the world today (COVID-19, we’re looking at you…) would you have already had to have the wedding insurance policy in place, or can you still purchase the policy if your wedding or event is in summer/fall/winter 2020?
Although COVID-19 has the cancellation and postponement coverage on hold, you can still purchase liability insurance if your venue requires it. Anyone that had a policy in place for an event pre-COVID-19 will have the coverage.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
Get the insurance even if you think you don’t need it, even if your venue doesn’t require it. Not only do you need insurance to cover yourself, but make sure all the vendors you have chosen have insurance as well. This is what separates the amateurs from the professionals. That is one of the perks to hiring a wedding planner – they know what questions to ask. This is your investment with very little financial return; you are better safe than sorry and honestly, you just never know.
If you are interested in learning more about event insurance or want to purchase a policy to protect your wedding or event, you can contact Amy at Blue Line Insurance Agency – 518.523.4321
This material is for informational purposes only. All statements herein are subject to the provisions, exclusions and conditions of the applicable policy. For an actual description of all coverages, terms and conditions, refer to the insurance policy. Coverages are subject to individual insureds meeting our underwriting qualifications and to state availability.
