Stage collapses to flight delays: Why wedding insurance remains a hard sell

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Close to 4.6 million weddings are expected to be hosted by the end of the calendar year—and the wedding season is still only halfway through. These large-scale celebrations involve dozens of moving parts, from venues and vendors to guests and travel logistics, raising the risk of things going wrong.

While rare, accidents do happen. Viral videos and reports over the years have shown stage collapses, roof cave-ins, groom’s cars catching fire, and more recently, flight delays derailing carefully planned ceremonies. Most of these mishaps can be insured against.

Yet wedding insurance has few takers. According to financial planners Mint spoke to, only one in 15 clients agrees to buy wedding insurance when it is pitched. Much of this reluctance stems from low awareness and a long list of exclusions that make wedding insurance a confusing proposition.

But as weddings become increasingly high-cost, high-stakes events, it is a product couples may need to pay closer attention to. Here’s a closer look at what wedding insurance covers—and where the fine print can hurt. A typical wedding insurance policy covers three broad risks: cancellation, accidents and loss of valuables.

In simple terms, cancellations due to listed and valid reasons are covered, as are damages to the venue, wedding trousseau or people involved due to events such as fire or other perils. Loss of jewellery or other valuables can also be covered. Non-refundable expenses incurred in-case of cancellation of wedding events are offered under this insurance.