Wedding Insurance

When thinking about wedding insurance — you’ll probably recall hearing at least some stories about problems with caterers, accidental injuries, liquor-related issues, and thefts. Advanced planning and common sense can certainly help prevent some of these occurrences, but unfortunate incidents can happen regardless of the number of precautions you take. Prudent wedding planners consider the purchase of event insurance for weddings to provide protection and peace of mind for their special day. Don’t be the wedding organizer who loses the substantial investment they have made in their event or even worse is sued for a potentially catastrophic liability incident.

Preparation is the key to having your wedding event be the successful culmination of all your hard work and planning. If things do go wrong, ensure you have taken all of the steps you can to protect your event — including suitable wedding insurance coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some of the things wedding insurance covers?

• Rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and gift opening.
• Theft or property damage.
• Bodily injury or sickness.
• Liquor-related issues.
• Use of reasonable force to protect people or property.

What are some best practices for my wedding?

• Determine if your venue carries its own insurance and ensure venue safety/security is a consideration when choosing a venue. It is good practice to do an initial room walkthrough and document anything that could be risky. In addition, have someone responsible for walkthroughs during the event is good practice.
• Determine if your other vendors are insured and licensed (e.g. caterers preparing/handling food) and request proof of coverage. This is especially important regarding whoever is responsible for the security and liquor service.
• Do your best to transfer the setup and takedown to the venue. Liability is all about control. Whoever is in control of the activity should be covering the liability of the activity. 
• If your event is planned for an outdoor venue, have a plan B in place in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.
• Do research on your vendors and get references. Vendor disputes are a leading cause of cancellation or disruption for weddings.
• As alcohol is almost always served at weddings, ensure that protection includes liquor liability coverage. In addition, please consider:
  • Ensuring you obtain the appropriate permitting (e.g. one-day liquor licensing) and follow the pursuant rules and regulations. 
  • Timeframing the service of alcohol.
  • Providing many mix options or outlaw shots. As well as non-alcoholic options.
  • Ensuring that all servers are appropriately certified.
  • Providing safe ride home options (e.g. UBER, cabs, hotel options, etc.).
• Professional security is a very good option to have at weddings with alcohol as they have the experience with dealing with any issues around disgruntled guests or guests who have had too much to drink.
• Ensure gifts, monetary and otherwise, are monitored and secure.
  

What else should I know about event insurance for weddings?

• Please note that event insurance for weddings does not cover mutually deciding to cancel the event or “cold feet.”
• Event cancellation insurance is a different coverage from liability insurance for events and must be purchased separately, if desired.
• Rates for liability insurance for events don’t vary by location across Canada, so whether your event is in Ontario, BC, or Alberta your cost will be the same.
• Event insurance for weddings is available across Canada including the provinces of BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. Please note that insurance documentation is currently only available in English for Quebec clients.
• Wedding insurance is certainly the main coverage requested in this family of events. However, other popular coverages include:
  • Bachelor or bachelorette party insurance
  • Stag and doe insurance
  • Wedding shower insurance
  • Stag insurance
    

Who is Marsh and why should I buy my wedding insurance through them.

• Marsh is the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor. With colleagues operating in more than 130 countries, Marsh serves commercial and individual clients with data driven risk solutions and advisory services. Marsh Canada Limited (Marsh Canada) has more than 1,000 employees and offices in 13 cities across Canada.
• Marsh helped 490 customers manage and protect community and family events in 2019. Join the many Canadian event organizers already benefiting from the ease of purchase and broad coverages available under the Marsh Event Liability Insurance Program.

Need to know more about wedding insurance?

Please contact your Marsh Canada licensed insurance broker directly at:

1 888 755 5247 | Email: events.service@marsh.com

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