Enjoy your big day knowing you've bought the right protection.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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Your event liability insurance coverages will be placed with a program administered by Marsh Canada Limited. Marsh Canada has engaged in a competitive marketing process to offer a competitive product. We have negotiated this Program on a group basis with the insurer but we have not acted as a broker for any individual participant. This Program may be for a term of several years and may not be negotiated annually.
Information on this website represents a synopsis of coverage and is provided as a reference only. The actual policy, including endorsements determines coverage. It contains exclusions, limitations and other provisions not referenced (or only briefly summarized) here and the policy should be consulted for full coverage terms, conditions and requirements. Deductibles may apply. For exact terms, definitions, limitations, and exclusions, please speak with your licensed Marsh Canada Limited insurance broker, or refer to the policy wording.
This web page is not intended to be taken as advice regarding any individual situation and should not be relied upon as such. The information contained herein is based on sources we believe reliable, but we make no representation or warranty as to its accuracy. Marsh shall have no obligation to update this publication and shall have no liability to you or any other party arising out of this publication or any matter contained herein. Any modelling, analytics, or projections are subject to inherent uncertainty, and the Marsh Analysis could be materially affected if any underlying assumptions, conditions, information, or factors are inaccurate or incomplete or should change. Marsh makes no representation or warranty concerning the application of policy wordings or the financial condition or solvency of insurers or re-insurers. Marsh makes no assurances regarding the availability, cost, or terms of insurance coverage.