Getting Hitched Without a Hitch

GLOUCESTER, England, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The cost of everything is on the up: your mortgage, your weekly food bill
and of course the fill-up at the pumps. Weddings are no exception. Every year
the cost of the average wedding creeps up. Even if you're not planning an
event on the Rooney scale, the total cost of a 'big day' is now estimated to
be over GBP20,000*. That's almost as much as the average annual salary**.
Weddings are rarely quiet, informal affairs; they are elaborate events with
no expense spared.

Darren Mabley-Jones, wedding insurance manager at Ecclesiastical
Insurance, explains: "With so much riding on the big day it makes sense to do
everything you can to make sure it all runs smoothly. Insurance therefore
should be one of your first, not last, considerations. You wouldn't spend
GBP20,000 on a brand new car and drive it off the forecourt without
insurance, so why shouldn't insurance be a must-buy for the happy couple
too?"

Above all, wedding insurance gives you and the rest of the wedding party
peace of mind. If the unexpected happens (and if often does) insurance is
there to pick up the pieces.

Policies cover all aspects of your special day. If the event is a
complete wash-out for example insurance can pay for a re-arrangement. Last
summer's floods caused many couples to cancel their weddings as guests were
stuck in traffic or cut off by floodwaters. Other circumstances such as an
unexpected family illness might also mean the wedding can't go ahead.

Loss or damage to rings, cakes, flowers, presents, photographs and videos
are also covered. One groom rather helpfully took some rubbish to the tip on
the morning of his wedding, unaware that the black bags actually contained
wedding presents. Wedding insurance was able to compensate them.

Darren Mabley-Jones highlights another wedding disaster: "One couple's
marquee was broken into the night before the wedding. Thieves stole heaters
and knocked over the wedding cake. Insurance paid for re-icing of the cake
and replacement heaters."

In the run-up to your wedding you are relying on a range of suppliers
(such as your photographer) to make sure the big day comes together.
Occasionally suppliers can go bust, taking your deposit with them. At a very
costly time, any extra expense could break the bank. Wedding insurance can
reimburse lost deposits and it can even pay any additional costs required to
book another supplier at short notice.

Policies with legal expenses cover can even step in if you face a dispute
with one of your suppliers. If your dress is made to the wrong size or your
venue fails to offer you the reception room they promised for example.
Specialist solicitors will attempt to resolve the dispute so you get what you
are entitled to.

One of the most common wedding insurance claims is for damage to wedding
dresses. Brides often want to keep their dress for a future daughter or as a
lasting memory of the day. An accidental tear or wine stain to a dress
costing hundreds if not thousands of pounds can seem like a disaster. Wedding
insurance can pay for repairs to ensure your dress is in good nick when it
heads for the attic.

Many wedding reception venues now insist you arrange public liability
insurance. This is to protect the venue owners from claims against them.
Wedding insurance provides you with this cover. So if one of your guests is
injured and it is your fault, liability insurance can help out. On top of all
this some policies even offer a stress counselling helpline. So if it all
gets too much, any member of the wedding party can call for an impartial
chat.

Ecclesiastical's Darren Mabley-Jones concludes: "Of course weddings come
in all shapes and sizes, so wedding insurance is flexible too. Insurers offer
various levels of cover and extensions for things like marquees. But whether
you are organising the wedding event of the year to rival the Rooneys', or a
modest affair with family and friends, insurance is always a sensible
precaution."

Visit http://www.ecclesiastical.co.uk or call +44(0)1452-423557

* You and Your Wedding Magazine research, June 2008.

** National Statistics - 2007 average salary of GBP25,896 for men and
GBP20,488 for women.

Ecclesiastical Insurance