Should I get wedding insurance?

If you are spending a pretty penny, wedding insurance is smart!  It covers you when something goes awry-a damaged dress or a flooded venue, for example.  Policies range from about $100 to $1300 and can be purchased online from WedSafe and Travelers.  Coverage is generally capped at $175,000.  Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company even offers change of heart coverage-and counseling.

Happy Planning!!

Women at Nigerian wedding wearing tradition gele head wrap
Photo (c) 2009, Stockxpert.  See also Village.AfricanPath.com

Most western brides invite more wedding guests than they expect to attend and only those who have responded to a direct invitation attend the wedding.  That’s just the way it is unless Hollywood gets involved and produces a movie such as the 2005 Wedding Crashers starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.  In real life, for western brides the actual guest count at the wedding is always less than the number of invited guests.

Not so for couples with strong Nigerian roots and traditions. Not only are wedding crashers expected, their presence signifies to the families of the bride and groom their love and respect. While the term has a decidedly negative western connotation, to the Nigerian couple it is a neutral term, almost like an expectation there will be cake: there will be cake and there will be wedding crashers. See the video below as a wedding couple of Nigerian ancestry explains the wedding crashers tradition to the Frungillos of New Jersey on TLC’s ‘Masters of Reception’ reality series.

The Linen House recently provided tuxedo style chair covers for a sophisticated black and white color scheme wedding reception. The photo below depicts the head table of this wedding before chair covers were applied, where the bride and groom would oversee the festivities and greet guests from the comfort of their regal elevation. While working with this bride and her wedding planner, we first learned about the Nigerian tradition of wedding crashing. The typical question that vendors pose to brides, “How many guests do you expect?” did not elicit the expected response. The bride’s answer normally guides suppliers in booking the appropriate quantities of guest seating, meals, favors, centerpieces, servings of cake and more. Our Nigerian couple, both born and raised in Houston, set their reception for 300 guests based on an invitation list of 260 and an expected attendance of 500 guests! Yes, they were expecting, actually hoping, for wedding crashers to almost double the number of attendees. Guests would come in from Nigeria, London, New York, Los Angeles and of course, local friends and family members would be in attendance too.

Just a few hours before the wedding, family members mingled with the venue staff making the final preparations for the reception. The wedding planner in consultation with sisters and aunts fretted and worried about the number of guests. Finally the family matriarch, dressed in a bright black and yellow gele head wrap settled the issue. “Do not worry about it, Mma,” she proclaimed, using the affectionate ‘Mma’ as her American born cousin may use the term ‘Sister’ or ‘Dear’. “We are prepared for the number of invited guests and then some. Wedding crashers who come late know they will miss out on food and cake, but they will still come. Let us go dress for the wedding. It is in God’s hands now.” With worry behind them, they left to prepare for the festivities.

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A Little Wedding Insurance

Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking gracefully down the aisle on your wedding day. The anticipation up to this moment has been almost unbearable, but luckily everything has gone wonderfully smooth as you lock eyes with your husband for the first time under the altar. You anxiously take his hand in front of all your smiling guests and the Officiant begins a beautiful speech. But as he asks the best man to reveal the beautiful ring to your groom… you find to your utter horror that the IDIOT LOST IT!

To lessen the absolute agony of such a terrible event (which thankfully is rare) Fireman’s Fund (www.firemansfund.com) can help. Providing insurance coverage for any of your private events, including weddings, you can now plan for the unexpected. Their policies can be fitted to safeguard any specific needs and worries you’ll have for your special day including, for instance, coverage for inclement weather for outdoor ceremonies and or critical damage sustained to essential elements of the wedding itself. (Lost Ring!)

Fortunately, Bartlett Hills Country Club rarely deals with such calamities and we take pride in our ability to provide you with the most beautiful, stress-free wedding for you and all your guests. And although our gorgeous veranda consistently hosts outdoor ceremonies, we do have indoor options that are easily accessible and equally beautiful in the case of rain.

For more questions or information concerning Bartlett Hils Country Club or banquets please call 630-213-3103.

With the recent state of the economy, it seems that more and more people are concerned about their wedding vendors going of business before their wedding day comes. I have had a few people share their concern with me, along with their consideration of wedding insurance, so I thought I would share the details.

What is wedding insurance?

As with any type of insurance, wedding insurance will not save you from a wedding day disaster. It simply provides financial comfort in times of such “crisis.” When something goes wrong, like a vendor going of business, or your DJ not showing up, you may be entitled to monetary benefits. There are limitations of course, such as getting cold feet, so be sure to check your policy.

Is it right for me?

I really believe the decision to take out wedding insurance is a personal one. Some people take comfort in knowing that a small investment of a few hundred dollars will provide payouts in the event of certain unexpected occurrences that may impact their wedding. Others might think that if planned carefully, they will be able to limit the probability of such mishaps. In either case, it is a highly personal decision, and it is best left to the couple to decide if having wedding insurance would help to ease their worries.

Is it expensive?

In many cases, you can take out a policy for a few hundred dollars (depending on how much you want to insure). You may also be able to insure only certain aspects of your wedding in order to keep the premium down.  

Open Communication 

Another plan of action is to simply ask your vendors “how are you doing in today’s economy?” If you are concerned, just tell them. Ask them what would happen if they went out of business, or better yet, do they have a plan of action to combat the down economy. Are they suffering at the moment? Keep in mind, right now is not wedding season so they are likely to be slow, so seek out a response that addresses an entire year’s timeframe. They are likely to have bookings in place for spring and summer, during their busy season, so they should have an idea of what their coming year will bring, and whether it is higher or lower than usual. This kind of open communication can be very helpful, and in my experience, being honest with vendors usually encourages them to be honest with you.

For more details, TheKnot has posted a more detailed article on wedding insurance.

You’ve shown everyone your gorgeous new ring.  You’re glowing with the thought of floating down the aisle into the arms of the man you adore.  Your friends and family will be there to celebrate in a beautifully decorated room with delicious food and your favorite tunes.  But wait.  What is all this going to cost?  Complete the Wedding Cost Estimator at the end of the article to see how much your wedding will cost.

Shortly after the initial excitement of the engagement, couples and their families start to think and worry about the cost of the wedding.  In many instances the bride and her family have no recent experience planning a wedding.  At best they may have a hazy vision of what they want but no idea of what it will cost. Unfortunately, the next step many families take is to just begin making phone calls to vendors.  Using wedding magazines, the Yellow Pages and web search results to locate likely prospects the phone calls start.

The problem with this approach is that it is often started before the bride has gathered the basics:

• Wedding date
• Venue secured
• What the venue  does/does not provide
• Approximate guest count
• Style, theme or color scheme

Several times a week, we get calls at The Linen House that go something like this:

Bride: I’m calling to see how much it costs to rent linens (or buy flowers or hire a photographer or get a cake or have my makeup done, etc.) for my wedding.

Vendor: Great!  We’ll be glad to help you.  When is the wedding?  I’ll need to check availability for you.

Bride: We haven’t picked a date yet.  I’m just trying to work on my budget.

Vendor: OK. Maybe we can help you.  Do you know where you will hold your reception?

Bride: Well I have a couple of places in mind but I don’t know if I can afford them until I know how much everything else costs.

Vendor: I can give you some price ranges but I’m afraid this information won’t be too helpful until you have more requirements.

Alert: On the phone with the unsuspecting bride, unscrupulous vendors will give brides the lowest price they’ve ever charged anyone.  They hope that will bring the bride and her family into the shop where they will fall in love with something. Nearly all the time this will not be remotely within the price quoted over the phone.  Nobody falls in love with the cheapest thing in the store.  You might make do with the cheapest item, but you won’t fall in love with it.  You can see how this approach doesn’t benefit the bride at all and is not the recommended approach for finding a vendor or making selections.

This puts brides in the proverbial chicken and egg dilemma.  What comes first: the budget or the selections?  Until the couple selects a date and a venue they can’t make other plans.  Until they know what everything else will cost, they don’t feel comfortable committing to a venue.

Real Simple Solution

To solve this problem, RealSimple.com created a very easy wedding cost estimator and planning spreadsheet.  The estimator tells you the average prices for various wedding components arranged by state.  Click here for a link to the average price ranges in Texas.  Click here for the planning spreadsheet. At the end of this article is a form that will assist you further.

Brides who use these tools end up with a realistic idea of what everything should cost.  They may decide they don’t want or need some of the line items services.  They can eliminate the item or they can transfer that part of the budget to something more meaningful.  Either way, it gives brides and their families more control and more knowledge when it is time to start putting down deposits.  Want something more lavish? At least brides have a base line to start the wedding plan.  The best option is to use a wedding planner who is a pro at putting together weddings in all price ranges.

Reminder: wedding insurance should always be included in your budget.  Just yesterday the mother of the bride called asking for her deposit back on a December wedding.  It was devastating news and the bride and her family were still reeling from the shock of the groom’s decision to call off the nuptials. Until recently, change of heart was not a valid claim but new wedding insurance policies make that an option. No one wants to think that will happen to them but spending between $300-600 may be the best bargain of your entire wedding budget.  Bad weather, illness, vendor failure, accidents on and off the premises are all possibilities that won’t worry a well-prepared bride.

However brides decide to spend their budget, the best wedding is the wedding where brides have made informed spending decisions.  Be informed. Spend wisely.  Use the Wedding Cost Estimator below to calculate your costs now!