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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good evening everyone!!!

I had a GREAT day!!!

I spent the morning at the Tampa Bay Watch helping a couple get ready for their commitment ceremony. They needed some special Chrissy help with the floor plan and with coordinating some of their vendors. The Watch has a beautiful set of windows on the water, that should always be your focal point. That’s why you rented the venue! So, with Laura’s help (she is the great great girl that works there) we swapped the room and did a quick re-set. I tried to help them connect with their band but unfortunately, when I finally reached him, he didn’t seem to interested in fulfilling his contract (which was unfortunately small and not to detailed, brides beware!!) so I introduced myself as their wedding planner to sound more official (even though I was only there to help out and have lunch with Laura, I am not their coordinator, but I can’t sit by and not help..) I have a band on standby for them but I have to tell you, they wrote the deposit check to him directly, have no signature on the contract and didn’t get wedding insurance. In the end, they are going to have a fabulous commitment ceremony for their family and friends to celebrate their relationship and all will be right with them. I’ll keep you updated on the band and if they show.

After the Watch, I had the privilege of debating some wedding issues with my favorite wedding photographer, Mike Giordano (Life Long Studios yeah yeah yeah) He thinks he is more important and I think I am.. JUST KIDDING!! Everyone knows how I feel about the pictures.. it is all you will have left.. they work very well with my team.

I got to head to a high school in Tampa for a final walk thru for their homecoming decorations where the teacher told me sales are very low this year and they are sad. Times are tough and parents can’t afford the tickets so since this is a school we have worked with for 5 years, we reduced the cost of the decorations so the school could have some extra money. We also invited students that cannot afford tickets to come and help us set up in lieu of the ticket price. We are always willing to lend a hand…

I rounded out my GREAT day by spending some quality time with Jesibell at MAC doing her trial makeup with Shannon Clark, the most awesome makeup girl.. she is the bomb ladies!!! Jess’s mom Susan came and we talked some about the time line and the event schedule. the wedding is now officially 3 months away so we are about to mail the invitations which are drop dead gorgeous by Jennifer Hutchinson Design Co. and it’s time to do our processional and schedule of events.

Now I am in my “home office” writing to all of you, tuning our my kids playing zombies in the other living room and counting the minutes until “Say Yes to the Dress” comes on at 9.. I love love love wedding shows!

Also, found some great moss balls to suspend from a ceiling at Steph and Warren’s wedding in April 2010. We are doing a garden theme and they could not be more perfect! I’ll post some pictures on Sunday..

You know where to find me if you need me..

I had a suggestion tonight from Jess to get t-shirts made for my staff that say “TEAM Chrissy” what do you think?

Tomorrow is a trip to the florist with Marija & Mike, April 2010 to try again to fit some flower balls into our budget.. I am always willing to try and rework something that is super important to you but you have to pick your pririties and not everything can be one.. then some dress shopping for bridesmaids dresses (Wait till you see Marija’s dress, it is phenomenal!) and then I get to wind up my day with Megan & Hector, November 2010 at the Wine Cellar for a tasting with her parents. I love my job and their Chicken Piccata! Impressive food, great prices. it is a perfect match!

See you guys tomorrow!

A wedding is something that is highly vulnerbale to unanticaped occurences that could cause its delay or cancellations. Wedding insurance is designed to help handle loss associated with such delays or cancellations. When something unexpected goes wrong, it can be frightening how quickly the costs can add up. A basic policy is relatively inexpensive and can help you have peace of mind. In the end wedding insurance is a bargain that will protect you from significant financial losses. For more information and to speak with an agent visit our website by clicking here.

Most weddings cost far more than you would spend on a decent saloon car. It’s unthinkable that you would drive your brand new car without insurance cover, yet so many couples take a bigger financial risk by not insuring their wedding costs against the risk of total loss. By comparison to cars, house content, possessions, valuables, etc., wedding insurance costs very little for comprehensive cover. The relatively small premium for wedding insurance will give you peace of mind as you plan for your wedding.
Wedding insurance policies give a wide range of cover for many eventualities that could affect your wedding day. However, it is unlikely that small, irritating events would be included in the cover, such as rainfall, cloud, etc. but stronger weather forces that affect the wedding day almost certainly would, such as floods, landslides, earthquakes, etc. If adverse weather or other unpredicted events were to cause your wedding or reception venue to close or become inaccessible then your wedding insurance policy would provide a suitable level of cover. The same policy would cover unpredictable events with the wedding car supplier or the caterer or even if the bride or groom should sustain an accident which caused the wedding to be cancelled for the planned date. A low premium insurance policy to cover all of the wedding day suppliers and events will compensate for those unexpected situations that can leave you seriously out of pocket.

When you start to plan the wedding arrangements most couples wouldn’t consider including insurance as a part of their list – but you should! When you have set your wedding date and you start to book the suppliers for your wedding you are starting to make financial obligations for the big day – at that stage you should have your wedding insurance in places as well. This will give you a maximum period of cover for your insurance fee as well as adequate cover should anything go wrong in the period leading up to your wedding day that may leave you financially disadvantaged.

A good wedding insurance policy will include the following items in it’s cover: cancellation of your wedding (check the applicable clauses, it’s unlikely a change of heart will be covered!), wedding rings and jewellery, the wedding dress, attire purchased for the groom, best man, bridesmaids (if formal attire is to be hired, check insurance liability with the supplier), cancellation of the wedding and reception venue(s), catering supplier, wedding florist, personal accident of the bride or groom causing disruption of your wedding plans, public liability cover (check that your wedding and reception venues carry public liability cover for your guests whilst on their premises), personal liability and legal expenses for the bride and groom, cancellation or failure of wedding cars, accidental damage to your wedding cake, wedding photographer (ensure that provision is included for any possibility of your photographs being destroyed), wedding gifts (including an amount to cover cash and vouchers received).

Don’t forget insurance cover when planning your honeymoon. The honeymoon insurance is normally covered by travel insurance offered by the travel agent or available through insurance brokers, it is unlikely that honeymoon insurance would be included in a wedding insurance policy. One item that is often overlooked is cover in the event that the honeymoon is cancelled due to the wedding not taking place – neither the wedding insurance nor the travel insurance is likely to cover such a risk – so it is worth considering taking out a separate insurance cover for this specified risk (the insurance premium for such a policy is likely to be very small and may even be able to be added onto your wedding insurance cover as a specific item).

Planning and organising your wedding can be a very enjoyable experience, leading up to one of the most exciting and important days of your life. No one expects things to go wrong, and they rarely do, but you should have the reassurance of wedding insurance to give yourself peace of mind over any unexpected or unpredictable events that could disrupt your wedding day. When you start to plan your wedding day and book the suppliers, take out your wedding insurance policy at the same time. This gives the maximum period of cover and means you can concentrate on your wedding whilst you have the reassurance that the whole event is covered by your wedding insurance policy. Enjoy planning for the big day and your wedding day itself – congratulations, it’s one of the most enjoyable days of your life.