Once you start planning a wedding, you'll notice the checklist of what you're going to need on the day tends to go on and on (as the budget goes up). With so much money involved, and so much at stake, it's not surprising that one thing we get asked a lot is 'is wedding insurance worth it?' Not the most glamorous part of wedding planning we know, but it's good to know what your options are if something were to go wrong. Like all insurance, wedding insurance can seem complicated, but really it's quite straightforward once you know what level of cover you'd like. Here, we've gathered all the info you might need to decide whether or not wedding insurance is for you.

What Is Wedding Insurance?

• Wedding insurance provides protection in case something in relation to a pre-booked wedding service was to go wrong unexpectedly before or on your wedding day. Wedding insurance can provide cover for wedding suppliers from the time you put down your deposit, and cover your wedding dress and your wedding venue, all of which tend to form the largest portion of your wedding costs. Wedding insurance can also cover items such as your wedding rings, wedding transport,wedding gifts, a wedding cake and your wedding photographs.
• Most policies allow you to take out wedding cover up to two years before the big day. If you have already paid out for the reception and other expenses you'll still be able to get insurance – and you'll know exactly how much to insure your wedding for.
• Applies to weddings taking place in the Republic of Ireland and abroad.

How Much Does Wedding Insurance Cost?

• Starting prices for cover are small from around €50, and going up to over €200 in some cases depending on the level of cover you want (marquee cover, increased failure of suppliers, extended public liability, etc).
• To help estimate how much you should pay create a spreadsheet and add either actual costs or realistic estimates for your wedding expenses. Work out how much you are going to spend on each item, what you think should be covered, and then find a policy that covers everything on your list at the right amount for each individual item.

What Does Wedding Insurance Cover?

As with all types of insurance, the specifics of each individual wedding insurance policy is different, but most policies cover many of the same areas. The amount you can claim if things go wrong depends on the level of cover you purchased, but here are the general areas covered:

• Wedding insurance covers the cancellation or rearrangement of a wedding or reception due to accident, illness or bereavement within the main wedding party, or if a supplier goes out of business.
• Most policies also cover loss or damage (due to accident, fire or theft) to the main wedding outfits, presents, rings, the cake and flowers, as well as the price of having to retake photographs and video, failure of wedding cars and personal liability and legal expenses.
• Most insurers allow you to add cover for expenses such as marquee cover and public liability cover.
• You can also usually extend cover for an overseas wedding.

Top Wedding Insurance Claims

The most common wedding insurance claims include:

• Wedding outfit damage
• The re-taking of the wedding photos
• The wedding rings are lost
• The wedding transport fails to turn up
• Cancellation due to the venue being double booked
• Public liability property damage
• Wedding presents are lost or stolen
• Financial failure of suppliers

What's Not Covered by Wedding Insurance

Remember that as with other insurance, most policies will have an excess (an amount you have to pay in the event of a claim) so it's worth bearing this in mind when considering why you are opting for wedding insurance - will the insurance be worth it for things you are worried about? Watch out for the fact that typically these items aren’t covered:

• You can't make a claim for a situation that you already knew about.
• You can't make a claim if either you or your partner gets cold feet.
• You can't make a claim if you decide you cannot afford to go ahead with your plans.
• Most insurers have strict rules on theft, so double-check what's included. For example, some won't cover the theft of a wedding dress from a vehicle unless it was in a locked boot.
• Honeymoons are not covered as standard, although some providers will bundle yours in (at extra cost).
• Your engagement ring - be sure to get it appraised, and cover it under your household insurance policy or separate jewellery insurance. We have a post on that here!

Other Ways You're Covered

Depending on how much you are spending you might not feel your wedding justifies added insurance protection. Even if you decide to go without, there are a few ways to get some help if something goes wrong.

• Your home insurance policy might have some provision for weddings, or a policy to allow you to extend your cover for weddings. If so, check what is covered and see if it is cheaper than standalone wedding insurance policies. (It's best to check your private policies to see what it covers exactly.)
• If you have paid with a credit card for anything costing between €100 and €30,000, if anything goes wrong you may be able to claim your money back from your credit card provider, using the selected section of the Consumer Credit Act. This can apply even if it was just the deposit that put on your card. Once again it's  best to check with your credit card provider.
• If there is a problem with goods or services that constitute a breach of contract, for example your wedding venue double-booking or your catering not arriving, you could try using the chargeback facility if you paid by Visa or Mastercard, although your provider is not legally obliged to chase money from the retailer on your behalf.
• Read the Consumer Credit Act here.

Should You get Wedding Insurance?

At the end of the day, wedding insurance is an extra and it depends on your own circumstances.  If you're strongly considering wedding insurance talk to a financial advisor or your insurance company and make sure you understand what is on offer. Remember to ask lots of questions about what may or may not be covered as well. And read the fine print very carefully - the devil is in the detail, as they say!

Worried about your rings being stolen or lost? Read this post! Be sure to sign up to the One Fab Day newsletter for more great budget tips!