Wedding insurance doesn’t cover a runaway bride—but here’s why you might want it

As if brides and grooms aren’t nervous enough for their big day, they also have to worry about the venue closing down before they walk down the aisle, the weather stranding guests or the dress getting ruined in transit.

Some insurance companies, including Travelers Insurance  and WedSafe, offer wedding insurance policies for such disasters. With weddings so expensive — people who use wedding sites spend an average of $35,000, although it’s likely less for millions of working Americans — there’s a lot of money at stake. Wedding insurance also covers accident coverage and military deployment.

“It’s a significant investment,” said Todd Shasha, managing director of personal insurance product management at Travelers. Travelers offers wedding insurance policies starting at a one-time premium of $160, with no deductible. That covers cancellation up to $7,500, photography and videography up to $1,500 and event gifts up to $1,000. Liability coverage is an additional $165, and covers $1 million per occurrence.

Also see: 19 ways to save on wedding costs

In the 10 years that Travelers has been tracking wedding insurance claims, vendor issues were only kicked out of the top spot in 2016. The most common problem that year was missing or damaged property, which included guests writing on a tablecloth and, in one rare instance, damage to a rare totem pole.

Wedding insurance can be as high as $550, depending on how much coverage you desire, according to wedding planning site The Knot. Service providers and relatives paying for the wedding may have insurance as well, so couples should ask before buying their own plans to avoid overlapping coverage. Couples can get insurance before booking venues and photographers if they have a rough estimate of how much they will spend, Shasha said.

Not every couple needs wedding insurance. It’s not necessary for people who are getting married at home, where property damage and bodily harm could be covered under a homeowner’s insurance policy, or for couples who are having a low-key wedding, where they make the food and favors, or rely on friends and families for certain services.

Also, wedding insurance does not cover a change of heart, theft or changing your mind about services, according to personal-finance site Nerdwallet.com. Always prepare for any potential disaster. For instance, make sure you get insurance if you hold your wedding during hurricane season in the southeast, said Meghan Ely, principal of OFD Consulting, a wedding marketing and publicity firm.