AgenteNews Insurance Producer's Online Resource
By Michael Melia, January 20, 2014
HARTFORD, Conn. — Worried about the groom getting cold feet? There’s an insurance policy for that.
With the cost of the average American wedding reaching about $26,000, insurers have been selling a growing number of policies to protect against losses from extreme weather, illness and, in one firm’s case, even a sudden change of heart.
Cheryl Winter spent $500 for Hartford-based Travelers Cos. Inc. to cover her daughter’s $50,000 destination wedding last October in New Orleans, where her biggest concern was a potential hurricane. The weather cooperated, but the limousine never showed up. Her daughter took a taxi cab to the church, and they used the insurance policy to claim the deposit money they couldn’t get back from the limo driver.
“No one wants to be walking in the French Quarter in a long gown and high heels,” said Winter, who lives in the Houston area.
The insurance is offered by a small number of U.S. companies. Insurers declined to provide data on the number of customers beyond saying they are growing steadily. It can cover losses from issues ranging from bankrupt wedding halls to cancellations forced by unexpected military deployments. Travelers says issues with vendors account for about a quarter of the claims, with most of those related to issues with photographers or videographers.
