It takes time to find the right dress, and it's certainly not the cheapest outfit you'll end up buying! So it's wise to make sure wedding dress is covered against freak accidents.
Before you race off to find specialist cover, hold fire just a second, you might already have a degree of cover without knowing. Contents and personal possessions insurance might offer the protection you need.
Why would you want to insure your wedding dress?
Wedding dresses are sentimental by their very nature and can cost a lot of money, especially if they're custom-made. Accidents happen, even if you do your best to protect your dress ahead of the big day.
So, having cover in place can provide a level of financial protection, and maybe more importantly, a contingency plan.
What is contents insurance and what does it cover?
Contents insurance is a form of home insurance dedicated to covering the moveable aspects of your home.
This could be furniture, appliances, electronics and clothing - including wedding dresses! It's different to buildings insurance, which covers the structure of your property, such as the roof, walls and floors.
Your policy could protect your belongings against fire, theft and flooding. But you could buy add-ons like accidental damage cover and personal possessions insurance if you want a bit of extra cover.
Some items are excluded though, you should find this sort of information in your contents insurance policy documents.
There's also single-item and total cover amounts that you should be aware of, but we'll come on to that later.
Is my wedding dress covered by my home contents insurance?
If you own your dress and it's at home, it should be covered by your contents insurance. But this is where we have to talk about single-item and total cover amounts.
A single-item cover limit is a cap for any 1 item within your total cover limit. So, let's say your wedding dress is worth £3,000, for example. If your single-item limit is set at £2,000, and you need to claim, your insurer won't pay out the difference.
This limit tends to range from £1,000 to £2,500, but depends on your insurer. You could have the option of increasing your single-item limit, but this costs more.
You're also likely to have a total maximum cover limit. This should be based on the total value of your contents. That's why it's important to accurately calculate the value of your possessions before you buy contents insurance.
Like we always say, check your policy documents - even if you're happy with your level of cover. There are common exclusions that vary depending on your insurer. Why does this matter? Because you might be renting or borrowing your wedding dress, so your contents insurance might not cover it. In this case, you might need a specialist wedding dress insurance policy.
What about if I take the dress outside my house?
Here's a hypothetical situation: let's say you're heading to a friend's house to try on your wedding dress. On the way, it's snatched from your clutches and stolen. Would a contents insurance policy cover you in this instance?
Sadly, no. This is where personal possessions cover comes into play. Personal possessions insurance is similar to contents insurance, it just covers your belongings while you're away from home. You might already have this included with a contents insurance policy, but if not, you can buy cover at an additional cost.
Tying the knot abroad? Some travel insurance policies offer limited protection for checked baggage if the dress is lost or delayed. One way around this is to carry the dress in hand luggage where possible.
What happens if my bridal shop goes out of business?
Let's say you've bought a wedding dress from a bridal shop, and shortly after it goes out of business. Contents or personal possessions insurance won't cover you in this situation, as the dress was not in your possession.
If you bought your dress with cash, by direct debit, or by bank transfer, it's unlikely you'll be eligible for a refund.
This is why it's worth paying for a dress by credit card if possible. A credit card could offer some protection through Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act (in the UK).
This could enable you to begin the chargeback process with your bank or lender. So, it's important that you keep any receipts or written confirmation of your order to collate evidence.
Other cover options
A common mishap is accidentally damaging your dress. Wine spills, curry stains, the dress catching and tearing, it's really not that hard to find yourself in a wedding dress disaster.
That's why accidental damage cover is worth considering, especially when it comes to contents. It might already be included in a contents insurance policy as standard, but like personal possessions cover, it can be bought at an additional cost.
Are there any other options? Well, wedding dress insurance isn't really a thing, but wedding insurance is. This is a specialist policy that can cover cancellation due to illness and issues with the venue. More importantly, it'll offer protection for wedding outfits and other wedding-associated things.
Alternatively, you could look at high-value contents insurance. Remember we discussed cover amount limits earlier? Some insurers offer you the ability to amend your existing policy in light of a change of circumstances.
So, if you go ahead and buy a wedding dress, you might be able to increase your contents or personal possessions insurance cover limits mid-policy. Just be aware that your policy could cost more as a result, and you might be charged an admin fee!
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