Why do I need Wedding Insurance?

Wedding Insurance provides financial protection in case things don’t go to plan on your big day. This includes:

• cancellation or rearrangement if the bride, groom, prospective civil partner, your close relative or member of the wedding party falls ill when it's inappropriate to continue the ceremony and it's not due to a pre-existing medical condition.
• if the venue is unavailable due to an insured reason, loss or damage of important items, failure of transport and Public Liability cover.

What level of Wedding Insurance do I need?

The level of cover will depend on the size, type and cost of your wedding and reception. If you consider each separate cost associated with your wedding, this should help you determine the level of cover you need.

How long before my wedding should I take out a Wedding Insurance policy?

We suggest that you take it out as soon as you've paid for any part of the event, so that your deposits are covered. John Lewis Wedding Insurance can be taken out up to two years before the wedding date.

Who can take out Wedding Insurance?

Our Wedding Insurance must be taken out by either the bride, groom, prospective civil partner or one of their parents (usually the person paying the deposits). The policyholder must be over 18 years old.

If I’ve already arranged services or paid deposits, will they be covered when I take out my policy?

Yes, anything already booked or paid for will be covered from the purchase date of the policy. Please make sure you have written contracts with all suppliers.

Can I pay monthly? 

No, we only accept one off payments for our wedding policies. 

Who is the insurer for John Lewis Wedding Insurance? 

Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc – one of the largest and most experienced insurers in the UK.

What does Wedding Insurance cover?

Illness

Wedding Insurance covers you if you have to cancel or postpone your wedding because the bride, groom, close relatives or wedding party fall ill. It also covers you if the venue is unable to hold the wedding for an insured reason.

Failure of suppliers

Wedding Insurance also protects any pre-booked wedding services or suppliers such as:

• wedding flowers
• wedding cake
• hired wedding transport
• wedding rings
• ceremonial and bridal attire
• wedding stationery
• professional wedding photographs and video

If any of your suppliers go bankrupt and will therefore breach their contract, you'll be covered for any irrecoverable costs, such as deposits.

Photos and video

If your photos can’t be printed because the film, negatives or any digital media that was used has been damaged, John Lewis Wedding Insurance will pay for a photographer to re-shoot the wedding party. Cover also includes payment of some of the costs needed to do this, including things like suit hire.

Wedding dress

If your dress is accidentally damaged before your wedding then you'll be covered for the costs of buying a replacement dress. However, you won't be covered against dirt or spillages that happen on your wedding day.

Rearrangement

If you have to rearrange your wedding, John Lewis Wedding Insurance will pay up to a similar cost to the amount originally budgeted.

Legal expenses and Public Liability Cover

John Lewis Wedding Insurance also includes Legal Expenses Cover and Public Liability Cover.

Each section of cover applies for different lengths of time and has conditions and exclusions applying to it. For more information, please see the policy wording or policy summary. 

What does Cancellation Cover protect me against?

If you have to cancel your wedding, Cancellation Cover pays you any deposits or costs that you can't get back when it's inappropriate to continue the ceremony and it isn't due to a pre-existing medical condition.

However, the reason for cancelling your wedding has to be listed in your policy as an insurable one. This includes staff (as well as caterers, musicians etc.) not turning up because of adverse weather conditions (if no suitable replacement is available). 

Cancellation Cover also includes costs involved in having to rearrange your wedding to somewhere else if your original venue can't host it. This could be due to an outbreak of food poisoning, or problems with the drains or sanitary facilities.

You should check the upper limits of the Cancellation Cover before buying to make sure it would be enough to give you back all your costs if you did have to make a claim.

Cancellation Cover won't cover you if you or your partner have a change of heart and decide not to get married.

I’m getting married in December. Am I covered if the weather’s bad?

If the weather prevents you or more than 50% of your guests getting to the venue, then you'll be covered. You should call the Claims Hotline to check before cancelling.

My partner is in the army - will we be covered if their leave is cancelled?

You will be covered if your partner is unexpectedly posted overseas, provided that this was unforeseen at the time of taking out the policy.

Will the couple be covered if one or both of them decides not to get married?

No, this would be classed as "disinclination to marry" and isn't covered under the policy.

If I have to cancel my wedding because of a pre-existing medical condition, will I be covered?

This policy won’t provide Cancellation Cover because of an ongoing medical condition, or a medical condition that needed treatment (including consultations or advice) within the 12 months before the purchase date, for the bride, groom, prospective civil partners, close relative or wedding party.

If any of my suppliers or service providers becomes bankrupt, insolvent or goes into liquidation, will I be covered?

Yes, the policy will cover you under Section 2. Failure of Suppliers. Please make sure you have written contracts with all of your suppliers.

Is my wedding cake covered?

Yes, it's covered under Section 1. Cancellation or Rearrangement and also under Section 2. Failure of Supplier and Loss or Damage.

Are ceremonial swords covered?

Yes, ceremonial swords are covered under Section 2. Failure of Suppliers and Loss or Damage to ceremonial and bridal attire.

Who is covered under the Public Liability section of my policy?

Only the bride and groom or prospective civil partners are covered.

Can non-UK Nationals be covered?

Yes, but either the bride, groom or one of the prospective civil partners must be a permanent UK resident or citizen.

My wedding ceremony and reception are on different dates. Can I have full cover for both?

Yes, but please make sure you let us know both dates as soon as possible.

Are civil partnerships covered?

Yes, John Lewis Wedding Insurance covers both weddings and civil partnership ceremonies.

Can you cover my wedding and reception if they’re taking place abroad?

Yes, we can. You will need to make sure you choose the Overseas Wedding Cover option when selecting your cover level. Make sure you take out a separate Travel Insurance policy to cover your entire trip.

Will my honeymoon also be covered under John Lewis Wedding Insurance?

Unfortunately not: we suggest that you take out a separate Travel Insurance policy to be fully covered for your honeymoon. Our Wedding Insurance only covers your wedding and wedding reception.

Can you tell me more about Marquee Cover?

John Lewis Wedding Insurance offers Marquee Cover as an optional extra. Cover has to be bought with John Lewis Wedding Insurance; it can’t be purchased on its own.

Marquee Cover provides cover for loss or damage to the marquee so if the marquee is damaged or blows away the night before your wedding we will cover your cancellation or rearrangement costs. Marquee Cover also includes:

• staging
• chairs
• tables
• lighting
• flooring
• equipment hired or leased by you

Can the policy provide cover for other occasions, such as anniversary parties?

Our Wedding Insurance is only available for weddings, but John Lewis Event Insurance provides cover for personal events and parties.

How do I claim?

If you need to make a claim, just give us a call on 0845 078 7598 or take a look at our claims page for a step-by-step guide. When you buy John Lewis Wedding Insurance, your policy wording will contain full instructions on how to make a claim.

Will I have to pay an excess when I claim?

You will need to pay an excess of £50 on all claims except Legal Expenses which does not have an excess.

What if I want to cancel?

You have up to 14 days after receiving your policy documents to change your mind and get a full refund, as long as you haven’t already made a claim and your wedding hasn’t taken place.

After that, you can cancel your Wedding Insurance at any time before your wedding by calling 0845 078 7527.

Please note, if you cancel your policy after 14 days, you won’t be entitled to a refund.

Can I change my cover? 

Yes. Just give us a call on 0845 078 7527 if you’d like to add Overseas Wedding Cover, Marquee Cover or upgrade your existing level of wedding cover.