With the average cost of a wedding now £16,000 and civil partnership ceremonies this year likely to reach similar levels, another £50 to £100 for insurance to cover the big day may seem a modest amount. But is it money well spent? The blurb for wedding insurance policies, which nowadays also cover civil partnership ceremonies, makes them sound as crucial as the ring or the flowers, but bear in mind that you can get much of the protection by other means.

If you still decide to buy the cover, look carefully at the small print, otherwise you could be getting less for your money than you think.

One easy way to protect against loss is to pay all your suppliers by credit card. Provided that you spend at least £100, under the Consumer Credit Act your credit card company will be jointly liable for providing the service, so if any of your suppliers go bust or don’t deliver the goods you can claim back the money from your card company.

Your home contents policy will also provide useful cover, says Kevin Kerridge, of Hiscox Insurance. “Loss of a ring or damage to a wedding dress or presents will be covered under your household contents policy, both inside and outside the home if you have accidental damage and all-risks cover,” he explains. “If your ring is particularly valuable, you may need to check that it is within the single-item limit.”

Various insurers, such as Legal & General and More Than, automatically increase household contents cover by 10 per cent one month before and after a wedding. Another useful feature if things go wrong is the legal expenses insurance offered with many household policies.

But there are some things that won’t be covered, such as the cost of having to cancel the ceremony if a close relative is taken seriously ill or dies. So you may feel that it is worthwhile taking out wedding insurance for such eventualities.

Most policies offer several different tiers of cover. Premiums start at £50 to £60 for cancellation cover of £5,000 to £9,000 and rise to £479 for £35,000 of cover. Weddings outside the UK can also be insured. Some charge extra for weddings more than 12 months ahead. Marks & Spencer has a two-year limit but Weddingsurance has no time limit and also provides last-minute cover. Marks & Spencer has a 14-day cut-off point.

Don’t buy these policies on price or the amount of cover alone. Look carefully at the terms and conditions. For example, if you or anyone else vital to your wedding has a medical condition, most plans will not cover them. Weddingplan, Confetti, Debenhams Wedding Insurance and MRL Wedding Insurance, all underwritten by AXA Insurance, also exclude anyone awaiting treatment or the results of medical tests. Weddingsurance covers pre-existing conditions except in the case of a terminal diagnosis.

All policies cover such things as loss or damage to wedding cakes, rings and flowers, but the amount of cover varies widely. Under the lowest-cost plan offered by each of the providers, MRL (£65) offers the least cover of only £1,000 for all these items, while E&L Insurance (£45) and Marks & Spencer (£59) are the most generous. Both provide between £2,250 and £2,500 for cakes, rings and flowers separately. Note for how long these items are covered. For example, E&L and Weddingsurance (£55) cover the cake and flowers for only 24 hours before the wedding. Marks & Spencer covers them for up to seven days before the wedding and 24 hours after the reception.

Another argument in favour of wedding policies, says Liz Neild, of Marks & Spencer, is that the venue may demand insurance cover. “Couples opting for stately homes and the like are increasingly asked for public liability insurance to cover any accidental damage by their guests,” she says.

The best policies are Marks & Spencer, E&L and Weddingsurance because this cover is included in their basic policies. Weddingplan, Confetti, Debenhams and MLR charge an extra £19 to £29.

Another plus point with the Marks & Spencer’s policy is that it includes legal expenses cover, which you can use for contractual disputes with wedding services providers. The legal expenses cover with the Weddingplan, Confetti, Debenhams and MRL plans excludes these disputes, covering legal action only for compensation for personal injury or death during the wedding.

If you make a claim, most policies will ask you to pay at least the first £25 to £35. Finally, always be sure to look at what is not covered. All policies exclude cancellation claims if one of the partners gets cold feet. However, Marks & Spencer offers free stress counselling, which might help to prevent nerves developing in the first place, while E&L offers counselling if they do and the wedding is called off.

For more on insurance visit www.timesonline.co.uk/insure

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