From The Straits Times    |

HWB - Fashion 18121414602 hwplus.jpgPHOTOGRAPHY ZAPHS ZHANG; STYLING MICHELLE LEE, ASSISTED BY ANDRIC CHIA & GABRIELLA KOW; HAIR KENNETH ONG/HP 9147-8321, USING REDKEN; MAKEUP LOLENT LEE/HP 9114-7447, USING YVES SAINT LAURENT BEAUTE; MODELS CAMILA DANIELLE & LOAMMI CLEMENT/MANNEQUIN; LOCATION RIDERS CAFE

A wedding dinner checklist can be long. Think gown, cake, venue and yes, the hongbao.

But what if something goes terribly wrong? Like a no-show by the florists? Or if the bride suddenly falls ill on the big day?

Enter wedding insurance.
Ms Esther Teo, 34, and her fiance Mr Kenneth Goh, 35, are tying the knot in November at the Novotel.

She estimates her wedding budget to be $50,000, with around 250 guests attending their big night.

To protect themselves against mishaps, the couple bought a package by Adele Duxton which includes wedding insurance.

They paid about $3,000 and it includes videography and photography services, on top of the complimentary wedding insurance.

Ms Teo says: “It’s not something many photographers and videographers offer. We were afraid there would be a case of them not showing up, or cancelling at the last minute because of illness.

“A wedding is a once in a lifetime event. We just want to ensure everything runs smoothly.”

So what exactly does the insurance policy cover?
Adele Duxton, which started offering this service last November, says its range of packages can include reimbursement for data corruption of wedding photos and videos, damage to wedding attire, unreasonable delay of floral arrangements and even loss of wedding rings on the wedding day.

“We provide complimentary wedding insurance for all our clients if they engage our services, including photography and videography services, or if they engage our vendor services through us,” says Madam Adeline Tan, 30, founder and director of Adele Duxton.

“If the crew is supposed to report at a specific time and they are delayed by half an hour or more without a proper reason, we will submit an incident report to our insurance company.”

The payout depends on the severity of the damage caused by the delay.

The concept of wedding insurance is not new overseas.

In the UK, for example, it can cost between £30 (S$62) and £200.

One company here, Pacific Insurance Brokers, started its wedding insurance service last month and has already sold about 20 to 30 policies.

Mr Damian Yong, its content manager, says: “With more couples spending more on their weddings, they are looking to protect their investment.”

He says Pacific Insurance Brokers offers policies that could even pay out the full amount of the wedding cost in the event of a cancellation.

And what if the cancellation is a case of cold feet?

Mr Yong says with a laugh: “No policy will ever cover for such a reason.

“No way.”

This article was first published in The New Paper, on March 1, 2015. The image above was first featured in Her World Brides March – May 2015.