Insuring your wedding dress with home contents cover
Your wedding dress will likely be the most expensive piece of clothing you ever wear, so you’ll want to know it’s protected from the moment you buy it. Find out what cover your home insurance could offer in the run up to the big day and beyond.
Your wedding dress will likely be the most expensive piece of clothing you ever wear, so you’ll want to know it’s protected from the moment you buy it. Find out what cover your home insurance could offer in the run up to the big day and beyond.
Why might I want insurance for my wedding dress?
Wedding dresses don’t come cheap. According to Hitched’s National Wedding Survey, the average bride forks out a whopping £1,313 on a dress for the big day. But that’s just the average, many women shell out thousands of pounds, particularly if they want a designer look.
That’s an expensive single item to have hanging in your wardrobe. So it’s vital to make sure you’re financially protected should things go wrong either before or after the big day.
Can I get wedding dress insurance?
Yes, specialist wedding insurance will cover your wedding dress. But you may well be covered by your home insurance policy too, so it’s important to check and compare.
Wedding insurance will typically cover you for a lost, stolen or damaged wedding dress from when the policy is taken out until a set period from the start of the ceremony.
As well as your dress, these specialist policies could cover a variety of unforeseen events, including having to cancel your wedding under certain circumstances as well as any loss of deposit if a supplier goes bust.
When you’re choosing a policy, make sure it includes all the aspects of your wedding that you want to cover – not just your dress. Think about your wedding rings too, all those flowers and what you’d do if the photographer went bust.
You can’t currently compare wedding insurance with us, but a quick online search can help you find options.
Does my home contents insurance cover my wedding dress?
Typically yes, your contents insurance will cover your wedding dress while it’s in your home and the cover won’t run out straight after the wedding either. But there’s a couple of things you need to consider:
- What’s the value of your dress? Home insurance policies have a single-item limit. This is the maximum they will pay out for any unspecified item. If your dress cost more than this limit you’ll need to contact your insurer and ask for it to be listed separately.
- Do you need your dress covered outside of the house – at the ceremony and reception? Your contents policy will protect your dress while its hanging in the wardrobe, but you may well want it to be covered while you’re wearing it too. Ask your insurance provider if it’s possible for your policy to cover it on the big day itself. If not, you’ll need to look for specialist insurance.
As a general rule, insurance providers will make a deduction in value for items of clothing as they’re worn and depreciate in value over time. It’s worth checking your policy to see what deduction would be made for your dress.
If someone else will be looking after your dress before the wedding, make sure they’ll be covered by their own home insurance.
What does wedding dress insurance cover?
With specialist wedding insurance, your wedding dress will typically be covered for loss or damage for a set time period before and after the wedding, as well as on the big day itself.
The time periods after the wedding can vary between a few hours to a couple of days. So you may want to think about when your dress will be stashed safely back at home.
Wedding insurance could cover a hired bridal outfit too.
Top tipWhen looking at wedding insurance policies look for the phrase wedding attire or ceremonial attire to see how your outfit will be financially protected. Don’t just look for wedding dress – the policy will cater for all tastes and traditions. |
Do I need to list my wedding dress as a specific item on my insurance policy?
You’ll need to list your wedding dress separately if it’s worth more than the single-item limit.
That’s the maximum the policy will pay out for any item not listed individually. Single-item limits are typically around £1,000 to £1,500 but they vary between policies so make sure you check yours.
If your dress did cost more than the single-item limit, contact your insurance provider and they’ll list it separately. It might cost you a few pounds more but you’ll have the peace of mind that it’s properly protected.
Is my dress insured outside of the home?
Your contents insurance normally only protects your possessions at home. However, you can normally add personal possessions cover to your policy for protection away from home. This will make sure your wedding dress is still insured when you’re wearing it on the big day. You may also be able to arrange personal possessions cover for other items, such as your engagement ring, wedding rings, phones and cameras.
Should I let my insurance provider know that I’m getting married?
If you’re likely to have more high value items at home in the run up to the wedding – for example, wedding clothes for you and the whole bridal party – it could be worth contacting your insurance provider to tell them you’re getting married.
Some insurance providers will increase the value of your contents cover for the period around your wedding.
But you might also need to think about increasing your cover for the long term too. Your wedding rings, not to mention all those wedding gifts, will likely have significantly increased the value of your home contents.
These items could soon add up and you wouldn’t want to find yourself underinsured.
Providers also need to know if you’re changing your name.
How can I compare contents insurance?
There are some things you won’t be able to do anything about on the big day – like the weather and the best man’s speech. But making sure your wedding dress and other valuables are covered will give you peace of mind. Use our home insurance comparison tool today.
Anna McEntee – Home, travel and pet insurance expert
Anna’s all about delivering fantastic insurance products at a great price. Value is the most important thing for Anna, as she cuts through the jargon and finds what’s most important and worth your hard-earned money.
Rachel Lacey - Insurance and money expert
Rachel’s a self-confessed money nerd who’s been writing about personal finance for more than 20 years. She spent 17 years writing for Moneywise, including a few years as Editor, and likes making complicated subjects like insurance, pensions, investing and tax, easy for people to understand.