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When planning a wedding reception, remember to consider liability insurance in case your guests start partying like rockstars.
Published on January 1, 2020
The bride and groom are introduced, dinner begins, the cake is cut, and the happy couple has their first dance-the wedding is going perfectly, just the way it should be. Until the real party starts...
It may begin when someone requests the Hokey Pokey, or Uncle Bob starts up a Conga Line – wedding guests start to have a few drinks and go to the dance floor to “cut loose.” This can be when things get a little crazy. Wedding guests often times use weddings as an opportunity to over-indulge, which can sometimes lead to property damage, or even worse, injuries.
“We’ve seen a lot of reception venues requiring their clients to get one-day liability insurance,” says Kerri Nguyen, Marketing Director at Markel event insurance. “But even if your venue does not require you to purchase liability coverage, it’s a very smart coverage to get for as little as $150.”
Each year, Markel sees numerous liability claims for things like damage to reception hall furnishings such as couches, mirrors, coffee tables – even toilets and landscaping. Markel also sees guest injury claims when someone slips, falls and gets injured at the event venue. The ultimate unfortunate liability claim is when an over-served wedding guest is involved in an auto accident on the way home. Not all liability claims are related to over-indulgence – Markel also sees claims such as spills on photography equipment or even damage to a floor when something heavy was moved over it.
“Approximately 80% of our event liability claims involve property damage to the wedding venue of some sort. The rest are related to personal injuries during the event.” Nguyen continues. “You never know what your guests are going to do at your reception, so it’s best to have peace of mind and know you are protected in case something does happen.”
Markel offers event liability insurance starting at $150 which includes host liquor liability coverage (coverage excluding the host liquor liability coverage starts at $75). Markel also offers event cancellation insurance to help protect you against other wedding nightmares such as extreme weather showing up on your big day, vendor bankruptcy, no-show vendors, and lost or stolen gifts. Event cancellation coverage starts as low as $130. Purchase both event liability and event cancellation coverage and save 15%!