For the second consecutive year, service issues and vendor/venue bankruptcies remain the most frequent causes of wedding-day claims, according to Travelers.
According to claim data from the insurer, 62 percent of all wedding insurance claims from 2009 were the result of vendor and venue problems, a 19 percent increase in this category in comparison to a similar study Travelers released last year.
Mishaps with banquet facilities, caterers, photographers, and flower shops left some newlyweds without important wedding-day details. The most common vendor- and venue-related problems include the facility or vendor going out of business, flowers and photos not being delivered, DJs not showing up, and caterers not delivering what was promised.
Travelers' 2009 wedding claim information also indicated that weather-related problems -- such as the cancellation of the event or closing of a venue as a result of inclement weather -- accounted for 15 percent of claims.
Issues with the wedding attire, such as dress and tuxedo alteration problems, generated another 15 percent of wedding insurance claims. Other problems like the absence of key family members (parents or grandparents) as a result of sickness, untimely death, and travel delays, yielded the final eight percent of the wedding claims.
"With this and a recent report announcing a 63 percent increase in business bankruptcies in the past 12 months compared to 2008, it makes sense for couples to seriously consider the risk of vendor or venue bankruptcy when planning their wedding," said Chantal Cyr, vice president for Travelers Wedding Insurance. "Wedding-related businesses are as vulnerable as any other in today's economic environment."
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