Sites and Settings

Do We Need Wedding Site Insurance?

We just booked our wedding at a country club. In our excitement, I didn’t pay much attention to the liability clause. Essentially I am worried that the country club appears to be relinquishing all liability for injuries or property damage—even if their own people are responsible! Is this standard? Do we have any options to protect ourselves, such as getting some type of insurance?

Unfortunately, as the country has become more and more litigation-happy, almost all reception sites have started writing ”indemnity” clauses into their contracts, which protect them from responsibility for any damages or injuries that occur during your event. So if a waiter spills soup on a guest’s couture gown or someone breaks an arm doing the Macarena, you’ll be the one that people will look to for compensation (although hopefully Aunt Edith won’t actually sue you).

It pays to look over the contract thoroughly before you sign on the dotted line, and ask questions about any clauses that seem odd to you—especially anything that seems to indicate that the site is excusing itself from liability for what happens during your wedding.

You can try to renegotiate the contract—all it takes is crossing out the offending phrases and initialing them (though you have to get someone from the reception site to initial the changes, too). But if that fails, you’ll have to get some protection for yourself, or you could end up spending those wedding checks on legal fees.

First, check out any renter’s or homeowner’s insurance policies you or your parents have. Some policies will cover your personal liability for the wedding—including host liquor liability (which covers you if a guest injures someone while driving drunk).

At the very least, your insurance company may be able to add a rider to give you additional wedding-day coverage. You can also buy a special wedding insurance policy to cover special occasions. Among other things, they’ll cover your personal liability—including damage you inflict on the site (such as a rowdy guest who breaks a table).