Congratulations! You are engaged to be married and the mere thought brings joy and happiness and plenty of smiles to both of you, your parents, family and friends.

General planning for the big day takes a lot of time and energy – not to mention money. Expenses include limo, wedding attire, florist fees, photographer costs and all the price tags attached to renting the banquet hall, catering, liquor bar, band, DJ, and so much, much more. This, after all, will be the party to remember: the celebration of when two souls became bound to honor, love and share life.

Everything that goes into the preparation involves another factor – fun and excited anticipation. But the fun and eagerness can soon be replaced with genuine disappointment along with financial loss if things do not go as initially conceived. Even happy occasions are subject to accidents and failure. So what do the bride and groom do to avoid the unexpected pitfalls that can crop up?

The answer, like practically everything involving risk exposure for the homeowner, auto driver, business owner and family person is insurance coverage. And yes, there is insurance to protect your special wedding day.

How does this special form of indemnity protect you?

The following insurance claim examples will serve to illustrate just that.

• Property Damage

The best man completely forgot about blowing out the burning candle in the groom’s room. This, unfortunately resulted in a fire that partially damaged the walls and floors of the rented ballroom.

• Cancellation Coverage

The bride’s family booked the banquet hall approximately two years ago. In the interim, the establishment was facing financial difficulty, prompting an eventual bankruptcy. The hall closed down before the wedding date.

• Jewelry Coverage

The groom thought he had placed the bride’s wedding band in the black velvet lined ring box. Yet when he opened the box, he discovered it was gone.

• Medical Payments

The lively music was the perfect accompaniment to an energetic waltz round. Unfortunately, the bride’s dad outdid himself with the steps. The slippery floor did not help matters either when he began to lose balance and fell. The misstep resulted in a broken leg and immediate surgery to correct the injury.

• Food or beverage Liability

Something was terribly wrong with one entree selection offered to guests at the meal. Five wedding guests landed in the hospital for food poisoning after ingesting the spiced corned beef following the wedding celebration.