Wedding Risk Management Pt. II

(Note: See yesterday's post for Pt. I)

The hosts of the wedding -- e.g., the bride, the groom, the parents, or anyone whose names appear on the wedding invitation -- have both a legal responsibility to the guests to plan and maintain a safe and secure wedding environment. Also, the more assets the hosts own, for example a home, a car, a business, or investments, the greater the risk when hosting an event.

That puts a whole new spin on planning a wedding, right? Who knew there was so much potential for disaster! The good news is that liability coverage will protect you and your assets. Within the general liability coverage, you should consider what's called "Broad Form Comprehensive General Liability Endorsement." This is an amendment to your general liability policy that provides extensions or varies the terms of coverage provided. It also expands your general liability policy to cover other areas you think you'll need protection in, like fire legal liability (if you're using fireworks or candles), which protects against claims for fire damage to the wedding venue caused by your negligence.

However, Joyce added that if your wedding reception is at a venue that requires a "Certificate of Insurance," this is different from general liability and may be required in your wedding venue contract. Sometimes venue contracts will detail the type and limits of insurance that must be in force by both parties. And some wedding venue contracts will require copies of "Certificate of Insurance" naming the wedding reception site as insured up to $2 million per occurrence. However, keep in mind that many venues do not require their clients to obtain this type of insurance.


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Wedding Glossary Pt. IV

Like we said, knowing your stuff when planning a wedding is incredibly important. What you don't know can hurt you in this case because unscrupulous wedding vendors will look for any way to scam a bride or groom who isn't up on the common wedding jargon. You can protect yourself from most wedding scams by educating yourself -- knowing how much things cost, the way vendors handle bills, and the common vocabulary wedding professionals use.

Here is part IV of our comprehensive wedding glossary. Stay tuned for the rest, which will appear in upcoming entries!

Father of the Bride
Dad used to pay for everything, but these days brides and grooms are footing more of the bill. He will still typically escort the bride down the aisle, but he may not... it depends on the bride.

Favors
These are small, inexpensive gifts that are frequently given to all guests at a wedding reception as a thank you for attendance. They can also to serve as a souvenir.

Fiancé
This is the title of the groom or husband-to-be between the engagement and the wedding.

Fiancée
This is the title of the bride between her engagement to her betrothed and the wedding day.

Finger Tip (veil)
One of the most popular lengths of veil, which as the name suggests, extends to the fingertips.

Fish Bowl
A reception centerpiece in which flowers are arranged together in an ornate or otherwise low and broad glass bowl.

Flower Girls or Flower Children
These are small children (usually girls) who pave the way down the aisle for the bride by holding a pomander or scattering flower petals from a small basket. (See Pomander).

Flyaway (veil)
This is a many layered veil that will barely brush the shoulder.

Fondant
This is a sweet icing made from sugar, syrup, and gelatin that has supple qualities that enable a layer to be draped over the wedding cake like fabric. It is then used as the base for other elaborate decorations and designs. 3D cake decor (bows, birds, etc.) is also frequently made of fondant.

Fountain (veil)
This is the name of a veil style in which part is gathered up atop the bride's head and the remainder is set loose to fall around her face. A fountain veil will reach to either the shoulder or the elbow, depending on preference.

Ganache
This is a mixture of chocolate and cream, used either to fill or garnish a wedding cake.

Garlands
These are flower and/or green leaves twirled into ropes or loops that can be hung from doorways, stairs, and railings. A garland may also be worn by the bride as a headpiece. (See Wreath).

Groom's Cake
A smaller, second cake that may or may not be included in the wedding ceremony. If it is, then it may be served at the rehearsal dinner instead of at the reception. Groom's cakes are often more whimsical than traditional wedding cakes and can reflect the interests of the groom.

Wedding Statistics from American Bridal

If you haven't already guessed by now, we're serious wedding voyeurs over at Smart Wedding Planning. If someone invites us to a wedding, we go. If someone asks us to look at their wedding photos, we do. Slides? We'll watch them gladly? You want us to have a copy of your wedding DVD? Yes, please! Basically, we're interested in anything and everything having to do with weddings, from who is having them to how much money they're spending. Hey, everyone has a hobby, right? Weddings are just our thing.

So imagine how tickled pink we were when we received word that American Bridal's yearly wedding survey results were finally in! Now we could see just how the weddings we've been to lately measure up to the average. When it came to excerpting it, we just couldn't decide what to include, so the full results are below:

Most (90%) are doing the planning themselves, with help from family and friends, and not hiring a professional wedding planner.

Since budgets are a concern for many, It looks like there’s a major spread in wedding budgets. About 25% are planning a wedding on a budget of less than $10,000, while 25% have wedding budgets over $25,001. The remaining 50% are somewhere in between, with 38% reporting in the range of $10,001 to $20,000.

“Location, location, location” as the saying goes, and roughly a quarter (25%) are having the reception at a hotel, and 10% have opted to host their nuptials at a country club. About 6% of couples selected a destination wedding, while a majority (55%) reported they are finding another type of venue to rent for the event and reception.

Size matters for this year’s brides, and by that we mean the size of the wedding party. Most couples (48%) will have between 5 to 8 people, while 37% of respondents have 9 or more bridesmaids and attendants. The trend seems to lean toward larger, more inclusive wedding parties, which leads us to the number of invited guests. Nearly 40% report they will have a guest count of more than 200 and 14% say their total guest count is under 100. A good 34% are inviting 100 to 150 guests.

As for cutting costs and wedding budgets, 68% said they’ve lowered their budgets by $1,000 or less. However, the small cuts they are making may not have a big impact on the actual wedding. Items that brides generally won’t skimp on are wedding gowns, photography and wedding rings.

When asked more specifically about what they would and would not change, most are not significantly altering music, location, reception style, or dress. Instead, they are more likely to adjust the cost of invitations, wedding favors, bridal accessories and gifts for the bridal party (combined, 46% of respondents said they would make changes in these 3 areas).

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Destination Weddings

Have you already nixed the idea of getting married in a fabulously exotic locale? It may be time to reconsider the destination wedding! While getting married in another state (or even another country) sounds complicated, it can actually be a lot simpler than planning a wedding in your hometown.

Don't believe me? Consider these major destination wedding pros:

• No responsibilities...almost. Most destination weddings that take place at resorts are handled by in-house wedding coordinators, so you don't have to worry about anything other than choosing colors, choosing a cake, and showing up.

• A destination wedding typically involves fewer guests, so there's not as much pressure to invite everyone from your third cousin to your mom's chiropractor.

• While a regular wedding can feel like a feel overwhelming, the pace of a destination wedding is usually a lot more relaxed. Most brides and grooms stay at their chosen destination for a few days before and after the wedding, so the wedding becomes a vacation...or the honeymoon!

If you do go the destination wedding route, you may encounter resistance from family and friends who either wish they were invited or are invited, but don't think they'll be able to attend. Traveling for a wedding can involve taking time off, spending money on travel and accommodations, and coordinating babysitting and pet-sitting. Don't be surprised if some of your guests just can't make it. If you look at the "Declines with regrets" cards realistically and don't take it personally, your destination wedding will be a lot less stressful.

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