/>What were you doing on this day, September 13th in 2008? If you were like most Houstonians you were probably assessing the damage from Hurricane Ike. And right now you’re probably thinking, here we go, we’re about to get a lecture on the importance of flood insurance. While the merits of flood insurance are huge and we would be remiss if we did not educate our clients as to its benefits, that’s not what I’m talking about today.
Today we’re talking about two things: business interruption insurance and wedding insurance.
For my husband and I, September 13, 2008 was not only the day Hurricane Ike made an appearance; it was also supposed to be our wedding day.
We spent the dawning hours of that day huddled with my family in a hallway weathering the storm. We had cancelled the wedding two or three days earlier. It was all a blur – quite literally from all the tears that were shed over the course of the week.
My husband and I weren’t the only ones who had our wedding canceled that day. Brides across the greater Houston Area and surrounding counties were devastated. Fortunately for my husband and I, our losses were minimal.
Unfortunately, this was not the case for many Houston Area brides. Some wedding and reception facilities were not prepared for a hurricane and actually closed down for good due to Hurricane Ike. Deposits were not refunded and the wedding of their dreams was either downgraded immensely or indefinitely put on hold.
If you’re a business owner, this is where Business Interruption Insurance really comes into play. Not only does it keep you afloat, it gives you the ability to continue serving your clients in the future.
If you’re a bride and you’ve invested significantly in The Big Day, consider purchasing wedding insurance. It can help safeguard your wedding – maybe not the day, but at least what you’ve invested in the event.
We did get married – it was just two weeks later than expected. And it was beautiful!
Here’s what I learned: many experience tragedies much worse than a ruined wedding day and certainly the investment in the marriage is more important than the investment in the wedding.
But here’s what I know from personal experience: do NOT tell a bride the above truths on the day her wedding is canceled! It doesn’t matter how easy going she has been throughout the preparations, there is a good chance her inner Bridezilla may come out!