Destination Wedding Insurance: Why You Still Need Wedding Insurance  

What do Bali, Thailand and Fiji have in common? Or Queenstown, Hawaii or the Mediterranean?

Chances are, if you’ve been to one of these places, you’ve been there for a wedding.

Especially Fiji, where one study found that 49% of foreigners marrying there were Aussies.

We get asked many questions about getting married overseas, and there is a lot of ground to cover.

Let’s do it.

Why do some Australians opt to marry overseas?

There are plenty of reasons some of us choose to marry overseas.

The most cited, however, is cost.

According to ASIC, the average cost of a wedding in Australia in 2024 ranged between $36,000 and $51,000, and there is no denying it: that is a lot of shekels.

Jump on a four-hour flight to Nadi, a short car ride later, and you’re standing on the sand in front of one of Fiji’s many postcard-perfect resorts.

From there, a wedding comparable to what you might have planned in Melbourne will cost less. Much less.

The venue, staff, food and grog.

Of course, new costs are associated with marrying overseas, such as travel and accommodation – especially for guests – though the fundamental marriage cost is typically much lower for the couple.

And anyway, you and your friends and family are jetting off for a week to get married. How good is that?! Especially if you ticked, say, Venice as the destination.

And here we have another top reason Australians opt to marry overseas.

Nobody doesn’t look forward to a week of eating, drinking and partying. If you’re going to tie the knot, go all in and take the closest with you to Bali.

Of course, some Australian couples marry overseas because of family or heritage. If your partner is from the UK and their family is predominantly based there, you might find yourself getting married there.

Some couples marry at a particular destination because it means something to them.

The beach in Brazil where they first met. The South of France, where they backpacked for a summer.

And of course, some Australians marry overseas to control their weddings’ numbers and size because nothing culls the number of fourth cousins more than a wedding thirteen hours away.

For whatever reason, more and more Australians are choosing to tie the knot in a country other than Australia, and who are we to argue?

What is destination wedding insurance?

In simple terms, destination wedding insurance is travel insurance.

Destination wedding insurance covers all those things you would expect from travel insurance.

Typically, that would include:

• Overseas medical and emergency dental expenses cover.
• Some COVID-19 cover.
• Additional expenses cover.
• Amendment and cancellation costs cover.
• Luggage and documents cover.
• Delayed luggage cover.
• Money cover.
• Rental vehicle insurance excess cover.
• Travel delay cover.
• Resumption of journey cover.
• Special events cover.
• Hospital incidentals cover.
• Hijacking cover.
• Loss of income cover.
• Cover for disability cover.
• Accidental death cover.
• Personal liability cover.
• Medical and dental expenses cover.

Why would I decide to take out destination wedding insurance?

Our advice here is general, though you would decide to take out destination travel insurance for the same reason you would take out travel insurance.

Because flights get cancelled, bags get lost, and medical care can be expensive where your Medicare card isn’t accepted.

You’re travelling to your overseas wedding, and you want peace of mind that in the event of a mishap or cancellation or trip to the doctor, your expenses are covered.

Does destination wedding insurance cover my wedding?

Generally, no.

There may well be policies that cover your travel and wedding insurance needs, though we have yet to find them.

Sure, if your wedding dress is lost in transit, destination wedding insurance would cover the cost, though this would happen whether you lost your wedding dress or your favourite pool-side slides.

This is not to discount why you would consider destination wedding insurance.

This is merely to state that destination wedding insurance does not cover the costs associated with your wedding. You are responsible for those costs: the costs associated with a wedding postponement, the costs associated with a wedding supplier failing to deliver, and the costs associated with replacing the tray of plates the best man knocked over on his way to the bathroom.

Can Wedsure insure my overseas wedding?

Unfortunately not.

We cover all states and territories in Australia, though we only insure Australian weddings in Australia.

And look, we’re biased when it comes to it.

Though have you considered getting married in front of the Big Banana?

Or at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge?

You simply can’t do that in Fiji or Venice.