Why do bridal shops need insurance?
A customer trips over a dress
Dress shopping is one of the dreamiest parts of wedding preparation for most, but even during such a magical event, unexpected incidents can occur. Perhaps a customer, admiring your dress selection, trips over a trailing gown and falls, injuring their knee. Or they might slip while trying on a dress with a long train.
The customer could claim for their injury, seeking compensation for medical expenses or lost income. The right insurance can help cover the related compensation and legal defence costs, protecting your business.
An employee gets injured at work
Regardless of your commitment to creating a safe working environment, accidents can happen. One of your employees might strain their back while lifting a heavy box of stock, trip over gown trails while arranging displays, or injure themselves while using pins and needles for alterations.
The right insurance can offer peace of mind and protection against work-related employee injury claims, helping to cover potential compensation and legal defence costs.
Flooding damages the stock
Wedding dresses, bridesmaid gowns, and accessories are expensive. Protecting your inventory can help ensure your business runs smoothly and continues to serve brides-to-be.
Unforeseen events, such as flooding and fire, can disrupt operations and damage your inventory. A burst pipe could ruin dozens of expensive wedding gowns, or an electrical fire could destroy delicate fabrics and accessories. The right insurance can help cover repair or replacement costs, minimising disruptions to your business and helping you get back to serving customers.
What insurance is available for bridal shops?
Public liability insurance
Your shop welcomes a diverse range of customers, including excited brides and their families. Public liability insurance can support you if a member of the public claims they were injured as a result of your work. For example, a customer slips on a trailing dress or trips over a display.
In this case, public liability insurance can help to cover potential compensation and legal defence costs if someone takes action against your business.
Employers' liability insurance
From lifting heavy boxes and managing inventory to steaming delicate fabrics and altering wedding dresses, bridal shop work can be physically demanding. This creates various risks for workplace injuries. Employers’ liability insurance can help to support your business if an employee of yours claims for a work-related illness or injury.
This insurance is legally required (external link) for most businesses, even if you only occasionally hire staff.
Business contents insurance
Business contents insurance can help to protect your bridal shop and its stock against the unexpected. Someone might break in and steal your designer wedding gowns, or a flood could damage your stock beyond repair. A burst pipe could ruin your steaming equipment or destroy delicate fabrics.
Business contents insurance can protect bridal shops against costs resulting from accidents, theft, fire, and water damage. This coverage can help your business get back on its feet and serving soon-to-be brides after an unanticipated incident.
If you’re not sure what you need, tell us a little more about your bridal shop business. We’ll build your quote, and we’ll help you explore any other insurance needs.
Build my coverInsurance for bridal shops: FAQs
Does insurance for bridal shops cover goods in transit?
Business contents insurance can cover the cost of repairing or replacing equipment and stock kept in your bridal shop if it’s lost, damaged, or stolen. This includes cover for the contents while they are temporarily away from your shop for repair or at an employee’s home or a promotional event. However, it does not include cover for goods in transit for the purposes of delivery or items which are normally used away from your shop, such as laptops. To cover those items, you need to buy cover for property away and in transit.
Is business insurance tax-deductible for a bridal shop?
Business insurance premiums are typically tax-deductible as ‘allowable expenses’ for bridal shops in the UK. This includes professional indemnity, public liability, and business contents insurance.
You may need to keep a record of your business expenses (external link), including a copy of your business insurance policy documents, as evidence for HMRC if they conduct a check.
Can I get covered for cancelled wedding dress orders?
Standard business insurance typically doesn’t cover lost income from cancelled orders.
However, business interruption insurance can help cover your financial losses if an insured event (such as a flood) interrupts your business operations. This cover is only available if you also buy contents insurance from us.
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