Consultant Corner: Q&A

One of the first questions to ask a vendor (before) issuing a deposit is just that. "Do you have liability insurance?" Most venues require that outside vendors provide them with a copy of their insurance certificates. If the vendor does not have liability insurance you can ask your venue if an insurance waiver will suffice. If there are NO EXCEPTIONS, all is not lost. There are insurance companies that provide liability insurance on a per event bases. Some brides and grooms will even add their vendor to their home insurance (I don't suggest that).

Bottom line: if your venue requires all outside contractors to have liability insurance and your contracted vendor does not have it, they will not be able to service your event. For example, your DJ doesn't have insurance = your event will not have music. As the saying goes, "Its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it".