Thank You Vets | We don't deserve your sacrifice.

Thank you Veterans

Hero, sacrifice, brave, are just some of the words that we use to describe our men and women in the armed forces. Sometimes I feel ashamed to use these words because they  do not even come close to properly describing, who these amazing people are, what they have given up on a daily basis and what they have to push past physically, mentally, and emotionally every day to protect this nation.

  

A special thank you to each and every one of those who have fallen asleep back to back with another soldier to only be startled awake by gunfire, to those who came face to face with a 10 year old strapped with explosives, to those who have literally taken bullets for this country, to those who have lost limbs, to those who have come home mentally unstable, to those who lost a friends in the line of duty, to those who have come face to face  with death with no time to mourn but to keep fighting, to those who cannot celebrate the 4^th of July because of flashbacks, to those who walked into the recruiting office, to those who were recycled and didn't give up. I thank you.

 I thank the person who keeps the house together while our soldiers are gone, to those men and women who become mommy AND daddy for the 1 month to the many years that the other is away, to the ones who have received the dreadful phone call, to the ones who received the news that your soldiers tour has been extended. To the wives that are always rooting for their husbands, to the husbands that are always rooting for their wives, not just on Veterans Day but every day they are gone. I say thank you to the spouses who stayed faithful for the many years your significant other was away.

We do not deserve your sacrifice; we do not appreciate what you do for us; because we take it for granted. We do not help the handicapped vet, we look away when a vet has a mental breakdown. While you’re getting shot at over there we are here complaining about how our cell phones do not work. While your dragging your wounded soldier friend to safety, we are on our gaming systems shooting at others for entertainment, While your over there finding out that your wife has left you, we are over hear sleeping with her. While you fight to help us keep our freedoms, we are over here destroying them.  I apologize for my part in this.

I thank each and every one of you. 

Marc

Wedding Insurance

Got Wedding Insurance?

    Beautiful Dress, Sharp Tuxes, a breathtaking venue, and 200 of your favorite friends and family surrounding you with love, Happiness and best wishes, by the title I can see you have guessed what is missing! Wedding Insurance.

  As Dad always said, insurance is something that you always have but hope you never use. However  much like Car insurance, homeowners Insurance, Liability Insurance and Legal Protections, when the insurance claim is filed and you are in indemnified the monthly payment going forward does not seem so bad. 

 Having proper wedding insurance can help in the situation like the this:

  As a wedding Vendor and a Company owner (who consults and provides services to many other wedding vendors) I have been shocked to find that there are very few vendors recommending wedding insurance and many that are recommending the insurance are sending our brides and grooms in the WRONG direction. When diving into this I have found that many who do have "wedding insurance"  are going about it in the wrong way which are leaving claims to be denied and the insurance becomes "pointless"

In the words of shark tank celebrity Mr. Wonderful also known as Kevin O'learly

First off let's review wedding insurance and break down generally what is covered.

 No Dress. You can get repair or replacement cost if the bride’s wedding gown or groom’s tuxedo is lost or damaged.

• Lost Deposits. You can be reimbursed your deposit if a vendor goes out of business, declares bankruptcy before your wedding, or simply fails to show up.

• Lost Rings. You can receive repair or replacement cost if the bride or groom’s wedding bands are lost or damaged.

• Severe Weather. If severe weather (such as a hurricane) forces you to postpone your wedding, we can provide reimbursement for non-recoverable expenses. 

• Cancellation / Postponement of the event can provide coverage for certain deposits, Example:  if the venue suddenly goes out of business and is inaccessible or sudden illness prevents the honorees, parents, grandparents or children of honorees from attending, or an honoree is unexpectedly called to duty. 

• Additional Expenses: Coverage for certain unexpected expenses you have to incur in order to avoid a cancellation or postponement of your wedding. For example, if a caterer or transportation company suddenly becomes unavailable for your event and you can find a last minute replacement, this coverage can reimburse you for the difference in the cost. 
  
  

• Event Photographs & Video can provide coverage in the event your photographer’s film is defective or photos are lost or damaged. For example if your photographer fails to show up, or loses your photos from your wedding. 

• Event Gifts can provide coverage if your gifts are damaged. For example, if your gifts are somehow damaged while on display at the event, this coverage can reimburse you for repair or replacement cost.

• Special Attire can provide coverage if the honoree’s event attire is lost or damaged. For example, if you’re traveling to your destination event and the airline loses your event attire, this coverage can reimburse you for the replacement attire.
• Liability and Liquor Liability are available as well and are nearly a must at every venue.

The Do's of wedding insurance:

DO  pay for Wedding Insurance, do not be cheap and go with the lowest rate. In many cases higher rates lead to better policies and coverage. $500-$1000 to insure your $30,000 wedding is not much to ask.

DO Think of your wedding insurance as one of your wedding vendors and allocate the insurance a certain portion of the budget just like you would a florist, DJ, Caterer, Etc. I call wedding insurance the "8th vendor" on average weddings have 7 vendors. Some more Some less. Usually a wedding has: A venue, florist, Entertainment (DJ/Band), Photographer, Officiant, Coordinator/Planner, and caterer. Wedding insurance is the most important vendor you can have.  All of these vendors are important components to a wedding, however the Insurance provides the assurance if something goes wrong, it can financially be made right, and most likely the determining factor that if you had to replace one of the other 7 vendors you could afford to have a good and quality replacement, instead of setting for what the budget can now afford. 

DO research the company that you may use for your wedding insurance company. Try to find local testimonials, from couples who actually have had to file a claim.

Now it's time to put you on the right path and when I say do not use your personal, or business, insurance company to provide your wedding day insurance.  One of the most common places that vendors that I have talked to across the country send there client is there homeowners insurance provider. Some providers will do this, knowing that the chance of getting is a claim is rare. 

The problems with the having your home owners insurance company do provide your wedding day insurance is many are not "geared" properly for if something should happen. Many time you will have the insurance to cover property damage but you will find that alcohol related accidents are actually exclusions under the policy. 

In some cases they may add a rider to the existing homeowner policy, or just raise your policy limits for the weekend. What happens when you claim on this is the same thing that happens when you claim an accident on your car insurance, often times your premiums will skyrocket after a claim. 

I also suggest working with wedding insurance companies like travelers who are designed for weddings and events. unlike your homeowners policy and agents, Travelers knows weddings inside and out. They are prepared for the claims that a homeowners insurance company wouldn't be prepared for such as vendor no shows. They actually are designed to help the clients and are not shy and afraid of claims. They process claims quickly instead of looking for reasons not to process claims. 

These are third party companies not connected to any of your existing insurance policies that do not raise the rates when you have a claim because it is a single use policy. Your covered for your event and then the policy is finished. also there is next to zero underwriting, meaning your approved in the amount of time that it takes to fill out the application. No Hoops to jump through and many times the process is so simple you will find you won't even have to talk with an agent. however if you do they are knowledgeable in the area of weddings and understand the wedding "lingo" and processes-es. 

Thanks for reading

Marc Brooks 

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