There’s only one thing that wedding planners can’t control at your wedding, and that’s the weather. Sometimes I wish I had a button that would make the skies clear up and the sun shine through the clouds, but that’s not the case! I’ve been a wedding planner for the past 11 years, and this year has been the first one in my career that I’ve had to face a hurricane. Thank goodness I did not have a wedding planned for the weekend that Hurricane Irene reached Puerto Rico. Instead, I was staying at one of my favorite resorts for some much-needed R&R with some friends that flew in from Massachusetts.

This is where I saw El Conquistador Resort, located in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, perform its contingency plan to protect their guests and property from the hurricane. Everyone, including the general manager, was committed to the security and safety of the guests. Boats were secured on the dock and outdoor furniture that could turn into a potential hazard once the winds picked up was stored safely away. The hotel staff transformed the main lobby into a lounge for guests to mingle and chat. A conference room was turned into a movie theater with a popcorn machine and some crafting tables for guests with kids. Luckily, no one was getting married that weekend, but I began to wonder what the procedure was when such occurrences arise.

According to the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), hurricane season is officially from June 1 to November 30. There’s a “very peaked season from August to October, ” and the pinnacle of hurricane season is early to mid-September. Thus, six months out of the year are considered hurricane season in the Atlantic.

Destination weddings always call for a Plan B. I figured that even if there was inclement weather, Plan B would be utilized, but I wasn’t sure when the hotel would cancel or postpone the wedding. I interviewed Yajaira Hernandez, the catering manager at El Conquistador Resort, and she explained the steps the hotel takes in order to continue with a wedding celebration. The weather call for hurricanes is made much earlier than with typical rain forecasts. Once Plan B is chosen the hotel notifies the couple and asks if all guests are on the property or if there are some who have had flights cancelled. If any flights are cancelled the couple may choose to postpone the wedding until the weather clears and guests arrive. The hotel does not charge any fees for postponing the wedding or for guests who arrive on a date later than expected because of adverse weather conditions.

I always advise my clients to buy wedding insurance when planning a destination wedding and to choose a resort that has hurricane guarantees. For some brides their wedding is not only an investment but years of saving money to have what they’ve envisioned since they were little girls. Why not buy wedding insurance? For just a couple of hundred dollars you can get a policy that can give you peace of mind.

I researched and found The Wedding Protector Plan®, which is offered by Travelers Insurance. This plan makes a distinction between a rainy day and truly severe or catastrophic weather, such as a hurricane. If catastrophic weather causes you to cancel or postpone your wedding, the insurer will reimburse you for non-recoverable expenses. While many other event-insurance providers have high deductibles, The Wedding Protector Plan® has no deductible with their liability insurance coverage.

What Wedding Insurance Policies Typically Cover
(Be sure to read the fine print of your policy to make sure they cover these things!)

• Weather: Your policy should cover the cost of rescheduling if your celebration has to be postponed because of rain or other bad weather.
• Illness or Injury: The expenses involved with that postponement are covered if essential people get sick or injured and cause the wedding to be postponed.
• A Missing Officiant: You’ll recoup some of your costs if your minister, justice of the peace, rabbi or other celebrant should be a no-show.
• Missing Vendors: Similarly, you’ll recover some costs and possibly the costs of rescheduling the whole thing if your caterer, florist, photographer, or other key vendor is missing in action.
• Your Location: Your wedding-insurance policy can cover damage to the site by fire, electrical or mechanical problems, or a company going out of business, all of which may cause you to lose money or reschedule if your ceremony and reception sites don’t already carry their own insurance.