When Dan Gerecht bought a wedding insurance policy for hisdaughter Yvonne's big day last year, he did it because the eventwas scheduled during hurricane season and he was worried thatweather might force them to cancel.

But it turned out the Gerechts needed the policy for a differentreason: The venue, the Winery at Elk Manor in North East, Maryland,shut down just two months before Yvonne's 2016 Labor Day wedding,Gerecht says. They found themselves scrambling for a new location —and out the $30,000 Gerecht had already paid to Elk Manor.

Vendors who can't fulfill contracts are the most common cause ofwedding insurance claims. Here's how insurancecan help.

Wedding disaster No. 1: Vendor fails

Vendor issues, like the venue going out of business, make up 30percent of wedding insurance claim dollars — the largest share —paid by Travelers Insurance. Wedding insurance policieswill often reimburse you if you have to book a last-minute vendoror reschedule the wedding if a vendor backs out.

Gerecht says he was tipped off that something was awry when thecaterer emailed and told him the venue hadn't paid as promised.Fortunately, the $355 policy he'd bought from Travelers covered thevenue closing.

Wedding insurance “is such a small cost compared to what youcould lose if something goes wrong,” says Anne Chertoff, wedding trends expert at WeddingWire.

The Gerechts were lucky; they found another venue for the sameday. “Some families sued [the venue], but thankfully we didn't haveto” because we had wedding insurance, Gerecht says.

Wedding disaster No. 2: Someone gets injured

Weddings are fun. Often they're so much fun that someone getshurt. If there's an injury at your wedding, you could be heldliable — and that's what wedding liability insurance is for.Wedding liability insurance is typically a separate policy fromcancellation insurance, though they can be purchased in abundle.

Related: 4 insurance musts for couples gettingmarried — or divorced

“As you might expect, we do see many injuries that occur on thedance floor,” says Steve Lauro, vice president at Aon Affinity, parent company of WedSafe, a seller of wedding insurance. Among claimsto WedSafe, 28 percent are for injuries or accidents that occur atweddings.

In some cases, you could also be held liable if someone drinkstoo much and causes an accident. Liquor liability coverage may besold as add-on coverage for wedding liability policies or includedat no charge.

Get references from weddings vendors and ask the referenceswhat their experiences were like. (Photo:Shutterstock)

Wedding disaster No. 3: Extreme weather

When you're booking the venue months beforehand, you cross yourfingers and hope for good weather. Of wedding claims to Travelers,16 percent of dollars paid out are due to extreme weather.

Coverage typically doesn't include a rain shower or a blusteryday that might ruin your party's updos, because the wedding canstill go on. But if there's a tornado, hurricane or otherdestructive weather that prevents guests or vendors from arriving,a cancellation policy pays for costs to reschedule.

Wedding disaster No. 4: Medical emergency

If someone close to you gets sick or injured right before yourwedding, the last thing you want to worry about is the money lostcanceling or rescheduling the event.

If the bride, groom, their parents or someone in the weddingparty is sick or injured shortly before the wedding and can't makeit, cancellation policies typically cover the costs to reschedule.These represented about 6 percent of wedding cancellation claims toWedSafe in 2016, Lauro says.

Wedding disaster No. 5: Lost or ruined attire

Attire represents just 2 percent of wedding claim dollars paidby Travelers. However, tuxes and gowns are such an important partof weddings that they are commonly included in wedding cancellationpolicies.

Avoiding vendor issues

Chertoff recommends getting references from recent weddings thatvendor has done and asking the references what their experienceswere like.

Lauro recommends that you get all agreements in writing, readcontracts thoroughly and check vendors on the Better BusinessBureau.

Gerecht says the wedding insurance policy “was a greatinvestment.” And he's already purchased another one: He has anotherdaughter getting married this year.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originallypublished by USA Today. Lacie Glover is a staff writer atNerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: [email protected]. Twitter:@LacieWrites. The article Wedding gone wrong? Insurance could help set things rightoriginally appeared on NerdWallet.