It won't cover you should your fiancé run off with the maid of honor, but it will help if the caterer takes off with your cash or your wedding reception turns into a drunken mess.

(File Photo)

Right now the biggest national trend in weddings has nothing to do with the bride's dress, and everything to do with protecting your investment. More couples than ever before are saying 'I do' to wedding insurance.

Brigitt Whitescarver, of Gales Creek Insurance Services in Portland, says the demand for wedding insurance has increased, four-fold.

"It has really been a big focus for the last two to three years."

She says the most common claims involve property damage and alcohol related accidents.

"The owner of the facility is saying we've got wine on our couches, a door pulled off the hinges... or we've gone 8-9 months down the road someone says 'someone drank too much at your wedding and hurt someone so we'd like you to pay for that."

She says, if you've purchased Wedding Liability insurance, you're covered. For less than $200 you can purchase $1,000,000 in liability protection.

You may also chose to buy Wedding Cancellation insurance. It will protect you in circumstances such as extreme weather, no-show vendors or sudden military leave.

Whether you're buying Liability or Cancellation insurance, or both, be sure to ask about a deductible, and ask how far in advance you must purchase the policy. Keep in mind, some policies have no deductible while others set the deductible at $1,000.

Again, it won't protect against cold feet, but it will help should your Pacific Northwest garden wedding in May get 'snowed in.'

Carrie Ann Schubert owns Beaverton Bakery and specializes in wedding cakes. Though she's been in the Wedding Industry for 25 years and though she's planning her own daughter's wedding, she's never heard of wedding insurance.

"People come in for a lot of different kinds of wedding cakes and themes, but this is something I've never heard of." She adds "I think it's a great idea!"

When you consider the average American wedding now costs more than $27,000, she says it only makes sense to protect your investment.

Eric Jacobson at the Better Business Bureau says if you don't want to buy wedding insurance, you may still prevent problems with a little planning.

He advises, look for the BBB accreditation seal on vendor web sites. You may also visit the Better Business Bureau web site and look for accredited vendors and charities. Also, keep wedding deposits small and pay with a credit card for added protection.

He says, above all, do your homework.

"If you're spending $27,000 on a wedding spend five minutes, talking to friends, family figuring out if these vendors are someone you'd want to deal with."

More:

Accredited Business Directory
Insurance services
WedSafe.com

Regardless of whether you're investing your time or a few hundred dollars for insurance, you'll buy some peace of mind for the 'Big Day'.