Change of Heart

Back in '03 when I was planning my wedding to my college sweetheart, I was sweatin a lot of the details. This or that dress? Church ceremony or funky destination wedding? Lamb or steak? "Does the groom actually want to get married" apparently should have been a bit higher on the priority list. The wedding was called off, leaving heartache, confusion, and lots of messy financial loose ends to tie up.

So where was the change of heart rider wedding insurance clause when I needed it?

Statistics are unclear, but according to There Goes the Bride, about 20% of engaged couples get cold feet, resulting in approximately 500,000 folks calling off their splashy, increasingly expensive nuptials. Insurance companies are taking note, especially in the wake of Jennifer "Runaway Bride will be enscribed on my headstone" Wilbanks' decision to hop a bus to Santa Fe rather than confront her fiance. Fireman's Fund Insurance explained to the Today Show that for $26, an "interested party" could purchase the rider for coverage up to $25,000 in the chance that the bride or groom decides to head for the hills. What's interesting is that their definition "interested party" specifically prohibits the bride or groom from taking out the policy. Traditionally the father of the bride foots the bill, therefore being entitled to protect his assets.

But in age where wedding traditions have an increasingly tenuous hold on the masses, more brides and groom are making sizeable contributions to the shindig, if not outright footing the bill for the entire thing. Oooh, I'm suddenly seeing a bridal remake of Double Indemnity...

And what I find to be even more interesting, what does it say about said dad if he does plop down the $26? How's that for some head table icebreaker conversation...