Oil Spill Cancels Weddings and Angers Travelers with Insurance

by Libby Pelham | More from this Blogger

13 Jun 2010 04:04 PM

The news just never gets any better with this BP oil spill, does it? The other day I blogged about the oil spill ruining vacation spots along the Gulf coast, but there's one thing I didn't think about - beach weddings.

That's right, the oil spill is now cancelling weddings. Meggie Fleming had her dream wedding planned for August 28th on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama. Now, she is planning her wedding all over again, this time close to home in Decatur, Alabama. She and her fiance Tyler Thacker had been waiting to see what was going to happen with the oil spill before deciding to completely cancel their beach wedding.

Wedding planner Charli Linn, of All the Details of Fairhope, Alabama confirmed that she has been getting cancellations left and right the last few days. Fortunately, the affianced couples get their money back from Linn, minus a nonrefundable deposit.

Maggie Halsey, a wedding planner in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, is also seeing cancellations. "Last week I credited probably $10,000 in weddings, and that's kind of an ouch," said Halsey, who owns Barefoot Weddings.

And those planning weddings are the only ones getting bad news. Travelers who booked Gulf coast vacations and purchased standard travel insurance are now learning that cancellations due to the oil spill are not covered. Why not? It's because standard travel insurance only covers natural disasters such as hurricanes. The oil spill is a manmade disaster and therefore, tourists are losing money when they cancel vacation plans.

Kathryn Calley was hoping her travel insurance would cover her airfare after she had to cancel her vacation to Pensacola because of the oil spill, but was shocked to learn wouldn't. Kathryn probably won't have much luck with the airlines either. Because the oil spill doesn't affect the airline, she will probably lose any nonrefundable fares and owe rebooking fees if she makes a change.

There is "cancel for any reason" insurance, but the problem is that most people purchase standard travel insurance.

Learn more about Libby Pelham

Libby Pelham is a web designer/freelance writer located in Memphis, TN. She has a beautiful little boy, Will, born in July of 2004.

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