There were about 2.1 million weddings per year for the decade leading up 2019. That represents a ton of opportunities for an aspiring wedding photographer. But as you grow your business and continue achieving your goals, there are also risks to be aware of.

A recent study found that somewhere between 36 and 53% of small businesses deal with legal issues like lawsuits every year. Yours might, too.

You may not be able to avoid these kinds of trouble altogether, but you can mitigate the damage if they occur. We’re highlighting five key kinds of insurance for wedding photographers to help you do exactly that.

Keep reading to learn more.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance may be the single best kind of insurance that you can get for your wedding photography business. It covers:

• Property damage
• Medical payments
• Legal fees
• Reputational harm
• Advertising injuries
• And more

You can think of a general liability insurance plan as a single one that covers most of your needs. It’s especially good for ensuring that you’re not held 100% financially liable in the event that you play a role in damaging property or causing an injury during one of the weddings that you shoot.

The bottom line is that picking up a cheap general liability insurance plan is a good first step toward mitigating your risks as a small business owner.

Errors and Omissions Insurance

Errors and omissions insurance is another kind of coverage you may want to look into as a wedding photographer. It provides coverage for lawsuits related to clients claiming that you didn’t provide the quality of services you should have as a professional wedding photographer.

Weddings are one of the most important days of anyone’s life. But things happen. You might inadvertently choose the wrong setting for your camera, or maybe your equipment will malfunction, and you aren’t able to shoot as many photos as you would have during a normal wedding.

You can’t always control these types of mistakes. But if you have errors and omissions insurance, you won’t have to worry as much about the financial ramifications of these types of issues and accidents.

Property Insurance

Property insurance is another kind of insurance that you may want to look into. It’s designed to cover the cost of damages to any building or venue you shoot photos in.

If you pick up a general liability plan, it will likely include property insurance already, so there’s no need to pay twice for this. But if you don’t have general liability insurance or it doesn’t include this type of coverage, property insurance will be important to get.

Anything can happen, and you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in damages if you don’t have any coverage.

Equipment Insurance

As a wedding photographer, you rely heavily on your equipment and supplies. Many photographers invest tens of thousands of dollars into cameras, lenses, and more to take outstanding event pictures. Because of this significant investment, it’s no surprise that the quality of the results often reflects the tools at hand and the expertise behind them. For clients, hiring a photographer with studio access can add an extra layer of versatility, offering both stunning event shots and carefully curated studio portraits. It’s this combination of skill, equipment, and creative workspace that ensures truly memorable photographs.

If this expensive equipment breaks or malfunctions, you may be unable to replace it immediately. That could create a situation in which you have to either use lower quality equipment than you would like or turn down jobs.

You don’t have to worry about damaged and malfunctioning equipment if you buy equipment insurance. However, if those issues ever happen to you, then you can use your equipment insurance plan to replace whatever is broken without having to pay for it entirely out of pocket.

Small Business Insurance

You may also want to look into picking up a general small business insurance plan. Like liability insurance, small business insurance typically includes a bundle of several different kinds of coverage.

For example, your small business insurance plan will likely include coverage for property damage, lawsuits, and unexpected business closers, among other things.

Many small business insurance plans also include coverage for things like workers’ compensation so that you don’t have to pay these claims entirely out of your own pocket. That makes choosing one of these plans a good idea if you employ others.

Do I really need all of this insurance?

If you own a wedding photography business, you might’ve been thinking about picking up a single type of insurance, not five different plans. So do you really need all of this?

The truth is, more coverage is always better. You never know what can happen, and the more you’re prepared for, the lower your risks are as a business owner.

But if you’re looking to cut costs and keep things simple, then choosing a bundled insurance plan will likely be your best option. 

For example, general liability insurance covers most of your major risks. You could also tack on a lower-cost insurance plan like equipment insurance to give yourself more peace of mind.