I feel for my DJ friends in Nashville. I don’t know how many of the Nashville ADJA Chapter members were affected by the extreme downpour of rain May 1-3, but I did see pictures of the Opryland hotel, where I have performed for the last 18 years. I was shockingly amazed at how bad the hotel and Opry Mills mall were under water.
In regards to my own flood gates, I have every weekend booked for the next 2 months. This means I’ll be busy during the week, preparing for my clients once-in-a-lifetime celebrations. Suffice it to say, I’m sure I’ll miss being outside during the sunny days for a while.
After working in this business since 1985, I’m still amazed at the number of people who think a 4-hour event means I only work 4 hours. I truly wish it were that easy, but like any performer, I have to prepare and rehearse before I am ‘on-stage’ (so to say). In most cases, I have already spent about 3-6 hours with a couple, meeting and going over all the things they want for their wedding. A typical wedding week for me is as follows:
- Monday: Prepare my insurance forms and send to other vendors; look over paperwork to see if there are any unanswered questions; verify equipment is maintained or service any problems that were uncovered over the weekend of performances.
- Tuesday: Make sure I have the music the client has requested and if I don’t have, start searching for it.
- Wednesday: Type of my planning forms; organize my music from those forms; contact other vendors, especially the photographer or videographer, to find out if there is anything I can do to make their job easier or to comply with any special demands of them.
- Thursday: Write, edit, and rehearse “The Love Story”; write, edit, and rehearse the Grand Entrance; check, double-check, and triple-check my planning forms and notes to see if there are any special requests or any overlooked items which need to be updated on my performance forms.
- Friday: make sure all the equipment is loaded; verify I have fresh batteries for wireless mics; charge batteries for camera and camcorder; make sure my suit/tux/requested outfit is clean and ready to wear.
- Saturday: check, double-check, triple-check all items are loaded for the performance, including sound equipment, lighting, computers, cameras, planning forms, etc; Drive, setup, perform, breakdown, and return home after a minimum of 8 hours on this day alone.
I often inform my clients that I will be working on their wedding more than just the time they (and their guests) see me perform. Often, a wedding performance encompasses about 25+ hours. When people hear I’m a Mobile DJ, they will ask “What do you do during the week?”. I wish someone would spend a week with me and see how much I invest into a wedding!
A Wedding is the ONE AND ONLY TIME when this group of Family and Friends will be together for one VERY SPECIFIC purpose. I am fortunate to work with the best clients who understand and value the time I will invest into giving them a day unlike anything they have ever seen. I am honored to be invited into a couple’s day of memories and take serious what I have to do to give them unforgettable emotions on their wedding day.
