I'm So Ready To Give Up - I'm Going To Have A Heart Attack

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Mary, regarding the "give half back".........don't. If the client complains, then (and only then) do you resort to giving money back. Cash back will not change things and it won't win you any friends. What it WILL do is to firmly cement in the minds of the clients that "they screwed up my wedding". I'd just sit tight and see if they have any complaints. No need to give away cash at this point.
 
I don't think you should quit as a result of one bad day.
If you stay in this line of work for any serious length of time I can assure there will be other days like this.

It's a learning experience. The more you learn the fewer and farther apart those days will be.

Lesson #1 to take from this is the re-evaluation of your backup plans. An hour is TOO LONG to continue using a problematic mic or system. In the future, have another mic (cabled perhaps) and an alternate way of configuring the system available and ready to go on a moments notice.

Lesson #2 is to figure out exactly what caused that issue so if you are ever confronted with it again the fix will be simple and immediate.

Lesson #3 is to relax and have more confidence. You might have been better advised to delay the first dance, etc. until you plugged in another microphone as opposed to just trying to "get through it." All it takes is the confidence to be a manager of the itinerary rather than a slave to it. Likewise, be a manager of your sound system not a victim of it.

Most people are already aware of this on some level - but, simply fail to implement it when confronted with stress. For example, you probably wouldn't announce the parent dances unless the Bride's father was in the room - yet, you went ahead with introductions without a working microphone. The only thing accounting for the difference is the level of stress.

The real talent in this business is the ability to step up and confront problems with a sense of calm self-assurance that not only quiets our own stress; but also transmits none to the people and clients around us.
 
Sounds like you did a great job and went to work well to fix it, this past weekend I was rushed into at the last minute mic'ing the minister, no time for checks, and so we had humming monsters, we quietened them down quick, later in the evening I made the comment that it must have been the high humidity 100+ degrees, at the moment I felt like poop, but the evening was a great success,,,
 
Auntie M,
Stuff will happen. Cool solves it, the first reaction is always panic if it's the first time it happens. Carry backup gear and practice making changes quickly. Over time you will be able to keep cool and solve it without having gastric problems.
 
One thing I haven't heard comment on was testing the system, then powering down, then power back up for the event. Maybe that's common with you guys but I can't say that I've ever done that. I get everything configured, power it up, run music and all lighting to make sure there are no power issues, then do a blackout on lights and lower music levels back down, usually putting on some light jazz to run until show time. If you keep your system powered on and then somebody else introduces some kind of interference, you'll know it as soon as they power up and have (hopefully) more time to isolate it.
 
rickryan.com said:
One thing I haven't heard comment on was testing the system, then powering down, then power back up for the event. Maybe that's common with you guys but I can't say that I've ever done that. I get everything configured, power it up, run music and all lighting to make sure there are no power issues, then do a blackout on lights and lower music levels back down, usually putting on some light jazz to run until show time. If you keep your system powered on and then somebody else introduces some kind of interference, you'll know it as soon as they power up and have (hopefully) more time to isolate it.
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This is a good argument for not having the bare essentials in a rig. If one does, it does not give one much wiggle room when something bad occurs. Being able to reconfigure is a definite plus but if there is nothing that can be bypassed or rerouted then one is dammed.
 
Thanks everyone - I get the point that every is making and I still have alot to learn, that's for sure! I have taken the feedback very seriously and will do whatever it takes to recitfy the situation before it ever gets a chance to rear it's ugly head again.

@ Ricky - Just to clarify, I don't always power down but I was invited to attend the wedding ceremony that was outside as requested by the bride and groom and did not want my equipment running without me being in attendance. The only thing I left on was the mixer but I did shut down the laptop, mics, lighting etc. I had ten miniutes from the end of the ceremony to the beginning of cocktails to start the music - Still no excuse for not having the proper equipment or knowledge to correct the problem in ten minutes. But like I said before, I used the same system in three prior weddings and had zero issues. As a matter of fact, I nailed those weddings and actually had two more bookings from those three weddings. I also have a caterer who wants to use me as a referene to clients in the hall that he caterers in. So with that said, I had a problem arise Saturday night that was a first for me. It took longer to resolve than I would have like it to - but I did resolve it. Lesson learned - a hard lesson but a lesson never-the-less.

Peace!
 
I got shocked by a mic once, but it was mostly price.
 
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