Weddings DJ Health and Wellness During Wedding Season

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camarofleet

DJ Extraordinaire
Jun 26, 2018
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107
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So, like many of you I have worked weddings sick. I also view part of my job as a wedding Dj as trying to stay healthy (avoiding sick people at all costs) throughout the fall, which is my busiest time. I'm *that guy* that carries Purell with me in the car and won't shake someone's hand with the sniffles. This brings up an interesting question though - out of all the single ops and very small multi-ops (such as myself) on here, barring any act of God such as a car wreck on the way to a gig or heart attack while unloading, in your opinion is there any sudden onset ailment that could or would prevent you from working? If so, what?

About a year ago, I came down with laryngitis by the end of the week and had a wedding that Saturday. I still worked the wedding, however, my voice was totally shot (and basically inaudible) by the time I had completed Grand Entrance and First Dances. Since I am the paranoid/cautious type, the day before I actually pre-recorded some of my announcements and had to finish out the night basically lip-syncing to myself. It lost some of it's effect, but it got the job done in a pinch. I've been battling some type of cold/sinus thing for about ten days now and noticed my voice does not seem to have it's full range this week.

Have any of you run into situations like this? How did you end up pulling through? As stupid as it sounds, has anyone here discovered any sort of vocal exercise that can be done during cold and flu season to attempt to preserve your voice? What other tips do you have up your sleeve for staying healthy and powering through events where you're not?
 
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So, like many of you I have worked weddings sick. I also view part of my job as a wedding Dj as trying to stay healthy (avoiding sick people at all costs) throughout the fall, which is my busiest time. I'm *that guy* that carries Purell with me in the car and won't shake someone's hand with the sniffles. This brings up an interesting question though - out of all the single ops and very small multi-ops (such as myself) on here, barring any act of God such as a car wreck on the way to a gig or heart attack while unloading, in your opinion is there any sudden onset ailment that could or would prevent you from working? If so, what?

About a year ago, I came down with laryngitis by the end of the week and had a wedding that Saturday. I still worked the wedding, however, my voice was totally shot (and basically inaudible) by the time I had completed Grand Entrance and First Dances. Since I am the paranoid/cautious type, the day before I actually pre-recorded some of my announcements and had to finish out the night basically lip-syncing to myself. It lost some of it's effect, but it got the job done in a pinch. I've been battling some type of cold/sinus thing for about ten days now and noticed my voice does not seem to have it's full range this week.

Have any of you run into situations like this? How did you end up pulling through? As stupid as it sounds, has anyone here discovered any sort of vocal exercise that can be done during cold and flu season to attempt to preserve your voice? What other tips do you have up your sleeve for staying healthy and powering through events where you're not?

I've played a wedding after having a heart attack loading in. To be fair I didn't know it was a heart attack or I likely wouldn't have. I played with laryngitis I had to bring a voice with me and I've played with the flu and pneumonia on different occasions.

Unless it's life and death you just power through it's only a few hours
 
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This is actually my greatest fear. I have no backup for ME. In four years, I’ve avoided any illness that would have caused me to cancel. I guess I can thank God for that. I so rarely get sick, but a few months back I did (stomach virus), and then it happened again a couple of weeks later. It really had me worried, because that just doesn’t happen to me. Sure... I have allergies I live with ALL the time, but I have meds I can take that get me through for 4-6 hours with no (visible) symptoms the clients ever notice. But if something was to happen that I was unable to work, that would be BAD! I’ve thought about trying to team up with some other local DJ in order to have someone to back me up, but I have just never run across anybody to partner with yet. Maybe I should team up with MIX???[emoji1]
 
Unless it's life and death you just power through it's only a few hours

I'll agree with the "power through it" but won't go as far as to say that it would take a life and death situation to make me bail. Like you, I've worked plenty where I was sick, had no voice or had the flu. In those cases, yes, usually just suck down a bunch of RedBull and power thru it. The time with kidney stones was not life and death, but there's no way I could see performing under those conditions. Having backup personnel and a way to pass off paperwork in an emergency is something that you've got to work out ahead of time.
 
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I'll agree with the "power through it" but won't go as far as to say that it would take a life and death situation to make me bail. Like you, I've worked plenty where I was sick, had no voice or had the flu. In those cases, yes, usually just suck down a bunch of RedBull and power thru it. The time with kidney stones was not life and death, but there's no way I could see performing under those conditions. Having backup personnel and a way to pass off paperwork in an emergency is something that you've got to work out ahead of time.

I agree 100% I have backups in place for almost anything also
 
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i missed one wedding back in the 90s... it was in columbus ohio... 3 or 4 hours away...and as i was setting up....it hit me....some sort of food poisoning... i pushed thru set up (my dad was helping me)...made it to the hotel to try and shower and change...ended up passed out in the bed...while my dad went to the wedding and attempted to stand in for me... it was apparently a hot mess at the wedding....meanwhile i was at the hotel room....sweated the entire bed...had a 102 fever...and was seeing dark shadowy figures around me in the room...

Many years later when i ran my own puppet theater... i performed 2 shows with full fledged kindney stones coarsing thru my abdomen... im sure Rick can attest... if youve had them you know the difficulty of just standing up....let alone any form of performance... it was all a blur...

cc
 
I agree 100% I have backups in place for almost anything also

I bring full on-site backups with me for all equipment from the computer to the speakers/amp and even carry a few extra lights and microphones, however, I find it hard to backup myself. I carry roadside assistance on vehicles, and often times have even dropped a trailer off to my very large events in advance so the equipment was already there and near where it would be needed.

Short of running a two man crew at every wedding (which not every couple is willing to pay for), I do not see how this is possible. In my experience, you have to pay someone a premium to keep their weekends open and give them a lot of work to keep them loyal - I can't see someone clearing most of their Saturdays throughout a half to two thirds of the year to sit around in case they need to act as my double in the event something happens to me.

Again, this is entirely a non issue for the most part as I still muscle through sick etc. However, there's always thee thought in back of my mind (especially the older I get), what if I get into a wreck on the way, have a heart attack while loading etc. While I have people that work for me, by the time an incident was discovered how would I even dispatch them and have them get to the equipment in time. I've tried to write out disaster management plans for different scenarios (such as a vehicle breakdown/another trailer break-in etc.) but my fear is always what if something physically happens to me to the point where I can't execute the plan.
 
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I take things pretty seriously but honestly if I can't execute the plan the least of my worries are the event. When I'm on the road I maintain contact with home and if they didn't hear from me before event time for a few hours and couldn't get a hold of me the plan would be in motion. There still could be some situations where it wouldn't work but you can only cover most at the best of times
 
I bring full on-site backups with me for all equipment from the computer to the speakers/amp and even carry a few extra lights and microphones, however, I find it hard to backup myself. I carry roadside assistance on vehicles, and often times have even dropped a trailer off to my very large events in advance so the equipment was already there and near where it would be needed.

Short of running a two man crew at every wedding (which not every couple is willing to pay for), I do not see how this is possible. In my experience, you have to pay someone a premium to keep their weekends open and give them a lot of work to keep them loyal - I can't see someone clearing most of their Saturdays throughout a half to two thirds of the year to sit around in case they need to act as my double in the event something happens to me.

Again, this is entirely a non issue for the most part as I still muscle through sick etc. However, there's always thee thought in back of my mind (especially the older I get), what if I get into a wreck on the way, have a heart attack while loading etc. While I have people that work for me, by the time an incident was discovered how would I even dispatch them and have them get to the equipment in time. I've tried to write out disaster management plans for different scenarios (such as a vehicle breakdown/another trailer break-in etc.) but my fear is always what if something physically happens to me to the point where I can't execute the plan.

I'm not talking about backups for equipment, I'm talking about people backups. Even as a solo-op, you should have a solid network of guys/gals, who can do what you do. You should have a list of names/phones with you at all times and made friends to the point that you can call them on a minute's notice and pass off paperwork. Part of that also is to pre-discuss each other's rates and make sure that people on your list will work at your rate or below. In my kidney stone case, there was a guy who had sub-contracted for me for several years. About 10am that morning, as I'm writhing in pain I called him, told him what was up and found out he was available. The client never had to be bothered by my emergency and her event was well covered.
 
I'm not talking about backups for equipment, I'm talking about people backups. Even as a solo-op, you should have a solid network of guys/gals, who can do what you do. You should have a list of names/phones with you at all times and made friends to the point that you can call them on a minute's notice and pass off paperwork. Part of that also is to pre-discuss each other's rates and make sure that people on your list will work at your rate or below...

^^^^ That’s certainly the IDEAL... Too bad REALITY has to interfere.[emoji1] I have only one DJ acquaintance (can’t really say we’re friends) in this area, but he ONLY does weddings at ONE venue. I don’t think he’d work for my rate, but I also don’t think he could do what I do. Many of my events require me to Emcee, and it’s not a skill that guy possesses. There are multi-OPs in the area, and I’ve thought about contacting them to see what kind of deal we could work out, but my (bottom-feeder) rates would probably be an impediment.[emoji1]
 
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^^^^ That’s certainly the IDEAL... Too bad REALITY has to interfere.[emoji1] I have only one DJ acquaintance (can’t really say we’re friends) in this area, but he ONLY does weddings at ONE venue. I don’t think he’d work for my rate, but I also don’t think he could do what I do. Many of my events require me to Emcee, and it’s not a skill that guy possesses. There are multi-OPs in the area, and I’ve thought about contacting them to see what kind of deal we could work out, but my (bottom-feeder) rates would probably be an impediment.[emoji1]

Then quit being a bottom-feeder.

(sorry, wasn't meaning to take a cheap shot but it is the obvious problem at hand in your case)
 
Right now I'm lucky to have my son go with me to events and back me up. I also have the guys who used to work with me and still occasionally do before my kids were old enough to start working. They are always ready to help out in fact are waiting to go a to events or go black on the road. My mom put it the best who wouldn't want to go for free food, nice hotels, get to see Northeast. My mom also used to go on events to keep me company.

As far powering though events, well that isn't even remotely possible a times. But what I started is getting on everyone associated with me is to actively try to take better care of of themselves. You know, eat better, see the doctor, don't burn the candle at both ends, get some rest before events & etc. Things so far has been working well. As if I am on the road on a extended road trip or even a short one getting sick or hurt would be catastrophic.

I don't know if I've ever told you guys the story before. While still working a full-time job, December was my busy month finally escalating to a peak of 23 events in 21 days with most events in NYC. I had Parties almost every day of the week, some days doubles. Every January I would practically laid out and always catch some kind of cold due to being rundown. Well, when I was 40 in December I didn't feel too well so I took some Tylenol and cold medicine figuring it's something minor. I ended up in the hospital for eight days. Cellulitis in both legs, high fever and pain like I never experienced before. For the first two days I wasn't really able to walk. It was a really close call as it could have been even worse had I not gone to the hospital when I did. One of my guys finished the last three corporate events in the city. He actually did pretty well with a couple of the parties going into O/T. A miracle considering he really wasn't a DJ. All of this made me rethink a lot of things both personally and business-wise.
 
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I'm not talking about backups for equipment, I'm talking about people backups. Even as a solo-op, you should have a solid network of guys/gals, who can do what you do. You should have a list of names/phones with you at all times and made friends to the point that you can call them on a minute's notice and pass off paperwork. Part of that also is to pre-discuss each other's rates and make sure that people on your list will work at your rate or below.

...and I have done this too. The problem is, if I am busy - chances are anyone else of quality in the same price range that I trust will be busy around here as well - it's total feast of famine. I had people coming to me asking for work in July when I hardly had any myself, however September-November I've had more work than I can handle. I have a Dj who had a baby on the way this month. He let me know he was unable to fill his obligations with me back in April/May for October 6, 13 and 27. I had to call four or five contacts back then to even get the dates filled. During phone conversations with two of these people they actually asked me if I had any extra work on the 20th (I only had one event that day - nothing extra to go around). Even out of the group that committed, one backed out and I had to go back to the drawing board early this month. I ended up getting everything staffed but this has been a ridiculously stressful month.
 
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I think Jeff may have hit the nail on the head when he mentioned he keeps in contact with home and if he stops then there's an issue. Sadly, you may think I am exaggerating, but a lot of wedding days this month, I have had difficulty even finding the time to send a text.

Here's a typical day for me when I have one wedding running assuming the wedding is an hour away (as many of them are) and the ceremony start time is around 3-4p:
7am - Wake up; shower; grab clothes, laptop and anything I may have on a charger
8am - Check truck- scan contents to make sure everything is present, back it out of garage - do a quick inspection of tires and fluids
9am - Review itinerary, timeline and forms one last time - do a dry run of announcements and verify all "special songs" are in the computer and saved off in a list or crate. Do one last final sweep to make sure nothing has been left behind at house.
10am - If I have three services contracted where I will be working (Dj+Uplighting+Photobooth) this is when I would need to leave
11am - If I have two services contracted where I will be working (DJ + Uplighting OR Photobooth) this is when I would need to leave
Noon - this is the absolute latest time I would want to leave to put me at a hall at one unless they have a basic package with small speakers and no lights
1pm - Arrive at hall
2pm - Sound equipment and dancefloor lighting should be mostly setup by this point
3pm - If applicable, ceremony system will be up at this point with playlists built out for ceremony and cocktail/dinner music
5pm - Ceremony complete - start time of reception
6pm - Grand entrance, formalities, dinner etc.
11pm or midnight - Reception end

At face value this looks like I have plenty of time and it should be a leisurely setup. The problem is, it seems like the more time I leave myself inevitably the more rushed I will be. Before I leave the house, chances are I'll be asked to take care of some chore real quick since I won't be around all weekend. I almost always hit traffic (which is figured into my numbers), and when I get to the hall, pesky guests that arrive early want to idly chit chat about what I am using, what I will be playing, where the bathrooms are etc. and normally the hall coordinator wants to compare timelines followed by whatever other vendors are lurking around. Without fail, people almost always seem to approach me when I am carrying things, running back and forth to my truck or lifting/hoisting things.

Now, this October - working with a skeleton crew, this has been my schedule (assuming 2 weddings + 1 festival on a Saturday):
All week: Prep, meet with brides, go through forms, build out playlists, load truck
Friday Night:
6p - Get off day job, drive to location of one of the weddings
7p - Set up equipment at wedding (if there is a rehearsal dinner there I normally get cornered by guests)
8p - Wrap up setup and drive to next location or storage
9p - Re-load truck, grab anything needed for next day from storage
10p - Review all work orders for next day, take care of any communication needed for weekend, Review itinerary, timeline and forms one last time - do a dry run of announcements and verify all "special songs" are in the computer
Midnight - Stick anything needed on a charger - laptops, cameras, wireless systems, ceremony system
1a - Attempt to go to sleep
Saturday:
7am - Wake up; shower; grab clothes, laptop and anything I may have on a charger
8am - Check truck- scan contents to make sure everything is present, back it out of garage - do a quick inspection of tires and fluids
9am - Leave for festival (travel time one hour)
11am - Festival equipment is set up
1p - Leave for wedding when my staff arrives at festival (travel time on average is one hour) - since I have done as much prep work as possible, most everything should be set up
2p - Arrive at hall, open rack or coffin, put the speakers up on poles, put scrim/facade around equipment and plug everything in (it is mostly in place and prewired)
3pm - If applicable, ceremony system will be up at this point
5pm - Ceremony complete - start time of reception
6pm - Grand entrance, formalities, dinner etc.
11pm or midnight - Reception end
Midnight-1a - Wait for guests to clear, pack out, drive home (travel time one hour)
2a - Stick everything on chargers, change out clothes and attempt to get some sleep

Normally, having two others out in the field I will have to answer my phone frequently. For example, there was a question at the festival as to whether or not we were doing trivia that day. One of my Djs at a wedding said the hall was all changed around from the layout we agreed on at the meeting and sent a picture (I attend the meetings WITH my Djs and it was in fact all messed up). Another Dj couldn't get into a hall and called me panicked because they had an early afternoon wedding that went until 3pm and our wedding starts at 4 (in clear violation of the setup clause in our contract - but the officiant was only scheduled until a certain time). As I am managing this, I am fighting off the pesky guests and vendors and battle early-comers in my way trying to get the ceremony system up or get things started for a reception.

This months' pace has been pretty grueling being down a Dj and attempting to expand into a small multiop over these pasty couple of years has been extremely challenging. It's sometimes impossible not to burn the candle at both ends which kind of makes me question what would happen if something happened to me (such as an accident "en route") or something. I'm sure there's a lot that I am doing wrong - but sadly it is the best way I know how given my current constraints, time, resources and goals...
 
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I'm of the opinion that powering through an ailment is generally not appropriate. What is it exactly I would be "powering through"' - customer expectation and goodwill? I think if I lost my voice I would bring along someone who could emcee for me, and act as the point of contact with people. My client expects someone who can articulate without directing everyone's primary attention to the fact that the DJ is sick.

It's also a double standard to be on one hand, germ phobic about other people, but perfectly willing to carry our own ailment into the center of a family milestone. Seems selfish. When we show up sick or in any compromised state people realize that customer care is something we practice only when it's convenient for us. Save the staggering hero role for the finale of a Bruce Willis movie - no one really wants that character at their wedding.

Single-ops need to have enough resources and foresight to know that even the human tire gets a flat now and them. Access to spare labor is just as important (if not more) as spare gear.
 
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