Every time I have to play music at a wedding party, I never leave the house with those items. For sure, they might not be what you would expect.
- Good shoes
- Fresh socks
- Food
- Water
- A small chair
- Medicine
- A book
- Anti-transpirants
- A fresh shirt
- Dirty clothes
- Toothpicks
- A light
- A doorstop
Let’s look at the list in detail.
Good shoes
You are going to be on your feed for a lot of hours. You need good, stable shoes. Also, wear nice, good-looking shoes. Don’t forget you are at a wedding party. It doesn’t matter if you are the DJ and need to work, you should always dress decently.
Fresh socks
We talked about it, your feet are going to start hurting at some point. If you can go quickly to the bathroom and change socks, it can mean a world of difference. Don’t forget to take a bag with you. Nothing weirder than coming out of the bathroom with smelly socks in your hand.
Food
The venue will provide food for you. Yet, after a few hours of working, jumping, and dancing behind your DJ booth, you will be hungry. Take some food with you. Go for food that is doesn’t make your hands oily and dirty. Stick to dry food. Bananas or sandwiches are always a good bet. You don’t want ketchup on your shiny Pioneer DJ gear.
Water
Yes, you will get drinks from the venue. But you can count on it that the waiters will forget the DJ constantly. On numerous occasions I had to wave or yell at the people serving drinks, begging to bring me something. Take a bottle of water with you, for those occasions.
A small chair
I always have a small, foldable chair with me. When it’s getting very late at night, it’s very nice to take a seat.
Be careful with this one. There is nothing as boring as seeing a DJ sitting on his but while playing music. So be sure to be energetic and project joy from behind your DJ booth.
But when it’s 4 in the morning and you are still playing music, you will be glad you can sit down for a moment to take a small break.
Medicine
Ever had to play a wedding with a huge headache? What if your teeth start hurting or your belly? You can’t just leave or lay down for half an hour. Or what if you have some unpleasant stomach flu effects? Sitting in the restroom for the same 30 minutes isn’t an option: you have a dance floor to entertain!
Always be prepared and take medicine with you to counter this.
A Book
Being a DJ can be lonely. Once the dancing starts, you have pretty a lot on your hands and stuff to worry about. It’s hard work. But before that, there are a lot of moments that are boring.
When everyone is at the diner table and you have put a playlist on, there isn’t much you can do.
Sure you can sort out some music libraries and go through some new releases, but at some point, you’ll have enough of music for a while.
Some entertainment, like a book, isn’t a bad idea. Sometimes I listen to some audiobooks or podcasts.
Anti transpirants
The higher you jump, the more you will smell. Also, as a wedding DJ, prior to the party, you have to unload the car, drag the gear inside and set it up.
It’s double the fun when the party is on the first floor and there isn’t an elevator. Make sure you bring some anti-transpirants or people will start avoiding you.
A fresh shirt
There is just as much that anti- transpirants can do. Also, if you were in a tight, fancy shirt for at the wedding, changing into a t-shirt later the evening can be very nice.
Some dirty clothes
If you are fancy clothes, change back to something “dirty” if you need to set your gear up or take it down. Don’t do this in your nice tuxedo.
Toothpicks
Did you eat something? Go check your teeth in the bathroom. Toothpicks can do wonders. Or do you want to smile at a guest with huge blocks of stuff between your teeth?
A light
Sometimes you need light to check this damn cable that came loose. Nowadays, every smartphone has a light somewhere build in. So that’s covered. Bring a phone charger in that case.
A Doorstop
When you, as a DJ need to carry your heavy equipment from and to your car, the last thing you need is a door that can’t be fixed. Have something heavy in your car to block a door from closing.
Of course, you can use a box with gear, but I always find it weird to use some high-end material for that. And those boxes or flight cases can be big, making your life harder while trying to go through the door.
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