To be considered professional, we have to look professional. However, it is easy to go overboard and have soooo much equipment that you might as well have your paycheck made out to your Chiropractor.

I have to agree with Uncle Dave. I have several different setups and more often than not use more than is necessary. Funny thing is, before I had all this stuff, I did just as well with much less. (But, I really love my STUFF.)

My DJ friend, Brian referred to, with the empty Grand shell, works like a dog setting up and tearing down (and he ain't no kid). It takes him over an hour to wrestle the equipment out of a trailer,onto a stage and set up. And, his audiences still judge him by his repertoire and sound...not the gingerbread. And, after the last song, he has to to tear it all down and wrestle it back into the trailer. With all the equipment and extra work he puts into it, he feels justified in charging top dollar and gets very upset when he loses jobs to those who have less and charge less.

He and I have talked about this. He IS the best around, but gets priced out of a lot of jobs and gets upset about it. He will set up the same gear regardless of the size of the party or fee he charged.

Where he shines are the longer term gigs in classy lounges where he doesn't have to move his stuff for weeks at a time. But, for one-nighters, I think he is nuts. And I have told him so.

My philosophy is to concentrate on the quality of music and enterainment value and eliminatate any heavy duty fluff that that is not cost-justified.

Brian, I know you are very concientious, and like all of us here, are anxious to please our audiences. I also suspect your wedding related gigs may not fit into the mold of the jobs that many of us here play. My experience is that weddings bring top dollar and worthy of extra work.

If that is your situation and you can get what it is really worth, I would say "Go for it". But, the average one nighters are not worth the trouble and are not appreciated.
Eddie