It’s Your Wedding, So Make Some Noise

One of the biggest cornerstones in a Chaldean’s life is their wedding day. From picking the hall to picking flowers, decorations, and the evening’s entertainment, Chaldean weddings have become legendary to the point of grandly being portrayed on an episode of ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.’

Weddings are landmarks in one’s life, and Chaldeans certainly don’t fall short of making their marriage celebration a memorable one. From arriving to the hall on a helicopter or drawn in a horse and carriage, to lavish decorations, floor-stomping dances, and great food: one night leaves a lifetime impression on friends and families of the couples.

I have to say, though, that for the last ten years or so, the entertainment at these weddings has become more like a concert than a celebration. The music is great; the song selections are current; and the beats are thumpin! It’s the “thumpin” that has become an issue, though. It seems to be the current trend amongst the local bands to perform at a painfully loud volume.

I remember being at a poolside birthday party at Shenandoah Country Club last summer, and at the same time there was a wedding upstairs in the main ballroom. Imagine how loud the music must have been for those who were outside, on Shenandoah’s lower level, to hear the bass banging from the music in the upper hall. Countless complaints by both couples and attendees have gone unheeded by the entertainers.

What most people don’t realize in the heat of having fun is just how dangerous this level of noise can be to your hearing. 

Lauren Dadisho, an audiologist with Michigan Otolaryngology Surgery Associates, based out of St. Joseph Mercy, Ann Arbor, has actually measured the noise levels at several weddings.

“The decibel (dB) level of noise has averaged at 110, and has, many times, reached 120dB,” Dadisho said. “The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides that permissible noise exposure duration at 110dB is only 30 minutes. With every 5dB increase in noise level, that time is cut in half. For example, at 115dB, OSHA’s permissible exposure time is only 15 minutes. Being exposed to this noise level for longer than the permissible time has the potential to damage your hearing. Wearing hearing protection consistently in these environments can help prevent hearing damage.”

People constantly complain about walking out of weddings with headaches, ringing ears, and not being able to talk, or having to scream at someone next to them during the wedding, as a result of the loud noise. Professional musicians have attended and assessed some of these events, and they’ve emphatically stated that these bands bring a sound system powerful enough to easily sustain a concert/venue of 2,500-5,000 attendees. 

Even worse, many people are not aware that it can take only one situation to cause some irreversible damage to their hearing. I was once in a room for only three minutes, with a guitar track playing at a tremendously loud volume. After walking out of the room my left ear was throbbing with pain, and ringing; and it has never been the same, since.

“What people don’t know is that these kinds of situations affect everyone differently,” Dadisho said. “Some people’s ears are more susceptible to damage than others.”

Another questionable tradition at weddings is the late dinners. Normally, our receptions start at 8:00 p.m., and dinner is served at 9:30 p.m. or even as late as 10:00 p.m. According to Healthline.com, some researchers have established that calories play a role in mice as to when they ate. Calorie burning seemed to work in conjunction with the mice’s circadian rhythm.

The research, however, hasn’t demonstrated anything concrete in humans. In fact, it appears that with humans, it depended more on what was eaten, rather than just eating at any point in the day. What the research did stress is that people make poorer choices of what to eat at night, because they’re more tired; so junk food becomes more appealing.

Whether or not calorie intake later in the day or at night contributes to weight gain is an ongoing debate; and thus far, the research is inconclusive. However, it’s widely accepted that most people’s metabolism slows down with age. So eating a hardy dinner that late brings into question whether or not this can contribute to health issues.

It is still uncertain if eating late directly or indirectly causes weight gain or not, but it should be noted that it’s much easier to burn calories off earlier in the day. The research also showed that people who eat closer to their bedtime take in more calories than people who eat earlier in the day.

Weddings are monumental celebrations within the community. As such, the festivities should also be done tastefully, and with people being mindful of the factors that could enhance the celebration and make it an even more colorful chapter in the pages of their life’s story. 

Omar Binno attended the University of Detroit Mercy, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in English Literature, and Communications; and a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Marketing.