Planning a wedding on an island you don't live on adds a layer most couples don't expect: everything happens remotely, over video calls and email, usually across time zones. Music is one of the easiest parts to get right from a distance — provided you follow a timeline. This is the one I use with couples flying into Barbados, from first enquiry to the morning of the wedding.
9–12 months out: book your DJ
Earlier than most couples expect, but Barbados dates — especially December through April — go fast. Resorts book popular Saturdays well over a year ahead, so the DJs who regularly work those venues fill up early too.
- Research and shortlist 2-3 DJs based on their site, reviews, and reels
- Send your date, venue and guest count for a quote
- Ask the key questions before you commit
- Book and pay your deposit to lock in the date
6 months out: the big-picture conversation
This is my favourite call. Not song-by-song yet — just the shape and feeling of the day.
- Tell me your taste and the genres that actually matter to you — house, Afro house, soca, reggae, R&B, old-school, whatever moves you both
- Talk me through your guest mix: ages, cultures, who's flying in from where, so I can build a set that holds all of them
- Ceremony structure: processional, recessional, and any cultural or religious elements that need specific music
- Venue logistics if we haven't covered them — beach, garden, indoors, or more than one location
3–4 months out: vendor coordination
Now I start talking to the rest of your team — your planner, your venue's wedding coordinator, and your photographer or videographer where timing overlaps matter (the first dance and the cake are the usual ones). I'd always rather agree this directly with them than have you relay messages across a time zone.
- Introduce me to your planner or coordinator by email if you haven't already
- Confirm ceremony start time and reception flow with the venue
- Flag any special cultural music or live performers now, so I can plan them into the run of show
6–8 weeks out: the detailed planning form
This is where the real music planning happens. I send a full questionnaire around this point:
- Must-plays: songs you absolutely want played
- Do-not-plays: songs or artists to avoid, for any reason
- Special songs: first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, bouquet toss, last song of the night
- Processional/recessional music for the ceremony
- Guest requests: whether you want to open the floor to requests or keep the set curated
- MC needs: names and pronunciations, announcement order, any speeches to introduce
Fill it in together, over a glass of something. It's one of the genuinely enjoyable parts of planning a wedding, not a chore.
2–3 weeks out: lock the day-of timeline
Your guest count is close to final by now and the venue has confirmed logistics, so we lock the minute-by-minute run of show.
- Ceremony start time, cocktail hour length, reception entrance time
- Exact order of special moments (speeches, first dance, parent dances, cake, bouquet/garter if applicable)
- Final guest count for sound sizing
- Sunset time if it matters for your ceremony or photos — Barbados sunset shifts through the year
1 week out: final check-in
A short call or a few messages to confirm everything is locked — timeline, song list, and any late changes to guest count or venue detail. By this point you're packing, and music should be the last thing on your mind. Being based here in Barbados, I'm not travelling to your wedding: I'm already on the island, which removes one whole category of risk from your day.
The wedding day
I arrive early, set up, sound-check, and coordinate directly with your planner or the venue's coordinator on timing. Then I run it. You shouldn't have to think about music once — that's the entire point of the eleven months before. On the day, you're just present.
The honest bottom line
Planning your music from another country isn't harder than planning it at home — it just needs a timeline someone actually keeps. Book early, have the big conversation at six months, lock the detail at six to eight weeks, and confirm the run of show close to the date. The rest is my job.
Also useful: 10 questions to ask before booking → · how much a wedding DJ costs →