Cripps Barn Wedding DJ
A Rutherford.DJ at Cripps Barn
Cripps Barn is one of the Cotswolds venues where the evening party has clearly been thought about properly.
The 18th-century stone barn near Bibury has plenty of character during the day, but from a DJ's perspective, two things really stand out: a Funktion-One sound system already installed in the venue and music through until 1am.
That's a very good starting point.
I've DJed at Cripps Barn before, so I'm familiar with the room, the setup and how the venue changes once dinner finishes and the evening gets going.
The Evening at Cripps
A 1am finish gives me something valuable as a DJ: time.
There's no need to cram every big record into the first couple of hours.
We can start somewhere accessible, find out what the room responds to and let the night develop from there.
That might mean spending half an hour in disco because it's working. Moving through 90s and 00s R&B. Getting into indie for a while. Or ending up much deeper into house and garage later in the night.
Every crowd is different.
I'd much rather react to the one in front of me than decide three weeks beforehand exactly what I'm going to play at 10:45pm.
Your Music
I'll get some musical direction from you before the wedding.
How much is entirely up to you.
Some couples send me a substantial Spotify playlist. Others give me twenty tracks, a few favourite artists and a list of things they don't want.
Both approaches work.
I'm interested in understanding your taste rather than asking you to programme the entire evening for me.
I'll incorporate your choices, requests from guests where appropriate and what I'm seeing on the dance floor.
That's generally where the best nights come from.
Funktion-One at Cripps Barn
Cripps has its own Funktion-One sound system, which is something I particularly like about working there.
It's proper professional audio and means I can work with the venue's existing system rather than unnecessarily bringing a large PA into a room that's already equipped for it.
That keeps the setup cleaner and puts the emphasis where it should be — on the DJing.
I'll still bring everything required for my performance and coordinate the technical side with the venue, but there's no reason to duplicate equipment simply for the sake of making the setup look bigger.
Music During the Day
I'm also available for the full wedding rather than purely the evening.
For an all-day booking, I can look after ceremony music, drinks reception and wedding breakfast music, along with providing a wireless microphone for speeches.
I treat this side of the day quite differently from the evening.
The music is there to create atmosphere rather than demand attention.
I'll usually work with the couple beforehand to establish the sort of sound they want, then put together something that suits the different parts of the day without making every moment feel programmed.
DJ x Sax
Live sax can be added to a Cripps Barn wedding either during the day, the evening or both.
For drinks, it can work as more of a standalone live element.
During the evening, I prefer integrating the sax into the DJ set.
I'll normally establish the dance floor first, then bring the saxophonist in over sections where it works musically rather than stopping everything and announcing a performance.
If the night moves towards disco, house or Ibiza-influenced music, it can work particularly well.
Lighting
Cripps Barn already has stone walls, timber beams and a large open fireplace. It doesn't need to be buried underneath a mobile lighting rig.
My own setup is kept deliberately tidy, with programmed lighting for the dance floor and wireless uplighting available where appropriate.
During dinner, I want the room to still look like Cripps Barn.
Later, the lighting can do more.
It's a fairly simple distinction, but it makes a difference.
Wedding DJ Options
I offer an Evening Wedding DJ option for couples who want me there specifically for the party.
My All Day Wedding Package covers music from the ceremony through to the end of the night, including daytime sound and wireless microphone provision.
DJ x Sax can be added to either.
Full details and current pricing are available on my wedding packages page.
About A Rutherford.DJ
I'm a Cotswolds-based DJ and Soho House resident, performing at weddings, private parties and events throughout the UK and internationally.
I've worked across many of the leading Cotswolds wedding venues, including Cripps Barn.
I don't do much talking on the microphone, I don't work from a standard wedding playlist, and I don't think the amount of equipment behind a DJ is a measure of how good the night will be.
I concentrate on the music.
Getting Married at Cripps Barn?
If you're getting married at Cripps Barn and would like to check my availability, send me your date and a little about the wedding you're planning.
A Rutherford.DJ