Wedding DJ at Dram & Draught – Cary in Cary, NC

The Space

This location is the Cary outpost of a bar Kevin Barrett and Drew Schenck first opened in Raleigh in July 2016, built on the same goal of being the best neighborhood bar around, whiskey and cocktail-driven, rather than a formal event hall. Schenck had already run Rally Point, a Cary hospitality venue, before the two partners brought Dram & Draught to Fenton in 2022, part of the development’s first phase to open that June.

Fenton itself is a 92-acre mixed-use development at the intersection of Cary Towne Boulevard and I-40, and by late 2023 its retail core was nearly full, with 30 retail tenants, nine restaurants and bars, five office tenants, and a movie theater all within the same complex. A wedding party booking this bar is booking a spot inside that larger development, with plenty around it for guests to walk to before or after the event.

Capacity & Layout

No published seated or standing capacity exists for this location, so a couple should confirm exact numbers directly with the venue before finalizing a guest list. What is documented is the layout: downstairs seating built around leather sofas and a backlit bar, and a rooftop patio that crowns the corner of the building, giving a couple two different settings within one rental for a smaller private event.

The bar is set up to host private tastings, milestone nights, and full buyouts rather than large seated wedding receptions, which makes it a better fit for a rehearsal dinner, an engagement party, or a smaller reception than for the main event of a large wedding. A full buyout would give a couple both the downstairs bar and the rooftop patio for the length of the rental.

Amenities

The Cary kitchen is unique among Dram & Draught locations, serving shareable flatbreads, dips, grazing boards, and elevated sandwiches rather than the more limited food offerings at other locations, and the bar itself pours from a stock of more than 300 whiskeys alongside hand-crafted cocktails and draught beer from North Carolina and beyond. External catering is also permitted for private events if a couple wants food beyond the kitchen’s own menu.

The rooftop patio is built for evening use, with sunset views, room for ticketed happenings, and late-night lounging on weekends, a natural fit for a welcome party or after-party tied to a wedding weekend. Parking is not on site at the bar itself but covered by Fenton’s multiple parking decks, and nearby the development includes 357 apartment units and a 175-key hotel, useful if a couple wants out-of-town guests staying within walking distance.

Location & Getting There

Fenton sits in northwest Cary at Cary Towne Boulevard and I-40, roughly 15 minutes west of downtown Raleigh and about 15 miles from RDU, an easy drive for guests flying in or coming from either Raleigh or Cary itself. The bar operates year-round, so a couple is not working around a seasonal closure when booking a date.

We have worked an event at this bar before, and the split between the two levels matters for a DJ setup: the downstairs bar is an enclosed room with leather seating and a backlit bar that holds sound in for a contained party, while the rooftop patio is open to the elements, which means a system built for outdoor conditions and a separate plan for keeping music consistent between the two floors.