We Shall Be Wed
By Chelsea Rose Moore
Photos by Kristen Lynne Photography & courtesy of Marc Chretien
Marc Chretien’s vision for Mt. Defiance’s new cider barn was to build a venue for his daughter’s wedding. She dreamed of being married there, and he wanted to make it happen. His daughter, Colette Marie, is the founder and designer of La Fille Colette, a dress shop in Boston, and designed her wedding dress and nine bridesmaid dresses. She married Sam Duker, a Boston lawyer after four years together before tying the knot.
“As a fashion person, lighting and aesthetics were important to her,” Chretien said. “We killed ourselves designing it and building it and doing serious lighting with her wedding in mind.”
They hung some “serious” art on the walls, added sculptures on the property, and built a beautiful wood-burning fireplace, with a mantel made from a pre-Civil War, hand-cut beam. The barn is decorated with steampunk touches, a style close to Chretien’s heart.
With 8,400 square feet and two floors, the venue comfortably seated 170 people for the wedding, with plenty of room for the dance floor. The walls are thickly insulated to make it nearly soundproof, so music will not disturb neighbors.
Colette’s wedding contained fun and unique touches, including an outdoor oyster bar, an absinthe bar, a cider bar and five crepe stations. She wanted the wedding to be filled with personal touches, and in keeping with the cider theme, the place cards were in the shape of apples and the ginger cider made an appearance on the dinner menu in the form of a vinaigrette.
Her wedding incentivized her father to finish the building on time and create a barn “that satisfied the needs for her wedding, as well as our business needs for a cider barn.” Her September 2017 wedding served as the barn’s unofficial opening.
The barn is a stunning space for hosting weddings and corporate events. “We will pay a lot of personal attention to ensure it’s a memorable wedding,” said Chretien. “We will do our best.”
“It was incredibly special for us to get married on this beautiful property that my dad dreamt up and created,” Colette said. “It was so fun to see the process of the barn being built and all the love and attention to detail that went into it. My husband and I wanted everything at our wedding to feel personal and meaningful, and we couldn’t have chosen a more fitting venue. The space worked so well for us throughout the day, from the outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour to our seated dinner and dance party that could have gone all night. The barn was the perfect backdrop to our celebration.”
At the cider barn, guests can enjoy the rotating selection of ciders and the distillery’s Pommeau and vermouth. Guests can opt for a tasting, a bottle, a glass—or fill a growler for later. Mt. Defiance offers traditional ciders, with a variety of fun flavors, but all the ciders are dry and crisp.
Chretien is deeply grateful to the town of Middleburg for the support he has received. With a town government extremely supportive of small businesses, he has enjoyed the way he always feels “welcome.” In turn, he is working to give back to the community and support other small business owners.
“Having a Cider Barn in Middleburg gives one a sense of place in the community,” he said. “I feel I belong here, even if I was raised in Arlington. I feel a part of the community, and that’s important to me. I would not get that in the big city. I know my baker. I know the people at the post office. At the Safeway. Yet it has the culture I would miss in so many small towns. I’ve always loved Middleburg. All my life I would come out here. It has always struck me as the ideal small town.” ML