Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Mt Defiance Cidery & Distillery is a barn wedding venue located in Middleburg, VA. Featuring a rustic backdrop, this venue boasts a barn and operates a hard cider brewery. Nestled on a hilltop, the barn is surrounded by lush greenery that offers many unforgettable opportunities for photo sessions. This venue is located an hour's drive from Washington, DC, making it convenient for guests traveling from out of town.
Mt Defiance Cidery & Distillery operates a fully functioning brewery and distillery. They create hard cider and spirits in small batches, which are available to sample at the venue. Their team is dedicated to producing high-quality ciders, which were popular in the United States throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. They offer a wide variety of ciders, from traditional apple to ginger and pepper-infused brews. Soon-to-be newlyweds can avail of custom cider and spirit packages for their celebration.
Suitable for both ceremonies and receptions, Mt Defiance Cidery & Distillery offers indoor and outdoor event spaces. The spacious barn features soaring ceilings with exposed beams strung with romantic lights. A large stone hearth serves as the focal point and can provide the backdrop for winter ceremonies. Outside, the patio overlooks the surrounding scenery and is a memorable location for an outdoor cocktail hour. Couples may also choose to tie the knot on the property surrounded by the romantic forest. Ideal for up to 200 guests, newlyweds will have exclusive access to the venue for the duration of their celebration. Also located on-site are separate dressing rooms for the happy couple. Soon-to-be newlyweds can work with the venue's event staff to coordinate their once-in-a-lifetime event.
What You'll Love About Mt Defiance Cidery & Distillery
Couples found the staff to have excellent knowledge, suggestions, and organizational skills. Couples also appreciated the custom cider options and beautiful venue locations. Check out the review section for more information.
Veteran-owned Business
+8 years in business
Speaks English
Pricing details
Couples usually spend $10,000
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Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Guest Capacity
Up to 200
Settings
Barn
Brewery & Distillery
Trees
Vineyard & Winery
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Destination Weddings
Planning
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Availability
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.0
20 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Mt. Defiance Cider Barn is highly praised for its picturesque setting, beautiful building, and accommodating staff. Reviewers appreciate the communication and assistance provided throughout the planning process by staff members like Nicole and Kelsey. The venue's amenities, such as the fire pit and bridal/groom suites, were highlighted as enhancing the overall wedding experience. Additionally, the custom cider options and flexibility in vendor choices received positive feedback, making it a dream venue for couples seeking a rustic yet modern atmosphere for their special day.
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Kelly B
Highlighted review.
5.0
10/25/2024
Our wedding at Mt. Defiance was amazing. We had a wonderful day. It did rain so we had the ceremony inside and it was absolutely beautiful. The staff were so kind, professional and stayed in communication with us throughout the entire planning process. It is such a great venue for a wedding or any event you might have! We love their cider and spirits, we had a couple of their custom cocktails at the reception and they were a huge hit with all of our friends and family! We can’t recommend them enough!
Caitlin R
4.0
4/12/2024
Leading up to the wedding day we had a wonderful experience with Kelsey. She was communicative and helpful every step of the way. In the day of, the grounds were immaculate, the venue was very clean. Everything in working order. There were a few misunderstandings regarding the rehearsal day and day of wedding duties that we hashed out and reconciled after our day. Overall the wedding was really beautiful and we brought home our leftover bottled cider from the wedding! The absolute best part was that the whole venue inside and out is dog-friendly, so we got to have our best friend with us on our day! Thanks Mt Defiance, we wish you the best in the wedding business.
Any questions?
Jordan T
5.0
11/08/2023
The venue was a beautiful space to host our fall wedding! The trees were all changing, and the weather turned out perfectly. The amenities on site were perfect. The back patio was beautiful for the cocktail hour and the fire pit added a nice rest area during the all-night dance party! The team at Mt. Defiance was fantastic to work with and super accommodating. It was so great to work with them to help coordinate our special day.
Gina N
5.0
9/02/2023
Amazing venue and staff. Very easy to work with and they go above and beyond to make your wedding ideas come to life.
Kaitlin W
5.0
5/08/2023
Getting married at Mt. Defiance Cider Barn was an absolute dream. From the beautiful high ceilings, to the gorgeous wooden beams, the adorable lighting, the cozy patio and fireplace, and the convenient and private bridal and groom suites, everything was absolutely perfect. Honestly, we still get shivers every time we drive up the little hill and get the full view of the building.
Apart for the building what really makes Mt. Defiance special is the staff. Right from the get-go we were welcomed by staff who clearly take pride in what Mt. Defiance has cultivated. Nicole was absolutely lovely and patient, giving our family members multiple tours as we beamed with delight showing them the grounds. She had a wealth of knowledge, great suggestions, and was the perfect sounding board for possible vendors.
Kelsey was our point of contact and day-of-representative, we felt so secure in her leadership. She was very responsive, organized, and pro-active. Our walk-through with her alleviated any concerns we had. On the day of our wedding she was working incredibly hard to make sure everything went smoothly and all our expectations were beyond met. She was cool, calm, and collected. We still remember her upbeat and positive vibes as we arrived for the reception. We are still so grateful for everything she did.
Lastly, the coolest thing about Mt. Defiance is the custom ciders that they can create for your wedding. We're big brewery lovers so this was very exciting for us. We ordered a keg of their flagship Strawberry Cider which was delicious and we used it for our champagne toast. We also ordered a custom keg of apple pie cider that my husband was obsessed with. We could not be happier with our cider choices.
If you're contemplating Mt. Defiance Cider Barn as your venue, definitely check it out in-person. Order a cider flight and sit on rocking chairs with your loved one. It's well worth the visit and you may shivers like us :)
Taylor O
5.0
3/25/2023
We got married at Mt Defiance Cider barn and it was everything we could’ve hoped for!! We fell in love with it on our first visit and we’re thrilled when it was available to be our venue. They were accommodating, helpful, and so pleasant to work with. Kelsey was a fantastic coordinator and worked flawlessly with my wedding coordinator and our other vendors. 10/10 recommend getting married at the Cider barn. Our favorite part is we can go back and visit the place our favorite day happened. We love this beautiful place!
Catherine P
5.0
11/02/2022
We loved our wedding at Mt. Defiance Cider Barn. It was a lot more pricey than we originally expected but it was worth it. We were able to all get ready upstairs in the bridal/groom suites and loved having the whole venue as home base for the day. The barn itself is beautiful and allowed us to save on decoration costs because it was already so nice. We also had an outdoor fire pit for our fall wedding which was a hit for the reception. They recently added a sidewalk that goes down to the ceremony area which made it even easier for handicap access. We worked with Kelsey to coordinate the event and she was very responsive and easy to work with. We highly recommend the venue, it's so beautiful and absolutely worth it!
Katie J
5.0
10/22/2022
Our wedding at Mt. Defiance was an absolute DREAM!!!! Kelsey was so great to work with throughout the wedding planning process, answering our every question (and there were many!!), and offering lots of advice. Even with a rainy day and indoor ceremony, every detail was perfect and more than we could have ever dreamed of. It was simply perfect. We are forever grateful to be a part of the Mt. Defiance family!!!!
Josh R
5.0
8/01/2022
We held our wedding at Mount Defiance's cidery and we could not have been happier about our choice of venue. The low-key, rustic but modern vibe was exactly what we wanted for our wedding and it is a nice contrast with the myriad old plantation homes in the area. The location just outside the charming town of Middleburg is also perfect.
It was the perfect size for our wedding (roughly 100 guests) and the flow from the ceremony to the cocktails to the reception went perfectly, even when the weather didn't cooperate. The main room has plenty of space for folks to go all out on the dance floor while the two covered porches gave plenty of space for those who needed to escape the commotion.
I also want to highlight what a delight it was to work with the staff at Mount Defiance. Kelsey and her team worked with us beforehand to make sure everything went smoothly, including accommodating some last minute requests from guests who were new mothers. And on the day of, one of the managers lent me his laptop charger when I couldn't find my own.
We've since fallen in love with Mount Defiance and their cider. We've gone back multiple times with family to try new offerings. We cannot recommend them enough to host your wedding or any other event.
Michele B
5.0
2/28/2022
Mt. Defiance was our wedding venue in January 2021, and it could not have been more beautiful! The cost was 110% worth every penny and decorating the beautiful barn was SO EASY. The venue granted our every request and were super great at communicating throughout the planning process. Their suggested vendors were amazing and had great knowledge & experience at the venue. The entire team made our event seamless and beautiful. If you're thinking about this as your wedding spot, don't hesitate!
Alice T
5.0
1/28/2022
We had the best experience with our fall wedding at this gorgeous venue! We had an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception which was perfect for what we were looking for. Our guests were able to enjoy the beautiful fall weather during our outdoor cocktail hour on Mt Defiance’s back portico. Nicole and her special events coordinator Kelsey were beyond nice and absolutely great to work with. They were flexible, accommodating, and answered all emails in a timely manner. If you’re looking for a rustic/barn style venue, look no further because this is definitely a hidden gem! The venue’s price was extremely reasonable for what you get compared to similar venues. They do not require that you use their preferred list of vendors, but we used 3 from their list and they were all fantastic. Having the reception tables and chairs included in the price really helped with not having to pay another vendor to bring in extra rentals. They even allowed us to borrow their arbor for our ceremony. We also purchased a keg of their cider to serve to our guests, which many enjoyed. The space is beautiful enough for minimal decor but also has room to be glammed up if that’s what you’re looking for. We received so many compliments about how beautiful the venue was. Mt Defiance was a 10/10 and really helped make our wedding day perfect! We loved it and cannot recommend them enough!!
Ali C
5.0
11/03/2021
We LOVED our wedding at Mt. Defiance. It was the second venue we saw and booked it immediately. We wanted somewhere with inside and outdoor space, and they were perfect. We did end up with a super rainy morning/early afternoon and had to move our ceremony to be inside, but everyone raved about how beautiful it was to have the ceremony in front of the fireplace. We loved it! The team was great and super helpful. You do need to make sure you have the budget to bring in all the other things you will need since they do only provide the tables and indoor chairs in terms of things you might need to rent, but if thats okay with you then highly recommend! Our photographer said it was one of the most photogenic places she's ever had a wedding at and the pictures show!
Arianna H
5.0
10/12/2021
My husband and I felt so lucky to find this venue! This was actually the first venue we found, and after visiting and comparing prices, decor styles, and location (about 30 mins from Dulles for family flying into town!) with other similar venue listings on The Knot, we simply didn’t even visit another venue because nothing else could compare. We used Mt. Defiance for both our downsized wedding ceremony in 2020 (they were SO flexible and accommodating as we were scrambling to make adjustments due to the pandemic), and we just had our big vow renewal & reception with friends and family on Sep 26, 2021. The venue itself is GORGEOUS, and I couldn’t have been happier with working with the owner, Nicole, and the rest of the Mt. Defiance staff. They were incredibly friendly, helpful, and truly made us feel like royalty on our special day(s!). Also, we completely leaned into the fall apple theme with “harvest apple” candles, hard and non-alcoholic apple cider, and cider donuts, which I would 10/10 recommend. And, we used the fire pit outside during our reception, which our guests loved as a way to enjoy the perfect September weather and chat away from the dance floor. They also couldn’t stop commenting how beautiful the venue itself was. Without a doubt, I would absolutely recommend Mt. Defiance for your wedding.
Hellen B
5.0
7/02/2021
Absolutely loved this venue! Gorgeous ceremony and reception space and furnished cocktail hour on the patio. The rustic look of the barn with the sleekness of the cool bar in the back made the wedding look both romantic and modern. I worked as the wedding coordinator for a couple that got married this past month and Nicole & Kelsey were very accommodating and flexible. Nicole even assisted us in setting up the room and both were super kind and responsive throughout the process. This venue is an absolute hidden gem!
Jake S
5.0
12/02/2019
If we could give Mt. Defiance 10 stars we would! Mt. Defiance was actually the first venue that we had visited and that was when we met Nicole. Nicole is one of the greatest people that my wife and I have the privilege of knowing. She was so kind to us the entire process as well as incredibly helpful in giving suggestions for vendors. Her preferred vendor list is well vetted and everyone is VERY reasonable to work with. We found our wedding coordinator, food vendor, and a few other fun vendors through Nicole and her team at the cider barn. Leading up to the wedding we lost track of how many times we visited to "test" some of their amazing cider, and decide which types we were going to go with for the big day. We ended up going with Farm House and Apple Pie and both were a huge hit! For the folks who liked lighter drinks we also offered Vermouth Spritzers which was another fantastic recipe from Mt. Defiance. The day of the wedding was incredible and went off without a hitch. From the second the bridal party arrived to the final sendoff, everyone and everything about Mt. Defiance was perfect. The venue is absolutely gorgeous especially near dusk. If you are looking for a beautiful venue with an amazingly helpful staff, or even just a place to enjoy some amazing cider, Pommeau, or Vermouth...we would definitely recommend Mt. Defiance! :)
Katie D
5.0
11/13/2019
Our wedding at Mt. Defiance Cider Barn was a dream! The Barn itself is so warm and beautiful that you don’t need many decorations to make it feel special. We got married in a small clearing of trees outside the Barn and then held our cocktail reception on their back patio. The Mt. Defiance staff was great to work with and they were very relaxed and flexible about anything we needed. There’s also lots of parking available onsite which was great for our guests. We 100% recommend this as a venue for anyone’s big day!!!! :)
Caroline L
5.0
11/04/2019
Nicole and her team at Mt. Defiance Cider barn were amazing. We hosted our BBQ + Bluegrass rehearsal dinner there and could not have imagined a more perfect setting to kick off the weekend. We had plenty of questions up until the event, and the team was very responsive and super helpful!
Claire W
5.0
11/04/2019
Mount Defiance was an incredible place for our wedding. Not only is the venue beautiful, but also the staff is kind, responsive, and easy to work with. Nicole helped us along the way as we figured out our plans for our brunch wedding. We were so appreciative of the flexibility to come up with ideas for our wedding, which meant we could create the laidback and fun vibe we were hoping for! Serving their cider for our “champagne toast” and mimosas was a big hit with out guests! Highly recommend this wonderful venue! We will be back to visit often :)
Colleen O
5.0
9/17/2018
We really loved having our wedding reception at Mt. Defiance. It's such a beautiful spot and so many of our guests commented on what a gorgeous space it is. I really liked that unlike a lot of the winery venues in the area, they let you provide your own alcohol with the option of serving their cider too, if you wish (we did, because it's delicious!). The bridal suite is a nice spot for getting ready, and we found all the staff we came in contact with really polite and friendly. Nicole, the event manager, was really helpful throughout the planning process, and everything went very smoothly day of. I'd definitely recommend this space to others!
Colette C
5.0
12/03/2017
We had the honor of being Mt. Defiance's first wedding! The space worked out so well for us to have our ceremony outdoors on the grass, cocktail hour on the patio, and reception inside the barn. There was plenty of room for our 170 guests. There were so many special touches unique to this venue, like our live edge wood head table, enormous bar with pretty copper details, hanging chalkboard signs we could write our signature drink and bar menu on, and all the amazing cider they make of course! They were so accommodating working with our caterers (we used Bluewater Kitchen) and the staff of both worked together seamlessly to make the night perfect. This isn't a venue with tons of restricting rules of what you can do- they just want you to have the best day possible!
Our guests loved being in this cool new space and were delighted to discover charming Middleburg! What a lovely venue and town to get married in! We have such fond memories of our wedding and can't wait to visit Middleburg and the barn again.
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