Lesbian couple left furious over email from Kansas wedding venue

A lesbian couple put their dream wedding venue on blast after the owners said same-sex marriage is against their religious beliefs.

A lesbian couple put their dream wedding venue on blast after the owners said same-sex marriage is against their religious beliefs, but the wedding could still go ahead.

Ali Waggy and her fiancee, Jessica Robinson, said they were prepared to drop the deposit on their dream venue, The Barn at Grace Hill, in Kansas after touring it Sunday, New York Post reported.

“Their barn is beautiful,” she told the Wichita Eagle.

After emailing the venue to discuss the deposit, they got back a response they weren’t expecting.

Ali Waggy and her fiancee, Jessica Robinson, were prepared to drop a deposit on their dream venue, the Barn at Grace Hill, after touring it Sunday. Picture: Ali Marie Waggy/Facebook

“While our deeply held religious belief keeps us from celebrating anything but marriage between a man and woman, we desire to serve everyone equally and do not want to keep anyone from using our building who would like to,” the email, written by the owner and reported to Waggy’s Facebook page, allegedly said.

“Our hearts are to serve, regardless of race, creed, colour, origin, sexual orientation, gender or marital status, while maintaining our convictions and beliefs as well,” it continued. “If you decide that our barn is the location you want for your wedding, we have learned that it is most fair to you to know who we are and where our heart is.”

Although the site didn’t completely ban them from using the venue for their dream wedding, the couple forewent the option on the basis of inclusivity.

“I think it’s more upsetting that we’re still dealing with this, and it’s 2024,” Waggy told the local outlet.

The email allegedly sent by the owner. Picture: Ali Marie Waggy/Facebook

She criticised the venue for being willing to take their money just because it was “illegal” to tell the couple no, she said on Facebook.

Waggy, a preschool teacher, said she “cried all night” after receiving the heartbreaking email, saying she and the venue had been discussing the wedding for many months before they revealed their religious beliefs.

Although the site didn’t completely ban them from using the venue for their dream wedding, the couple forewent the option on the basis of inclusivity. Picture: Jessica Robinson/Facebook

Waggy took to Facebook to discuss her heartbreak and to ask her friends if anyone knew of venues that could accommodate their July 2025 wedding.

The teacher said she wasn’t looking for publicity when she posted on her social media and never expected it to blow up.

The teacher said she wasn’t looking for publicity when she posted on her social media and never expected it to blow up. Picture: Facebook

Despite dreaming of having a barn wedding and having to give up the Newton, Kansas, barn, she’s not as worried as she first was.

Since posting on Facebook, she’s been given plenty of suggestions for new venues.

Now she says she hopes her post helps other LGBT couples to avoid going there for their weddings.

“If I can help even one other person … not go through that, that’s a win,” she said.

The Post has reached to the couple and The Barn at Grace Hill for comment.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and reproduced with permission

Originally published as Lesbian couple left furious over email from Kansas wedding venue