Lesbian couple rejected by wedding venue gets offered dream location for free

In Kansas, preschool teacher Ali Waggy and her fiancée Jessica Robinson were battling back tears when the owner of the wedding venue Barn at Grace Hill in Newton made it clear they weren’t welcome.

But since their story went viral, the couple has been celebrating. Joy Amore-Bishop, the owner of Heritage Meadow Estate in Derby, offered them the venue for free.

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The venue would normally cost about $12,000.

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While Waggy had lamented their situation on social media after the barn owner’s negative reaction, she celebrated in an update posted recently.

“Jess & I have witnessed comments & remarks from some of the most cruel, judgmental, close minded people,” she wrote on Facebook, “but for every one of those hateful things that have been said, there have been a flood of caring, compassionate, & supportive people reaching out, sharing our post, & reminding us that we belong just as much as everybody else does.”

“When I made that post last Monday morning, I truly had no idea what it was going to blow up into,” she continued. “As it got bigger I knew that this wasn’t just about us, what happened to us or how we were treated. It was much bigger than that. It was about using our voice to speak up, even when it was scary with the hope to raise awareness of our experience & save as many people as we could from feeling “uncelebrated” in what should be one of the most exciting times of their lives; & I truly hope that’s what happens.”

“We get to keep our wedding date we had planned, and the venue is even more gorgeous than we could have ever dreamed! We are so incredibly grateful for her and her generosity.”

She also shared a message from Amore-Bishop, who wrote to the couple that “When something doesn’t work out, you were either being protected or promoted to something better.”

The estate owner told local news that she deliberately wanted to “overshadow any kind of negativity that they may have felt in the beginning.” 

“Honestly, it was like my mama bear heart that just wanted to wrap her in a hug and make her know that not everybody feels that way.”