Nashville wedding venue Barn In The Bend went dark on Tuesday after the world learned it refused service to same-sex couples. The venue, which charges $10,000 for the average package, shut down its social media, made its website private, and was dropped from several wedding planning and referral websites as reviews, comments, and phone calls, came in by the hundreds.
Nashville couple Mike Gill and Coty Heaton had inquired about having their ceremony at Barn in the Bend, which is located in Madison, until the owner, Jackie Daniel, replied back to an email noting he had described his partner as a “he”. Her reply email stated:
“Mike… did you mention that your partner was a “he” If I’m wrong I’m sorry however I don’t want to waste your time since we do not offer same sex marriages here. If I’m wrong I apologize. Just let me know if we need to proceed with the 4:00 appt tomorrow”… the email had a signature at the bottom which read “** We do not offer same sex marriage ceremonies”.
Multiple wedding planners, websites, and referral services have said they will not re-list the site, due to their discriminatory policies, and have permanently removed them from their directories. The couple has not yet responded to inquiries about this story.
After hundreds of negative reviews on multiple platforms, the company shut down its social media accounts, and some Wedding resource sites restricted their access to their platforms, due to their policy. Barn in the Bend copied and pasted the following reply to many reviews before shutting down their online presence, which read in part “due to my religious beliefs that is my choice”.
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