Today at 5pm we were scheduled to tour Heron Hill venue in Lexington. I booked the appointment over a week ago and included my name, Bekah's name and that we were both the bride (since it asked for our "roles"). I not only received a confirmation for the tour, but text and email reminders since booking. This would have been our very first venue tour as part of our planning process. I've researched the venue, which is absolutely beautiful, and heard nothing but good things from a friend that was married last year.
This morning, I am getting out my car to go into a training class and get a call. It was a male from Heron Hill who said he had some bad news he hated to have to share. My first thought was the tour was cancelled or they were all booked.
Instead I was told that Heron Hill, who claims no religious affiliation on their site, brochures or booking material, does not believe in same sex marriage and had to cancel our tour. He went on to say "we like you, we actually love you, but we don't believe in that" which made the entire situation even more insulting and humiliating.
I would understand this response from a church or even an establishment with noticeable religious ties, however, nothing about Heron Hill's marketing would indicate they adhere to a belief system that discriminates. I can assure you I wouldn't put myself in that situation if I didn't need to and surely would not be willing to give them my money.
Unfortunately, in SC its not illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, but it is hurtful and incredibly disappointing. Its 2024. We were not going to pay them to conduct the service. They market themselves as an EVENT VENUE, and would be paid to host an EVENT. There was no FAQ submission that discussed their feelings and/or beliefs about the events. read more