Angel and Carl Larsen, a Minnesota couple, had plans to expand their media production business into the lucrative wedding market. But not all weddings. The couple wanted to post a statement on their website saying they would not make films celebrating same-sex marriages, court documents said.

But with a ruling handed down in United States District Court in Minneapolis on Wednesday, the Larsens ran into a legal roadblock, as Judge John R. Tunheim said their plan would be like posting a sign saying “White Applicants Only.” The couple is appealing the ruling, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian nonprofit whose lawyers are representing the couple.

The case is the latest to highlight the clashes taking place in several states over same-sex marriage rights and the private business owners or citizens who cite their religious beliefs or freedom of expression to deny services to gay couples.

In Colorado in 2012, a baker refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, saying that doing so would violate his Christian faith and hijack his right to express himself. His decision has led to a showdown in the Supreme Court, which is set to hear the case this fall.