A gay Fort Worth couple says a Tarrant County facility is refusing to rent them space to celebrate their upcoming wedding with a reception.

The owner of the All Occasion Party Place told Ben Allen and Justin Hudgins that she would not rent to them because they are gay, they said.

After learning they are gay, she said in an email to them that: "... it is because of God that I will not be a part in your reception and I know he loves you but not what you are doing."

"It almost felt like a sucker-punch to the face," Allen said.

"Initially, I didn't know how to respond, so I called Justin immediately and told him what happened," he said. "I was kind of floored a bit. I thought, in today's day and age, for someone to deny you simply because you date someone of the same sex, it doesn't really make sense to me."

Allen and Hudgins are getting married in Mexico on April 6 and plan to have a party with their friends and family when they return home.

All Occasion Party Place is just outside the Fort Worth city limits, so it doesn't fall under the city's anti-discrimination code, which does offer protection in such situations.

The owner of the facility told NBC 5 she did not want to comment on the matter.