Hallmark eventually apologized for its decision, but not until it had endured several days of negative publicity during the holiday season, its most important time of the year. The Hallmark Channel is known for its annual Countdown to Christmas, a block of programming that starts in late October.

The Zola ads started appearing on Hallmark's airwaves in early December. The commercials caught the attention of One Million Moms, a conservative organization that published a petition urging the network to “please reconsider airing commercials with same-sex couples and please do not add L.G.B.T. movies to the Hallmark Channel.”

The petition went on to claim that such content “goes against Christian and conservative values that are important to your primary audience,” and said Hallmark would “lose viewers if you cave” to the L.G.B.T. “agenda.”

Hallmark pulled the commercial not long afterward, saying the lesbian wedding scene violated the company’s policy against showing “public displays of affection.”

In response, Zola said it would pull its advertising from Hallmark.

“The only difference between the commercials that were flagged and the ones that were approved was that the commercials that did not meet Hallmark’s standards included a lesbian couple kissing,” Mike Chi, the chief marketing officer of Zola, said last month. “Hallmark approved a commercial where a heterosexual couple kissed. All kisses, couples and marriages are equal celebrations of love, and we will no longer be advertising on Hallmark.”