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$100,000 Dream Wedding Contest Won By Tampa Couple

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 15, 2008

Updated: 07/15/2008 04:38 pm

TAMPA It might have appeared that Courtney Dempsey was at work this afternoon, but she was really somewhere else once she got word she and her fiancé had won a $100,000 dream wedding.

"We're just in shock," Dempsey said. "It's phenomenal. We're just over the moon."

Dempsey, 33, and Gary Courtney, 37, finished first among 4,000 couples who vied for the prize in an online contest sponsored by Us Weekly magazine.

Voting ended two weeks ago but the magazine kept the results under wraps until Tuesday.

Dempsey, the future Courtney Courtney, is director of sales at Stumps Supper Club in Tampa's Channelside and associated businesses, while her husband-to-be works for Cigna.

Dempsey got to this point by winning a contest of another sort.

She was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma four years ago. Doctors gave her a year to live.

She also fought thyroid cancer, had a double mastectomy with reconstruction and is being treated for a lung condition.

The tedious treatments for melanoma left her with a mountain of medical bills and she's still on medication, but the cancer appears to be in remission.

The couple began dating a year after the treatment started.

The prize will be a lavish wedding staged by Us Magazine and WeddingChannel.com, some time in September.

A location has not been selected and between now and then, the contest sponsors will work with Dempsey to iron out details. The wedding will be designed by top names in the business.

Among the photographers being considered is the one who photographed the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes wedding.

Dempsey will also write a blog about the wedding planning, for the Us Weekly Web site.

The wedding will be limited to 150 guests.

"We wanted to maintain the integrity of the wedding and keep it to immediate family and close friends," she said. She comes from a large family.

At this point in the planning, they have only two requirements: French fries and cupcakes.

The French fries are because Courtney takes part in Iron Man competitions and he craves the greasy treat afterward, Dempsey said.

Word of the contest victory came a day before Courtney leaves for an Iron Man competition.

As for the sweets: "I've loved cupcakes since I was little," she said. "They're just fun."

Dempsey thanked those who voted for her and Courtney.

"We're just humbled and grateful," she said.

Contact reporter Neil Johnson at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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