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Tampa Couple Move On In Dream Wedding Contest

Photo from Courtney Dempsey

Courtney Dempsey, 33, and Gary Courtney, 37, are among 20 couples from across the nation vying for a $100,000 dream wedding.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 26, 2008

TAMPA - A Tampa couple with a touching engagement story finished among the top three couples in a dream wedding contest and remain in the running to win a $100,000 prize, courtesy of Us magazine.

Courtney Dempsey, 33, and Gary Courtney, 37, both of Tampa were among 20 couples from across the nation who vied for the wedding. Online voting ended at midnight today, and the magazine concealed all the tabulations. Even Dempsey and Courtney were unaware of the final totals.

But this afternoon, they were told they were among the top three couples and move on.

Wednesday, the pair had amassed more than 260,000 votes and was behind the leaders by less than 100,000 ballots.

Dempsey is director of sales at Stumps Supper Club and associated businesses, and her betrothed works for Cigna, and yes, she knows that her name will be Courtney Courtney once they exchange their "I do's."

But that's only part of their touching story.

Four years ago, Dempsey was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma and given a year to live. Difficult treatments followed, and she's still on medication, but the cancer appears to be in remission.

All that incurred a pretty hefty medical debt, something that might have scared off some suitors, but not Courtney, who began dating Dempsey a year after her treatment started.

The Courtney-Dempsey ticket outlasted about 4,000 couples. Courtney said this afternoon that he and his fiancée are waiting to find out what the next step in the process will be.

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