Former The Amazing Race 7 contestants Lynn Warren and Alex Ali were married in Canada this morning. Ottawa's HOT 89.9FM radio station broadcast the sponsored ceremony live on-air between 7-9 AM today -- making it what is believed to be the first radio station in the world to air the live broadcast of a gay wedding.
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The 30-year-old Lynn and 22-year-old Alex are West Hollywood, California residents who have been together for four years. Employed as executive assistants, they used The Amazing Race to test the strength and longevity of their relationship.
"From speaking with them it became obvious that their experience on The Amazing Race really solidified their commitment to each other, and their desire to get married," said Jeff Mauler, host of The New HOT 89.9 morning show, in the station's previous announcement of the upcoming broadcast. "Since current laws do not allow the union of gay couples in California, we are ecstatic that they have agreed to come to Ottawa to share with us this once in a lifetime experience."
After enjoying a bachelor party on Monday night, the couple spent Tuesday preparing for the wedding. In addition to picking up their marriage license at City Hall, they picked up the wedding bands that a local jeweler had donated and also selected chocolate brown suits for the ceremony. Both diamond and platinum wedding bands are engraved with the word "Amazing."
About 400 guests attended the ceremony, including The Amazing Race 7 winners Joyce and Uchenna Agu and fellow contestants Gretchen Smith, Patrick and Susan Vaughn, and Bianca Smith and Debbie Cloyd. Despite considering them to be bitter rivals throughout the race, Alex and Lynn also invited Rob Mariano and Amber Birch to attend the wedding, however the couple -- newly married via their own ceremony that aired on CBS last week -- did not attend the ceremony.
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According to the Ottawa Sun, Alex's father (who had not been told of his son's sexual orientation prior to his appearance on The Amazing Race 7) disowned Alex after learning that he was gay, resulting in divided family allegiances and sparse wedding attendance from Alex's family. Among Alex's family guests were his aunt and uncle from Portland, who felt that it was important that the ceremony have "an affirmation from family."
"My father and mother do not support this marriage. They don't believe in gay marriage. But fortunately I have my aunt and my uncle who helped raise me... here. They are my father figures here," Alex told CTV.
One of Alex's older sisters, Adria, was in the wedding party, as was Lynn's brother Warren.
"Getting married is much more thrilling than Amazing Race because the prize at the end is true love, and a happy life ever after," Lynn gushed to CTV shortly after the ceremony ended. "It was very emotional because it was very real." he added. "And it's something that we've been waiting for years and years."