An Indonesian family stopped a wedding after discovering the groom was a woman, only for an ex-boyfriend to save their blushes by stepping in to marry the bride.

Family and guests gathered to read the Koran at the Islamic ceremony in western Java, but the groom did not bring relatives and suspicions were raised when "Rio" failed to show documents, the Jakarta Globe newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"The suspicion became bigger as her heavy voice suddenly changed into a female one," the newspaper quoted local police chief Krisnandi as saying, adding the groom had a male physique and had known bride Nuraini for seven months.

"The family finally got Kiman, the ex-boyfriend, as the new groom for Nuraini in order to save face in front of their guests," Krisnandi said.

Homosexuality is not illegal in the world's most populous Muslim country, though same-sex marriages are not allowed. Same-sex marriages became legal in New York earlier this month, prompting hundreds of gay and lesbian couples to wed.

(Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)