Yes, I was shocked when I heard about it too. (After all, this was a blog I planned to have done last week.) Less than six days after the R&B singer and his fiancée Tameka Foster abruptly cancelled their much-publicized Hamptons wedding the two made it legal in Atlanta on Friday.
According to news reports, Usher is a married man. And it reportedly happened in the less than glamorous setting of his lawyer’s office—void of the pomp and circumstance that surrounded their original event. From what I’ve heard, simple would be an understatement. The couple reportedly went to Usher’s attorney’s office alone, exchanged vows, signed some papers and left. Compare that to last weekend’s scheduled ceremony, which was to take place at music mogul L.A. Reid’s massive estate. For that “celebration” the pair had spent $10,000 on invitations alone, lined up singer Robin Thicke to perform and booked both renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, along with Sylvia’s of Harlem, to cook. (The couple reportedly couldn’t decide on one menu theme so they booked both top chefs.)
But, alas, that star-studded affair was simply not meant to be. In the end Usher did make good on his word. He married the mother of his unborn child. (Foster is reportedly due to give birth to the couple’s first child this winter.)
So why is the news so shocking?
Well, first of all, many believed the cancelled wedding also signaled the end of Usher and Foster’s relationship. Rumors swirled regarding why the couple would call off the million-dollar event at the last minute. Some said the couple simply couldn’t agree on anything (including whether to tie the knot), while others speculated that Usher’s mother and other family members didn’t approve of Foster.
Then a few days after news came that the couple decided not to walk down the aisle it was announced that Foster was hospitalized for a “pregnancy scare.” The stylist confirmed the reports to PEOPLE magazine and went on to say that it was that hospitalization that caused the wedding postponement, and nothing more.
“I was pushing myself way too hard,” the five-months pregnant Foster told PEOPLE. “But I am fine and the baby is fine.”
A friend of the couple also went on record saying that even though the pair’s lavish Hamptons affair was called off it was never a question that the two would marry at some point because Usher “wants to be there for a baby.”
So it’s done. They are legally wed. Now… let the betting begin on how long it will last.