Usher's mum skipped civil ceremony

Jonetta Patton chose to spend the day at a spa in Atlanta instead

Wednesday, 8 August 2007

When Usher and Tameka Foster tied the knot in a simple civil ceremony Aug. 3, there were no white hydrangea centerpieces, no love songs from Robin Thicke, no fancy spreads from celebrity chefs, and – most conspicuously – no mother of the groom, PEOPLE reports in its new issue.

A source close to the family confirms that Usher's mother and former manager, Jonetta Patton, was a no-show at the ceremony, reportedly held in Usher's lawyer's office, and she instead chose to spend the day at a spa in Atlanta.

As for the rest of Usher's inner circle, "some people didn't know about [the civil wedding] until a day later," says a source. "But that's Usher and Tameka for you. One thing one day and a whole other thing the next."

The missing mom could add fuel to the rumor fires circulating after the R&B singer, 28, called off his lavishly planned July 28 Hamptons wedding at the last minute.

Other theories for the postponement include a dust-up over wedding details, a pregnant Foster, 37, being reluctant regarding a prenup (she eventually agreed to sign one) and a strained relationship with Patton, who apparently does not get along with her new daughter-in-law.

Possible points of contention mentioned in the media are that Foster has three children from a previous marriage as well as a 1991 conviction for auto theft.

The newlyweds plan to make it up to their whiplashed friends and family by throwing a big bash in Atlanta in a few weeks.

For more on Usher's wedding, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday