• December 22, 2003
• Vol. 60
• No. 25

No-Drama Nuptials

Surrounded by Friends and Relatives (No Celebs, Please), Mary J. Blige Weds Her Record Producer Fiancé in a Low-Key but Pitch-Perfect Ceremony

For her wedding to record producer Kendu Isaacs, singer Mary J. Blige "didn't want a lot of hoopla," says a friend. Done. On Dec. 7, Blige, 32, wed Isaacs, 36, at her Bergen County, N.J., home with just 50 well-wishers—none of them celebs. A guest played "Here Comes the Bride" on the piano, and Blige's mom, Cora, and sister LaTonya whipped up the unfussy menu: oxtail, barbecued chicken, crab, red rice and salad, topped off with a cake from a favorite Yonkers, N.Y., bakery. "It was nice and peaceful," says one guest. Unlike what's next on Blige's schedule: preparing an upcoming tour for her CD Love & Life. That means the couple are skipping a honeymoon—but not to worry. "Kendu is a kind and understanding person," says Blige's mother's fiancé, Lloyd Gilham. "It's a really good relationship."