The minister who officiated R. Kelly and Aaliyah’s wedding ceremony testified about it during the 12 Play singer’s racketeering trial.
On Wednesday (Sept. 1), 73-year-old Nathan Edmond told the jurors that he led the couple’s 1994 wedding — although Aaliyah was only 15 years old when she wed then-27-year-old Kelly. The minister testified under subpoena that he only officiated the wedding, which was held at a hotel in a city outside of Chicago, as a favor for a friend and he never met the singers until that day.
“I didn’t think it was anybody special. I didn’t understand it at all,” Edmond told the jurors.
“The door opened to the bedroom and out stepped Aaliyah and Mr. Kelly,” he added.
The minister said the ceremony lasted for less than 10 minutes and the couple wore matching jogging suits. “They both had one leg on the jogging suit up to the knee,” he testified. “You couldn’t see her whole face because her hair was over half of her face.”
Edmond revealed that he never spoke publicly about the wedding because he was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before the ceremony took place. “I kind of chuckled,” he said. “[Kelly] asked me why did I do that [chuckle]. I said it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. … It should have been … more airtight.”
Edmond did not sign the NDA, but did give the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer his word that he wouldn’t speak openly about the wedding.
Kelly’s marriage to the late singer was annulled after her parents found out about it. It is also one of the main focuses of the federal case against Kelly because prosecutors believe a member of his team bribed a local official to create a fake ID for the marriage to take place. He is facing multiple racketeering and sex trafficking charges.