Beyonce and Jay-Z performing at Radio City Music Hall in June, 2006
Beyonce and Jay-Z got married in a moderately top secret small wedding and reception at Jay-Z’s Tribeca penthouse apartment in early April. The paparazzi were crowded outside, surrounding guests limos like zombies hungry for brains, but apart from some subdued photos of people coming and leaving there were no pictures of the event. For a female performer known for multiple elaborate costume changes and extravagant wigs, Beyonce kept her special day surprisingly private. It wasn’t without its luxuries of course. The venue was decorated all in white, guests were instructed to wear white, and 50 to 60 thousand white orchids were imported from Thailand.

Rumor has it that Beyonce is expecting a child with Jay-Z, and that may have prompted the longterm couple to get married quickly, but the date of their wedding had special significance for them and suggests it was planned well in advance. Their birthdays both fall on the fourth of separate months, they have roman numeral IV tattoos on their ring fingers, and their wedding was held on 4/4/08.

If Beyonce is pregnant, a potential child with Jay-Z is worth $5 million under her prenuptial agreement. She has her own empire and is a multi-millionaire in her own right. Jay-Z is worth at least $300 million, though, and his financial advisers are said to have encouraged him to draw up a prenup to protect his assets. He supposedly made it generous in order to be fair:

“The prenup calls for Jay-Z to pay Beyonce $10 million if the marriage ends after two years, and $1 million dollars a year for each further year she remains in the marriage, up to 15 years,” revealed a source familiar with the deal.

“If they do split, he’s promised to pony up $10 million to buy her a home..

“He’s promised to pay her an additional $5 million for each child she bears him - for her ‘loss of income’ during the pregnancy and child-rearing years.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 12, 2008]

Other provisions in the rumored prenup include “access to their private jet and a fleet of cars,” and all expenses paid college educations for their future children.

Doesn’t it seem like the prenup should pay out more the longer you stay with the person, like the amount increases per year so that spouses aren’t encouraged to cash out early? Maybe they assume that if you’re with someone for financial reasons it’s better not to include incentives to stick it out under false pretenses.

It seems like a necessity for celebrities and people with money to get prenuptial agreements since everyone’s chances at a lasting marriage are about 50/50. You also never know if you’ll have a successful career and eclipse your spouse’s earnings, and how your circumstances may change. I remember reading Suze Orman and being impressed by her reasons to always get a prenup.

Beyonce and Jay-Z have been together for a while, and there have been faint rumblings that they’re fighting or having trouble, but they’ve stuck it out and kept their relationship private. I bet they’ll last, and that they’re aiming for 4 kids.

Beyonce made a brief appearance at Jay-Z’s concert at Madison Square Garden on Friday. The first few bars of “Crazy in Love” came on and Beyonce did a dance on stage briefly. Jay-Z said “that’s some good shit right there,” which may have been a reference to the rumor that he got mad andmade the DJ stop playing “Crazy in Love” at an earlier show.

Beyonce sure can move, but it’s hard to tell if she’s pregnant or not. The camera stays on her upper body on the big screen on stage and never moves down.

Thanks to NecoleBitchie via ONTD for this video.

Well I really hope Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “We’re not gonna discuss whether or not we’re married” thing works out really well for them. The two singers – who last time I checked, depended on fans and publicity for their large incomes – refused to say whether or not they had gotten married. And while I get that they wanted to keep it on the downlow prior to the event so that they could have a private ceremony, there was absolutely no need not to confirm the marriage after it had taken place. Part of me thinks they refused to do it in an attempt to get even more publicity. Either way, Beyonce and Jay-Z did marry on Friday, April 4th just like everyone thought.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are mum, but their paperwork is doing the talking for them: The couple filed their signed wedding license Friday in Scarsdale, N.Y., PEOPLE has confirmed exclusively.

Scarsdale Town Clerk Donna Conkling tells PEOPLE the license – which lists the wedding date as April 4 – was received on Friday afternoon. The couple applied for the license just three days before the ceremony attended by friends and family, including Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles, her father/manager Mathew, her sister Solange, her Destiny’s Child pals Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and the couple’s friend Gwyneth Paltrow.

Although the couple’s license was filed more than five days after the wedding – as required by law – Conkling tells PEOPLE it’s expected to be processed with the state without a penalty. (No special celeb treatment here: Conkling says the penalty is frequently waived.) Though sources confirmed the wedding to PEOPLE, the couple have remained silent about their nuptials. Shortly after the wedding, Beyonce was spotted with a ring while joining Jay-Z on tour, but neither of them have publicly stepped out with new jewelry.

[From People]

I don’t know why, but it really grates on my nerves that Jay-Z and Beyonce couldn’t just say yes or no after the fact. I totally agree that they have the right to privacy during their wedding – and of course they have the right not to tell people if they’re married. I just think it would have been courteous to give a simple yes or no one way or the other. A lot more talk went on due to their refusal to confirm anything in their attempt to “keep things private.” Though I’m guessing that was the real point all along. Refuse to ever talk about it, and get more press than ever. Or maybe Beyonce was just ashamed because of the supposedly tacky-ass job her mom Tina did putting the wedding together. I’m guessing that’s the more likely reason.

US Weekly and People cover images from coverawards.com via Gossip Rocks.

There are a lot of things Beyonce Knowles is known for. Awesome voice. Catchy songs. Gorgeous. Diva. But I’ve never heard anyone mention her fabulous sense of humor – and generally divas aren’t known for being able to laugh at themselves. It seems to be a lack of humor that’s gotten Jay-Z into some trouble with his new wife. According to the Mirror, Jay-Z poked a little fun at Beyonce at his concert at the Hollywood Bowl – and Beyonce , being Beyonce, didn’t really care for it.

Flicking through his box of oldies, the DJ slapped on one of Beyonce’s biggest hits, Crazy In Love. But as the fans grooved, Jay-Z growled. Storming to the mic, he yelled: “F*** that. Sorry Bey but f*** that - let’s play something else.” Furious, Bey stalked off… before laying into her man later away from prying eyes. “Beyonce had been side stage for most of the night, dancing and singing along,” says a fellow reveller. But when Jay-Z got the song pulled, her mood soured. He meant it as a joke, but Beyonce didn’t take it that way.

“After he came off stage, she confronted him, demanding to know what the hell his comments had been about. She was gesturing wildly and not looking happy. Like any good husband would, Jay-Z grovelled and tried to get out of it with compliments. It’s a shame because earlier the pair had been flashing their tattooed wedding ring fingers. Both have ‘IV’ - the date of their wedding’ - inked on.

[From the Mirror]

The tattoos are actually old and appeared after the couple took a trip to Paris this past Christmas – which of course spouted a slew of “are they married” gossip. According to the source, the couple later made amends and were seen holding hands again. It seems pretty clear Jay-Z meant the song playing as a joke – clearly he wasn’t trying to publicly humiliate his wife. But I could see something like that bothering a lot of people, because it does seem like a dis. And it’s very public. It seems that the couple have no plans to officially confirm their marriage in the near future – certainly an unusual choice, but their right.
m
Here’s Jay Z in concert on April 8th. Images thanks to Splash.

A new story in the NY Post brings up an interesting question: Are tabloid magazines racially biased? In the wake of the relatively light coverage of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s wedding last weekend, some are speculating that the disinterest from the tabloids was racially motivated. Gatecrasher’s Ben Widdicombe did some actual journalism for his column this week and found some disturbing results.

Are the celebrity media racist?

A top tabloid editor tells me that Jay-Z and Beyonce’s wedding was played down by the weeklies because “African-Americans don’t sell covers.”

Of the big five celebrity glossies out midweek, only Us Weekly gave Beyoncé the top spot on the cover. Other magazines gave her second billing to the likes of Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston.

“None of the magazines landed an exclusive on wedding pictures, which would have made the story bigger,” said one tabloid insider, justifying why Beyoncé was relegated to a small cover box on his magazine.

But even wedding photos make less money for black stars, says another source. “Eva Longoria can get $1 million for wedding photos, but without the expectation of cover sales, Beyoncé might have gotten as little as $250,000 if she had sold hers,” says a top editor.

Magazine publisher and black gossip pioneer Flo Anthony responds: “That sounds to me a very racist statement. Beyoncé is one of the biggest stars in the world, much bigger than Eva Longoria.”

Anthony publishes Black Noir for women, as well as Toy Box, a black parenting magazine with a celebrity focus. She said: “It is hard for African-Americans in magazines. Only a few people, like Will Smith and Halle Berry, are mainstream. Editors really still think that only blond hair and blue eyes sell magazines.”

As another tabloid source says: “We have a saying, ‘Only Oprah.’ Oprah is the only black celebrity big enough to put on our cover.”

But Us Weekly editor in chief Janice Min tells me: “Janet Jackson has been on our cover twice, for two of our best-selling issues we’ve ever had.”

Min is also the only non-Caucasian to helm a top celebrity magazine. She acknowledges there is a perception in her industry that black stars don’t sell covers, but adds: “Typically, you will hear that discussion among a group of all-white editors.”

[From Gatecrasher]

I do agree that the tabloids tend to focus more on white celebs- especially the unholy trifecta of Spears, Lohan and Hilton. I’m not sure why- maybe there are more white celebs who are screwing up in public than black celebs? Or maybe, as the Gatecrasher article suggests, it comes down to money. However, comparing coverage of Eva Longoria’s wedding to that of Beyonce’s wedding is not a good analogy for this argument. Eva Longoria courted the press every step of the way when she got married- from the engagement to the wedding plans to the numerous ceremonies and parties. Beyonce and Jay-Z are both huge stars and if they had chosen to go the Longoria route with their wedding, they would have been on every magazine cover last week. However, the couple chose to get married under the radar- even their guests are staying mostly silent about the nuptials. The only reason US Weekly had the wedding on the cover is that Beyonce’s sister Solange went to the mag with an exclusive. Other than that, the magazines didn’t have any info on the wedding. If the couple had shopped wedding photos around, I’m sure there would have been a bidding war over them. But just like their long courtship was kept fiercely private, so was their wedding.

The latest US Weekly and People cover images from coverawards.com via Gossip Rocks.

An older image of Beyonce and Jay-Z

The New York Daily News has an article today alleging that Beyonce is pregnant, and that’s the real reason for her “quickie nuptials” to Jay-Z last Friday. We still have yet to receive any official confirmation of a wedding from the couple or their reps, but some random details have leaked out about the ceremony, including a photo of Beyonce’s alleged bouquet. It’s super tacky and reeks of Tina Knowles. The Daily News seems to think Beyonce’s got a bun in the oven, and that’s the real reason the longtime couple finally tied the knot.

Did a pregnancy send Jay-Z and Beyoncé running down the aisle? Buzz is building that this weekend’s quickie nuptials were actually a shotgun wedding. It would be the second for the Knowles’ family: At just 17, Beyoncé’s little sis, Solange, wed boyfriend Daniel Smith in the Bahamas after learning she was pregnant.

While reps for both J and B are neither confirming nor denying baby talk, the diva has indicated in the past that she’d like a big family: “I want to get married, and I really want a family. In a perfect world I’d have two boys and a girl.”

[From Rush & Molloy]

That seems like a whole lot of speculation to me. First off, we have no reason to believe it was a quickie wedding. Just because the press wasn’t informed about it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been in the works for months. It seems like the fact that it was a small ceremony that happened 3 days after they got their marriage license makes people think it was a hastily made decision. Jay Z and Beyonce have always kept their relationship really low profile. It’s quite likely they’ve been engaged for a while.

The way Beyonce and her mom go all-out on everything (some would say to a ridiculously tacky extent), I highly doubt they’d rush a once-in-a-lifetime event like Beyonce’s wedding. I think based on the Daily News’ evidence, we could accuse just about every bride of being pregnant.

Beyonce and Jay-Z in 2006
Beyonce and Jay-Z are married, according to a source quoted in People Magazine. There was some speculation that these two weren’t getting married and were just having a party, but if it wasn’t a wedding they sure went to a lot of trouble and expense, including taking out a marriage license on April Fool’s day. Here are the details that are known so far, thanks to People, E! Online, In Touch, and OK!

• The wedding is said to have taken place at Jay-Z’s Tribeca penthouse apartment last night.
  

• Guests included Beyonce’s mother and father, her sister, Solange, and her former Destiny’s Child band members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, who posted a goofy youtube video yesterday that lent some credence to the “wedding hoax” rumors.
  

• George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Chris Martin were also in attendance. (George’s attendance was reported by E! Online’s The Hum, who note that he was at the right time and place to suggest he was also going to the wedding.)
  

• Candelabras, long white candles and white orchids were seen being delivered at lunchtime. People reports that from 50,000 to 60,000 white orchids were imported from Thailand.
  

• A cake was delivered around 3 p.m., it is described by E! as “a large white cake box that was a couple of feet wide and a couple of feet deep.”
  

• A white tent was erected on the roof of Jay-Z’s apartment.
  

• Guests were instructed to wear white.
  

• Guests started arriving at 7:00 pm and the party lasted well into the early morning, with guests only starting to leave at 2:00 am.
  

• The roman numeral IV was a theme of the night, as both Beyonce and Jay-Z’s birthdays fall on the fourth. Jay-Z’s birthday is 12/4/69 and Beyonce’s is 9/4/81. They have matching ring finger tattoos of the numeral IV that they reportedly had done in France on 12/4/07. Jay-Z’s chain of clubs is called 40/40. The date yesterday was 4/4/08.
  

• Guests were told not to bring in cell phones and surrendered their phones to their drivers.
  

• DJ Cassidy provided the music for the evening.
  

• Jay-Z moved into the building last week, and a resident says he was warned that there was going to be “a large party on the roof” Friday night.
  

• In Touch says that Beyonce and Jay-Z are planning a second wedding in France on May 4.
  

• Jay-Z is on tour with Mary J. Blige and has concerts scheduled in Greensboro, NC and Washington, DC this weekend. His North American tour does not wrap until May 8, so it may be some time before these two can go on a honeymoon. That may also make the rumored second wedding in France difficult.

There is no official confirmation yet from anyone, but it seems like it’s just a matter of time. Good for Beyonce and Jay-Z for marrying sort-of under the radar while managing to have a party for their friends that was virtually press free. We’ll have to see if any wedding photos come out and if that story that Beyonce’s dad was trying to broker a deal for exclusive pictures was true.

Here’s a video of Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin arriving at the wedding. Gwyneth covers her face with her hand while Martin hunkers down, and the paparazzi surround and follow them like zombies hungry for brains. Thanks to OK! for posting this.

Beyonce’s sister Solange arriving at the wedding, thanks to WENN.

There are reports all over Manhattan that Beyonce and Jay-Z may be tying the knot today. A party of some sort is definitely happening at Jay-Z’s apartment – though it could be to celebrate his recent $150 million deal with Live Nation. Evidence includes a white tent that’s been set up on the roof of the building, flowers and candelabras that have been delivered (some left out on the curb, letting People magazine get quite the snapshot), and AV equipment delivery. Several of the couple’s friends are in the city, including Beyonce’s former Destiny’s Child band mates Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, who for some stupid reason mention in a YouTube video that they’re staying at the Four Seasons in Manhattan right now. Other famous friends in NYC are Jermaine Dupri, Kanye West , Diddy, and Pharrell Williams. But to be fair, it’s New York City, no podunk nowhere. It’s not exactly weird that a lot of celebrities are here this weekend.

Jay-Z is breaking out the bubbly at his place Friday night for a big celebration. The big question is whether it’s to mark his rumored wedding to Beyoncé Knowles, or his $150 million deal with Live Nation. “Jay has invited some close friends, including Diddy, to his apartment in New York,” a source told the Daily News. “He hasn’t said if it’s for his wedding.”

Several sources close to the families of Knowles, 26, and Jay-Z, 38, said they knew nothing about a ceremony. There have been several false marriage reports going back at least two years. That hasn’t stopped Beyoncé’s dad, Mathew Knowles, from stringing along at least one celebrity weekly with the offer of wedding pics for sale.

“Mathew first started talking about wedding photos on Monday,” a magazine insider told The News. “He said, ‘How much are you offering?’ There has been a back-and-forth since then, but he has not revealed the date. He is definitely talking about there being wedding pictures.”

[From the New York Daily News]

Well that’s classy. Always a good dad, and always a good manager, right? Supposedly the event will be attended by 30 guests. Which seems small for a wedding, but certainly happens – especially when you’re trying to keep things private. What does seem odd is that the guests were all told to wear ivory, according to VH1 and several other websites. I’m pretty sure that the number one etiquette rule for a wedding guest is not to wear white. In fact I think it’s one of the few rules people still pay attention to. And Beyonce doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to let anyone steal her thunder – certainly not on her wedding day. So although there’s a ton of evidence that Beyonce and Jay may be getting hitched today, that one little detail makes me think they might be pulling one over on us.

Here’s a photo of the tent erected atop of Jay-Z’s building today. Splash notes: “Amid rumors of a wedding between Jay Z and Beyonce Knowles, a tent has been erected on the roof abutting jay Z’s apartment. According to US reports, behind the tent is an all-white interior.” Thanks to Splash for the image.

Update: Us Weekly is reporting that a reverend and his wife were seen entering Jay-Z’s building. I don’t pretend to have any idea how Us Weekly knows the guy is a reverend.

Jay-Z seems to really have the world in his hands right now. The rapper/music mogul filed for a marriage license with longtime girlfriend Beyonce Knowles on Tuesday, and since then things have only gotten bigger and better for him. The Associated Press has reported that Jay is about to sign a $150 million deal with Live Nation, which will include both CDs and concerts. Jay-Z was reportedly in great spirits, celebrating at a Toronto club last night.

He was definitely in a celebratory mood before and after his show last night in Toronto. “Jay-Z was not with Beyonce but looked so happy he could have burst,” says an observer at Toronto’s popular bistro Sotto Sotto, where he ate a pre-concert dinner with a bunch of guy friends. Later, he partied well into the night at Toronto’s downtown club Lobby, where he was laughing, chatting up his guests and waving his arms to the music.

[From People]

Jay-Z isn’t just a rapper, he was also the president of Def Jam records for three years. Live Nation has also inked deals with Madonna and U2, but Jay is their first foray into hip hop. The numbers are pretty astounding, considering his last album had just so-so sales figures.

But the arrangement would also position Live Nation to participate in a range of new deals with Jay-Z, one of music’s most entrepreneurial stars, whose past ventures have included the Rocawear clothing line, which he sold last year for $204 million, and the chain of 40/40 nightclubs.

His first undertaking with Live Nation is his current 28-date tour with Mary J. Blige, his biggest live outing in more than three years. After that, Live Nation envisions integrating the marketing of all Jay-Z’s entertainment endeavors, including recordings, tours and endorsements. “I’ve turned into the Rolling Stones of hip-hop,” Jay-Z said in a recent telephone interview.

[From the New York Times]

Jay-Z definitely earns his reputation as not just a good performer but a great businessman. The Live Nation deal includes funding for Jay’s own business ventures in a company called Roc Nation, which will include music publishing, talent grooming and management, along with his own label. They’ll contribute $25 million over the course of five years to it. The timing of the wedding license is interesting, considering all these great things are happening to Jay-Z in such quick succession. Makes you wonder if he had some agreement with Beyonce, like “Once I get my next record deal figured out, we’ll get married,” or something. No matter what, it seems like congratulations are in order.

Here’s Jay-Z arriving for The Late Show with David Letterman on March 31, 2008 in New York. Images thanks to PR Photos.

People reports that sources say that Beyonce and Jay-Z registered for a marriage license on Tuesday morning in Scarsdale, NY, which would give them 60 days to get married in the state under that license. Beyonce’s rep had no comment and there is no further information about it.

Singer Beyonce, 26, and rapper and media mogul Jay-Z, 38, have been together for over five years and this isn’t the first rumor that they were about to tie the knot. In early March there was a story that Beyonce and Jay-Z were out at Butter Nightclub in NY and that Beyonce stashed what looked like a giant diamond engagement ring in her purse when witnesses spotted it.

Back in January there was a rumor that these two were secretly married at Georgio Armani’s house in Paris over the Christmas holidays. They were each seen with matching ring finger tattoos around that time that seemed to signify some kind of commitment.

The NY Daily News reports that Jay-Z was seen meeting up with Beyonce’s younger sister, Solange, in Miami recently, with a source claiming the meeting was about asking her family for permission to marry.

If this is true congratulations to Jay-Z and Beyonce. It would also be nice if they got married in a low-key ceremony without a lot of guests or a huge party. Either way is great for them, but it would be a pleasantly surprise if they got married under the radar.

Another week, another “Beyonce and Jay-Z are engaged or about to be married” story. Back in January, there was a rumor that they were secretly married at Georgio Armani’s house in Paris over the Christmas holidays. Both Jay-Z and Beyonce were sporting new matching ring-finger tattoos of the numeral IV, so people thought it must be symbolic of some kind of commitment, marriage being the logical assumption. Beyonce was rumored to be pregnant at that time, too, and that didn’t pan out. It seems like a lot of stories are spread about these two based on conjecture.

The singer and media mogul have been together for five years and despite all the rumors they haven’t split up, gotten engaged, or secretly married as far as we can tell.

Now there’s a story that Beyonce was seen out with a giant sparkling diamond ring on her left ring finger, but that she quickly stashed it in her purse when witnesses noticed it:

Beyonce, 26, and her longtime beau, Jay-Z, 38, had tongues wagging at Butter nightclub in NYC on Feb. 18. “She was wearing a huge diamong ring on her ring finger,” says an eyewitness. “When she noticed that I and some others noticed the rock, she quickly hid her hand behind her left elbow. Then she reached behind her to where her bag was, and after placing her hand in her bag, the ring disappeared!”

[From Life and Style, print edition, March 10, 2008]

Maybe she does have a big old diamond ring, but who knows if Jay-Z bought it for her or if it means that they’re engaged. JayBird noted in her post about their supposed “secret wedding” over the holidays that they’ve been in a stable relationship for a while and it seems to work well for them. If they want to get married or not that’s their decision.

Jay-Z was rumored to have had a fling with Rihanna back when she first hit the scene, but he was also mentoring her music career and those type of rumors are only natural given their working relationship. Rihanna supposedly got pissed at Jay-Z at a party after the Grammys this year and had words with him. But Jay-Z mocked Rihanna’s accent when he was presenting at the Grammys, and it seems likely that she was mad at him over that and it wasn’t a lover’s spat or anything like that. She was at the party with Chris Brown. Rihanna recently addressed the rumors that she was having an affair with Jay-Z, saying that it made her uncomfortable that people thought that, and that Jay-Z told her just to ignore the stories.

Jay-Z is about to embark on a 25-city tour with Mary J. Blige starting March 22. They will play five separate dates in NY alone. Tickets for the first four performances sold out within hours.

Beyonce is shown at the Grammy Awards and at the Sony Grammy After Party on 2/10/08, thanks to PRPhotos.