Inside Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Ultra-Private Wedding, 17 Years Ago Today

Beyoncé and Jay-Z married in an intimate ceremony on April 4, 2008

Beyoncé and Jay-Z became the first family of hip-hop when they married in an intimate wedding on April 4, 2008.

The “Crazy in Love” duo — who now share daughter Blue Ivy and fraternal twins Rumi and Sir — took measures to keep their nuptials private, from hosting the special event at the rapper’s Manhattan apartment to having guests discreetly arrive and not record.

The Dreamgirls star provided some foreshadowing of the big day in a November 2006 interview with Cosmopolitan. “I never pictured myself as a bride, but … I don’t think I want a big one,” she said.

Beyoncé’s vision eventually came to fruition, and the relationship milestone was filled with personal touches, including her wedding dress. Afterward, nearly all of the special event’s details stayed under wraps until the couple began sharing snippets of the day through different projects.

In 2011, Beyoncé revealed the first glimpse of her wedding dress in a video for Live at Roseland. Three years later, Jay-Z joined in and shared clips of their ceremony during the pair’s joint On The Run tour.

In honor of their 17th anniversary, here’s everything to know about Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s wedding.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z tried to keep their wedding as private as possible

Beyoncé and Jay-Z on their wedding day April 4, 2008.Tina Knowles/ Instagram

A few days before their wedding, on April 1, the couple traveled to upstate New York to try to get their marriage license without raising alarm bells.

The artists stopped by the town of Scarsdale, where they picked up the proper documentation, a source confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.

They got married in their New York City home

Jay-Z and Beyoncé on their wedding day April 4, 2008.Beyoncé/ YouTube

Beyoncé and Jay-Z wed on April 4, 2008, a date that appeared significant to them because they share an affinity for the number 4. (Beyoncé was born on Sept. 4; Jay-Z on Dec. 4.)

The pair tied the knot in their own home, transforming Jay-Z’s 13,500-square-foot penthouse in New York City’s TriBeCa neighborhood into a space fit for the special occasion.

A tent was put up in their basketball-court-size living room, where the singer and rapper held their intimate ceremony. It was filled with flowers, candles, branches and crystal icicles to create a winter wonderland.

“It looked like a palace,” florist Amy Vongpitaka — who had 70,000 white dendrobium orchids flown in from Thailand — told PEOPLE.

“It was a really pure, white wedding,” said another source of the wedding decorations. “It was just beautiful. Gorgeous. Opulent.”

Beyoncé’s wedding dress was designed by her mom

Beyoncé in her wedding dress.Beyoncé/ YouTube

Beyoncé and Jay-Z kept their wedding attire traditional, with the rapper donning a black tux and the Cowboy Carter artist wearing a white dress designed by her mother Tina Knowles.

The floor-length gown was strapless and figure-hugging with a sweetheart neckline. It featured a ruched bodice and a full skirt with a long train and floral accents.

To complete her look, Beyoncé painted her nails blue and accessorized with minimal jewelry. She also pulled back her hair into a sleek bun and pinned a long veil.

A few years later, Tina told Today that her daughter “was so sweet to let” her design her wedding dress, much like she had previously done for Beyoncé’s past performance outfits.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s only had 40 wedding guests

Beyonce, Jay-Z and Gwyneth Paltrow attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2011 Costume Institute Gala.Steve Eichner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

Beyoncé and Jay-Z kept the event to their innermost circle — only 40 guests total, which included A-list stars like Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. They were also joined by several family members like Beyoncé’s mom Tina, dad Matthew and sister Solange.

Jay-Z’s mom, grandmother, sister and niece were in attendance, having prepared for the big event at Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge earlier in the day.

“I said, ‘I know there’s a wedding today,’ and they were laughing,” hairstylist Marvin Bull told PEOPLE. “[His mom] was saying they wanted it very small, so not many people got invited.”

The dress code was formal black-and-white attire, with female guests wearing white and men in tuxedos. Phones were also collected before the ceremony began to ensure no recordings were captured and subsequently shared.

Notably, the couple didn’t have a wedding party, best man or maid of honor.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s wedding ceremony was “very emotional”

Beyoncé and Jay-Z on their wedding day April 4, 2008.

When Beyoncé and Jay-Z exchanged wedding vows, the couple stood in front of their family and friends as an officiant led the ceremony, as seen in the 2017 music video for the song “Die with You.”

“It was a very emotional wedding — lots of crying — and really very spiritual,” a guest later told PEOPLE.

Afterward, they made their way down the aisle together as wife and husband while guests tossed white rose petals in celebration.

In April 2017, Beyoncé’s mom shared a rare photo from the event on the pair’s wedding anniversary. “9 years already??? Congratulations to the Carters❤❤ on their Anniversary 💐,” she wrote.

Tina also revealed that the officiant for the event was her minister, Rudy Rasmus, who also performed the ceremony for Tina and Solange.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s wedding was an all-night celebration

Jay-Z and Beyoncé on their wedding day April 4, 2008.Beyoncé/ YouTube

Much like the wedding, the reception took place in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s home.

“There was a first dance, and it was extremely emotional and beautifully orchestrated,” an insider told PEOPLE.

When it came to music, the couple entrusted their longtime favorite, DJ Cassidy.

“I had already been DJing Jay’s parties for at least 5 years,” he told the Drink Champs podcast in June 2024. “His birthdays, then Beyoncé’s parties when he threw them, the 40/40 club openings in Atlantic City and Vegas, all of those. So the call to do his wedding was not abnormal at the time.”

The producer revealed that Beyoncé and Jay-Z didn’t perform on the big night, and he was the only entertainer for the evening.

“It was literally just me, the entire party, from beginning to end,” he shared. “I don’t think there was any talk of music other than the first dance and the entrance songs — those songs the bride and groom choose — there was no discussion of music because I had been doing this with him for years. I think they were coming to me for me to do me.”

An insider told PEOPLE that the playlist included “a lot of hip-hop and oldies, including Jackson 5 and Whitney Houston.” The party lasted all night and ended around 5 a.m. the following day