‘A very emotional wedding’: When did Beyoncé and Jay-Z get married?

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are among entertainment’s most influential and wealthiest couples. The former member of Destiny’s Child has gone on to become what Billboard describes as the “greatest pop star of the 21st century,” while the rapper was named the best performer in his genre of all time by the same publication.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, factoring in their entrepreneurial ventures (Jay-Z, in particular, is a massively prolific businessman), Beyoncé is worth an impressive $600 million, and Jay-Z is worth a monumental $2 billion, giving them a total net worth of $2.6 billion as a power couple.

Jay-Z is currently in the news after being accused by a woman of sexually assaulting her, along with Diddy, when she was just a 13-year-old girl, following the MTV Video Music Awards, which were hosted at the Radio City Music Hall in the year 2000. It’s a claim the rapper has vehemently denied in a statement released through all the official social media pages of his entertainment company, Roc Nation.

The situation has put his marriage to Beyoncé in the spotlight once more. So, how long have the couple been married?

When did Jay-Z marry Beyoncé?

Per Elle, Jay-Z and Beyoncé married on April 4, 2008, at the former’s luxurious Manhattan penthouse in a secretive and intimate ceremony. He was 38, and she was 26. A source told People at the time that “It was a very emotional wedding — lots of crying — and really very spiritual.”

Jay-Z didn’t talk publicly about the marriage until the following August, when speaking with Vibe and telling the publication, “That’s ridiculous for me to confirm. I don’t have… I’m gonna say, I think that was a ridiculous question. I just think it’s really a part of your life that you gotta keep to yourself. You have to, or you’ll go insane in this type of business. You have to have something that’s sacred to you and the people around you. I shared so much of my life, my childhood, and my family, the death of my nephew with the world. I should have something to hold on to. You need something for your sanity to say, ‘Okay, I could chill out,’ and this is it.”

Beyoncé later spoke to Seventeen about the couple’s nuptials, saying, “There was no rush — no one expected me to run off and get married. I really don’t believe that you will love the same thing when you’re 20 as you do at 30. So that was my rule: Before the age of 25, I would never get married. I feel like you have to get to know yourself, know what you want, spend some time by yourself, and be proud of who you are before you can share that with someone else.”

The couple first met in 2000 when Jay-Z was 30 and Beyoncé was 18. They started dating around a year and a half later, in 2001, when he was 31 and she was 19. Beyoncé told Oprah Winfrey in an OWN interview “We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any dates. We were on the phone for a year and a half, and that foundation is so important for a relationship. Just to have someone who you just like is so important, and someone who is honest.”

The outcome of the lawsuit against Jay-Z could determine the future of his 16-year marriage to Beyoncé, and for that reason, regardless of whether he’s innocent or guilty, the coming months will be a stressful time for the couple. Fans of the couple and anyone interested in entertainment gossip will undoubtedly keep a keen eye on the situation.