Beyoncé revealed in an interview to Seventeen magazine back in 2008 that she and JAY-Z first met when she was 18 which means that met in late 1999 or early 2000.
In 2001, the new couple appeared together for the first time on Vanity Fair’s music issue and Jay was candid in 2013 interview with the magazine about that shoot being the very beginning of their budding romance when the singer was just 19 years old. “We were just beginning to try to date each other…Well, you know, you’ve got to try first,” he said. “You got to dazzle…wine and dine.”
On April 4th, Beyoncé and JAY-Z officially became the Carters and the rest was history. In a super secret New York City ceremony, the couple swapped vows during an intimate ceremony that only included their families and super close friends. Years later, in an interview with ESSENCE, the star said that having an engagement ring wasn’t a big deal to her (although her wedding ring is a whopping 18-carats.)
“People put too much emphasis on that. It’s just material, and it’s just silly to me,” she said at the time. The pair opted for matching ring finger tattoos of the Roman numeral for the four–their favorite number.
The Carters made their grand debut as husband and wife at the first Inauguration for former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama where Beyoncé sang “America The Beautiful” at the swearing-in ceremony and delivered a tear-jerking rendition of Etta James’ “At Last” as the First couple dance at the inaugural ball.
