It’s no surprise that Solange’s wedding to Alan Ferguson has got us talking. From the fierce bridal party images to the cape to oh, just about everything, there’s not a detail that we don’t love!
But while we might be swooning over this wedding, it also reminded us of our first true love. Beyonce and Jay-Z! This power couple have sold over 300 million records, toured and released some of their best music together. If there’s a better time to celebrate their love, we don’t know it so we present to you The Love Story of Bey and Jay.
1997–2000: No one’s quite sure when this soon to be power couple actually met. The relationship rumours didn’t start until 2002, but based on later interviews, most people think it was somewhere between 1997 and 2000.
2001: In November, the pair appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair’s music issue. Ten years later, Jay Z gave an interview saying this happened right at the start of their relationship. Beyonce has confirmed this story, saying they spent a year and a half building a friendship before they began dating. As their later adoring public, we remained clueless.
2002: 2002 saw the release of Jay-Z’s 03 Bonnie and Clyde, which also saw Beyonce’s first solo appearance. They also appeared on an episode of MTV’s TRL, where Beyonce had a telling wardrobe choice – Jay Z’s signature Yankees cap. While everyone else was talking about the status of their relationship, they remained very quiet.
2003: The musical love continued between the two. While the couple claimed to be just friends, they won us over again when Beyonce released her single “Crazy in Love.” Featuring Jay-Z, they performed the track live only a few months after its release at the MTV Music Awards. While there was still no official word, the pair were frequently spotted together at events.
2004: And it happens. In August, Beyonce and Jay-Z appeared on the red carpet together for the first time. The event of choice? The MTV Video Music Awards, where both won awards. The power couple’s reign was just about to begin.
2005: This was the year where they gave themselves away. While they tried to keep things quiet still, their actions? Well they said a lot. Throughout 2005, they were spotted everywhere from the Grammys to Italy.
2006: With both of them releasing albums within months of each other, things got a little confusing in 2006. Beyonce’s B’Day album featured Jay-Z on two tracks and all seemed good. But his Kingdom Come featured the lyrics “I don’t think it’s meant to be, B / But she loves her work more than she does me / And honestly, at 23 / I would probably love my work more than I did she.” Facebook says: it’s complicated.
2007: The rumours that dominated 2006 were well and truly put to rest. Instead of breaking up, Jay-Z was getting down on one knee! Beyonce was seen wearing a $5 million, 18 carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring on her left hand.
2008: And then, the wedding. On April 4, the pair married at a private ceremony in his New York apartment. Forgoing tradition, the couple got matching IV tattoos on their ring fingers. In a change from every celebrity couple out there, no images from the wedding were released.
2010: First comes love, then comes marriage and then… When Beyonce announced she was taking a career break in 2010 to focus on her husband and her home life, we all knew what that meant.
2011: In 2011, we were proven right. In one of the classiest pregnancy reveals, Beyonce appeared with a baby bump on the red carpet of the MTV Video Music Awards in August. And in case anyone wasn’t sure, she ended a performance saying “Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside of me.” As she rubbed her stomach. We got it.
2012: Blue Ivy Carter was born on January 7th and the couple shared the first photos of her on Tumblr. The couple also celebrated their four year anniversary by renewing their vows. Then, if that wasn’t enough, they became Forbes the highest paid celebrity couple. Their total estimated income? 78 million.
2013: In February, Beyonce’s documentary Life is But a Dream aired on HBO and it featured as some adorable home-video footage. She also discussed the importance of their relationship in an interview with Oprah. To round out the year, she released her surprise self-titled album in December. One of the tracks “Drunk in Love” featured her husband but that might just have been returning the favour! After all, Jay-Z had done the same with his track from Magna Carta…Holy Grail “Part II (On the Run) also released that year.
2014: In April of 2014, the pair announced their first ever joint tour – On the Run. Unfortunately, the announcement was overshadowed by the infamous (and very strange) footage of Beyonce’s sister attacking Jay-Z in an elevator after the Met Gala. As the tour began, the rumours of their relationship being on the rocks continued to haunt them. Beyonce countered the comments with on Instagram, releasing many happy family moments. And with the couple appearing together this week at Solange’s wedding, we just can’t wait to see more!
