Jay-Z And Beyonce Marriage Mystery, Flowers, Celeb Guests And Paparazzi Add Up To ... A Wedding?

NEW YORK, April 5, 2008

Beyonce Knowles, left, and Jay-Z, right, shown here at a fashion show in Milan in January. (AP Photo)

(CBS) It was paparazzi mayhem outside the home of rap mogul Jay-Z Friday after rumors spread that he and singer Beyonce Knowles would be tying the knot in a lavish, but intimate, wedding.

By midnight, People.com was quoting a source as confirming the wedding happened early Friday evening, followed by a party at the downtown Manhattan loft belonging to the 38-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter.

But, by early Saturday morning there was still no official confirmation that the couple were married.

Signs of preparations started early in the day. Gossip sites showed photos of orchids being delivered to the building and of a tent set up on what was said to be the balcony of Carter's penthouse loft.

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Skeptics said that the party could merely have been a celebration of the $150 million deal Carter made with Live Nation this week, an engagement party, or even an elaborate hoax for Ashton Kutcher's E! show "Pop Fiction."

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Naysayers pointed out that there have been numerous wedding rumors about the couple in the past, that Carter would be back on his concert tour Saturday night, and that too many of the "clues" seemed way too obvious.

Members of the news media wait in front of 195 Hudson Street which is believed to be the residence of hip hop singer and entrepreneur Jay-Z, Friday, April 4, 2008, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

The paparazzi were there anyway, making it difficult for the Mercedes and SUVs carrying party guests to make their way into the building's garage. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, a friend of Knowles, was photographed arriving at the scene.

TMZ even streamed the action live on their Web site - until their battery ran out.

"We're so lame, R.I.P. our dead battery, sorry!" read a message on their site with an image of a tombstone.

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Earlier this week, People.com reported that - according to an unnamed source - Knowles, 26, and Carter, filed for a marriage license in the village of Scarsdale, N.Y.

On April Fool's Day, no less.

The Scarsdale county clerk did not return requests for comment to The Showbuzz. Knowles' publicist had "no comment" on the matter.

The couple have been dating for five years.