Mariah Carey Weds Nick Cannon
The Pop Singer and Actor Marry in Private Ceremony
It's a shock to everyone as news comes out about the unlikely marriage of Mariah and Nick.
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, have been married. The pair obtained a marriage license and wed on the private Caribbean island of Eleuthera, near where Carey owns a home. The news came as a shock to friends, family and fans alike as no one really knew they were even dating.
Love Blooms on Set
Carey, 39, and Cannon, 27 and star of Drumline, have had many run-ins with each other over their respective years in the spotlight. Most notably, Cannon presented Carey with a 2005 Teen Choice Award for "Best Love Song". However, the two never really started a friendship or relationship until Cannon was cast as the love interest in Carey’s new music video “Bye, Bye”. According to a People Magazine insider, the relationship started on set. The source goes on to say “[Mariah] is very into religion and Nick is very into religion. That’s something they bonded on.”
Tongues started to wag when the two were supposedly caught kissing at a club but no concrete evidence of a relationship ever came to fruition. As recently as mid-April, People Magazine reported Cannon and Carey flirting at a Las Vegas club, however Carey’s rep denied rumors she and Cannon were an item.
Engaged or Just Publicity?
A mere two weeks after original dating rumors started to fly Carey was sporting a rather large diamond ring on a very important finger on a few red carpets. She also stayed close to Cannon during the after party for her new film, Tennessee, although when pressed about love, Carey said she was in love...with her dog.
As the beginning of May came and went more rumors started to circulate that Carey and Cannon had actually been secretly married in the Caribbean. Publications from Latina Magazine to The New York Post were reporting the secret wedding with very little details. Gossip columns started to blow up with fan comments on whether the marriage/engagement was real or just a publicity stunt for Carey's new album and movie.
Sources Confirm Wedding
Linda Cannon, a Cannon relative, confirmed to E! News that, in fact, the news was shocking but true. “He called and told us all about it,” she stated but wouldn’t confirm any other details saying if Nick didn’t want details "out there" she wouldn’t be the one to give them.
In the few short days since the news broke, two other people have confirmed the engagement and marriage. Jacob & Co. designer, Jacob Arabo, confirmed Cannon came to him in mid-to-late April requesting a special ring for Carey. What Carey received is a pink diamond center stone surrounded by 58 smaller pink diamonds with a half-moon shaped diamond on each side. The center stone alone is 10-carats and the whole ring is a whopping 17-carats coming in at an estimated value of $2.5 million.
Arabo also clears up rumors that Carey's ring is not the same ring Cannon's ex-fiance wore. Although the two rings are quite similar, Carey's ring is much large and the ring Ebanks wore was a colorless diamond.
Bishop Clifford Petty of the National Church of God in the Caribbean confirmed to People Magazine that he presided over the Cannon/Carey wedding. He wouldn’t confirm any other details except for the ceremony actually taking place.
Friends and family members are decidedly surprised as the news has started to trickle out. Everyone from music executive Russell Simmons to Carey and Cannon’s own family members have expressed their shock but support for the couple.
One family source even stated that Cannon is very impulsive when it comes to love. “This is what Nick does. Nick is such a sucker for love. He falls in love so easily," said the source.
This is Carey’s second walk down the aisle and Cannon’s first, although it’s his second engagement in less than a year. Cannon popped the question to Victoria’s Secret model Selitia Ebanks in 2007 after a quick 4-month courtship. Carey was married to music executive Tommy Mattola but divorced in 1998.
