Beyoncé & Jay-Z's Wedding Party?

Originally posted Friday April 04, 2008 10:50 PM EDT

Wedding license in hand, Beyoncé and Jay-Z threw an elaborate party Friday night with orchids and candelabras, and invited everybody closest to them – family members, Destiny Child partners Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and celebrity friends.

The only question was whether they had become husband and wife. The only vow for certain was the one for silence, as the cause for the célébre at Jay-Z's New York City apartment was wrapped in secrecy.

If it weren't a wedding or a reception, it sure had all the trappings of one. Consider the guest list: Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles, her father/manager Mathew, her sister Solange, her Destiny Child mates Rowland and Williams, and Jay-Z's friends Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin.

They all arrived amid heavy wedding buzz that began when the couple went to get a marriage license at a village hall in Scarsdale, N.Y., on Tuesday. "It's [happening] tonight," says a source. "A lot of their friends are booking hotel rooms."

DJ Cassidy, a favorite of Jay-Z, was hired to spin – and the gig was no bar mitzvah. "Cassidy mentioned a week ago that he was really excited for the Jay Z and Beyoncé wedding party to happen," says a source.

Early Friday morning, workers erected a white tent atop the building, where Jay-Z owns a penthouse apartment. Not long after, an SUV carrying what seemed to be AV equipment arrived, followed by deliveries of party rentals and flowers.

A source tells PEOPLE that Amy's Orchids was hired to provide 50,000 to 60,000 white orchid blooms from Thailand for a "big party." At the apartment, waiters were seen practicing their service.