Her demanding ways have earned her a reputation as a super-diva. Yet when Mariah Carey got married in secret, it was a surprisingly low-key affair - and not through any fault of hers...
We can reveal the details of the 38-year-old singer's original plans for a sumptuous £2million wedding - doves, orchids, the lot...
But all Mariah's no-expense-spared arrangements went out of the window when the groom-to-be, 27-year-old rapper/actor Nick Cannon, put his foot down. He said it was his way - a no-nonsense do - or the highway.
The couple, who had only been dating for six weeks, tied the knot in a sunset ceremony at Mariah's Caribbean home last month. But the bride had been dreaming of something on a much grander scale, having booked a huge event at New York's St Patrick's Cathedral.
Mariah had also ordered:
£500,000 worth of pink orchids and lilies
a pink carpet being rolled out to announce her arrival at the Cathedral
60 white doves to be released while she and Nick were making their vows
a £10,000 Vera Wang bridal gown and matching bridesmaids frocks
goody bags for guests, which included a personal
DVD memento of the happy couple.
The fact that she was happy to scale things down has got her pals believing that Nick, who is 11 years younger than Mariah, has cured her diva-ish ways.
Our spy reveals: "Mariah had planned an incredibly lavish do - with white doves, a pink carpet, thousands of orchids and a huge wedding breakfast banquet.
"She'd also booked the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel, where Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas held their nuptials. That wouldn't have come cheap - and she'd have to pay exorbitant cancellation fees.
"Everything down to the song choice - she wanted to perform and dedicate a number to Nick - had been arranged.
"Nick loves Mariah for who she is and doesn't give a toss about showbiz antics. He wanted them to get married asap, with no fuss.
And Mariah was happy to go with the flow. For once, she is under the thumb and besotted. She just wants to make her man happy.
"Friends are joking that if they were a Shakespeare play, they'd be the Taming Of The Shrew - 'Mariah the diva' is no more!"
Certainly, Mariah, who met Nick when he was cast in the video of her latest single, Bye Bye, believes this is true love.
In a recent interview, she gushed: "We really do feel we are soulmates. I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me." Ahh!
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