In an all-new interview with Essence magazine, ultra-private songbird Beyonce Knowles is finally giving her fans a teeny bit of insight into her nuptials with hubby Jay-Z.

Of tying the knot, she tells the mag that she and Jay-Z, who've been together for six years, "always knew it would happen." Beyonce and Jay-Z kept their April 4 wedding in NYC small, and the superstar told Essence she didn't want or need a big wedding because, "It's been my day so many days already." Another tradition she eschewed was an engagement ring, telling Essence, "People put too much emphasis on that. It's just material and it's just silly to me."

She does wear a wedding band, she says, and she and Jay-Z both go the roman numeral IV tattoed on their ring fingers since they were both born on the 4th of the month, and they got married on the 4th.

Beyonce also talked about her desire to keep her private life private: "I feel that, especially now, with the internet and paparazzi and camera phones, it's so difficult to maintain mystery. And that's so important."

You can read more about Beyonce and Jay-Z's wedding, as well as her upcoming album (to be released November 18) and her new film, 'Cadillac Records' (in theaters December 5), in the November issue of Essence, which will hit newsstands on October 12.