Mariah Carey Reveals Why She Wore Her Actual Wedding Dress for ‘We Belong Together’ Music Video (Exclusive)

Mariah Carey would never let a good dress go to waste.

On a new episode of Vevo’s Footnotes, the songstress reflects on the creation and storytelling behind the iconic song “We Belong Together,” and its place within The Emancipation of Mimi, 20 years later.

PEOPLE has a first look at the episode, where Carey shares how the track was one of the last written for the album, created during a collaborative session with Jermaine Dupri that also produced “It’s Like That” and “Shake It Off.” 

The video was a first for Carey, who used the video as a part two to the love-triangle she introduced in the music video for “It’s Like That.”

“I was excited to be able to tell a story that spanned over two music videos. It was the first time I ever did that, and I knew we’d be able to bring them together despite the songs being sonically different,” Carey shares.

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“I also really loved the fashion choices, going from wearing a black two piece to wearing a wedding dress by Vera Wang.”

When it comes to the wedding dress she wears in the video, it wasn’t any old gown. The Vera Wang original had a 27-foot train and a 10-foot veil. Carey originally wore it in her 1993 wedding to Tommy Mottola. Wang has widely shared that Carey was inspired by the iconic bridal gown that Princess Diana wore to her nuptials to King Charles III in 1981.

“Since I was going to do a scene with a wedding dress, rather than spend tons of money on a new dress, we just used the one I had lying around!” she says of the decision.

Carey and Mottola divorced in 1998. The singer later married Nick Cannon in 2008 and divorced in 2016. The two share 13-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe.

In February, the “Always Be My Baby” singer, 54, announced she was returning to Las Vegas for Mariah Carey: The Celebration of Mimi Live at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

The performances, which began April 12 and will continue on April 17, 19, 20, 24, 26 & 27, will celebrate the anniversary of Carey’s album The Emancipation of Mimi and feature fan favorites from the album as well as other hits.

Carey and Live Nation Las Vegas will donate $1 of every ticket purchased to Mariah Carey: The Celebration of Mimi Live in Las Vegas at Dolby Live at Park MGM to The Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Mariah.