Kim Kardashian, Kanye West to marry privately in U.S. before France wedding, reports say

Reality-TV star Kim Kardashian and her fiance, rapper Kanye West, reportedly will be married in a private ceremony in California ahead of a planned formal ceremony in France.

E! Online said Tuesday it had confirmed that Kardashian, 33, and West, 36, were planning to obtain a marriage license and officially marry in the United States. TMZ.com claimed the couple would marry this week, and noted that California offers a "confidential" marriage license in which the couple does not need to marry at a courthouse. Instead, an official can perform the ceremony at a private residence.

E! added that Kardashian and West were seen earlier this month scouting possible wedding locations, including the Château Louis XIV, a castle west of Paris. Reports have said the ceremony would take place on May 24.

Kardashian and West, who began dating in April 2012, had a baby together, daughter North, on June 15. West proposed on Oct. 21, Kardashian's 33rd birthday, in a lavish event at AT&T Park in San Francisco.