Kanye West, 30, plans to marry his fiance Alexis Phifer, 31, after the holidays. The self-important rapper faced the devastating loss of his mother, Dr. Donda West, 58, last month. Dr. West passed after complications from plastic surgery that have yet to be determined. Her plastic surgeon was recommended to her by Oprah but was the subject of multiple malpractice lawsuits and has acted less than innocent following her death. Kanye is doing his best to continue working and moving forward with his life, and plans to make it official with Alexis soon. He has realized how fleeting life is, and knows that his mother would have approved:

Kanye West has a heart-rending final tribute planned for his late mother – he intends to marry longtime fiancee Alexis Phifer right after the holidays.

“His mother’s sudden death brought into focus just how short life really is. Kanye doesn’t want to wait any longer to make Alexis his wife,” a family friend told The Enquirer.

“He believes that this is what his mom would want him to do…”

“Kanye knew how much his mother loved Alexis and how she was looking forward to seeing them get married,” continued the source.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, December 10, 2007]

The Enquirer reports that Kanye and Alexis first met in 2002 and that they “got back together in 2004,” implying that they separated for a while or weren’t serious at first. They have been engaged since August of 2006, so it sounds like it’s time for them to marry.

Do you think Kanye will go for a big ostentatious wedding or a quiet affair with friends and family? Initial impressions point to an over-the-top ceremony and reception. When you consider how modern and understated Kanye’s house is, which Bazaar says has a lot to do with fashion designer Phifer’s influence, they will probably have a luxurious but tasteful wedding. And it’s doubtful that Oprah will be invited.

Alexis has been married once before and has an 11 year-old son with football player Roman Phifer.

Update: Thanks to the commentors for pointing out that Oprah did not recommend Dr. Jan Adams to Kanye’s mother, he was just featured on Oprah’s show in a segment on plastic surgery.

Kanye and Alexis are shown at the MTV Video Music Awards on 9/9/07, and at Rolling Stone‘s 40th Anniversary on 9/8/07, thanks to PRPhotos.