Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 4 Jul
TAYLOR SWIFT AND NFL star Travis Kelce have been officially married in what is described as America’s royal wedding.
Excitement has swirled around the star-studded event, which happened on the United States’ 250th birthday weekend amid a record-breaking heat wave, a near-total news blackout and a security lockdown.
The anticipation was even greater as Swift and Kelce made no public announcements about their wedding plans at storied Madison Square Garden – and reportedly insisted guests sign non-disclosure agreements.
But the singer’s longstanding publicist Tree Paine broke the silence late last night as she detailed a luxurious and intimate ceremony – without saying exactly when the pair wed.
“Taylor and Travis did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen. Instead, her brother Austin Swift served as Taylor’s Man of Honor and Jason Kelce was Travis’s Best Man,” she said in a statement.
“The ceremony joined both families together and was officiated by friend Adam Sandler,” Paine added.
She said the couple’s wedding looks were created by Christian Dior Haute Couture. The fashion house’s creative director is Jonathan Anderson, who is from Magherafelt, Co Derry.
Their shoes were custom-made by Christian Louboutin – the designer of her iconic Eras Tour red bottoms. Swift wore Cartier jewellery.
Shortly before the announcement, a giant screen outside the Garden showed the message “JUST&T MARRIED!” – T&T for Taylor and Travis.
More nuggets of information about the event have surfaced, starting with the anchors of ABC’s “Good Morning America” news broadcast – Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and retired NFL legend Michael Strahan – describing their experience at the party.
Stephanopoulos, a onetime aide to president Bill Clinton who pivoted to journalism more than two decades ago, said the ceremony was “as intimate as it could possibly be, given that it was Madison Square Garden” – the iconic sports arena.
He said the A-list couple had created “this garden inside the Garden that was just so beautiful.”
“It’s hard to imagine that a place that big and a wedding with such stars could feel so personal and so intimate,” Stephanopoulos added.
Roberts said the couple “wrote their own vows,” and Stephanopoulos talked about Swift and Kelce having “little books” with them, as comedian Adam Sandler officiated.
“They had their neighbors, their high school friends. It was like any wedding that you would attend,” said Roberts, who also confirmed that Stevie Nicks performed.
It was like “any wedding” – except it featured a who’s who of the entertainment and sports worlds, from Swift pals Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran and model Gigi Hadid to actors Hugh Grant and Bradley Cooper.
Swift’s childhood best friend Abigail was also seen on her way in.
Kelce’s teammates and coach Andy Reid were invited, as was NFL legend Tom Brady.
The CEO of movie theater chain AMC, Adam Aron, posted – and then deleted – a lengthy account of the proceedings on X.
“Somehow magically, someone created an outdoor garden at a lush countryside retreat,” he wrote, according to Entertainment Weekly.
He described the vows as “long, entertaining, personal, charming, emotional, irreverent and endearing explorations by each” about how they met and why they wanted to be married.
Singer Nelly posted a video on Instagram calling the wedding “incredible.” He wore an all-white suit in the video, while his wife, singer Ashanti, donned a sparkling gown.
The main event was to begin at 5pm local time, and go on until 4am (9am Irish time) on Saturday morning.
Ahead of Friday’s bumper event, a crowd of Swifties – as the megastar’s fans are known – cheered and sang her songs outside the arena as a line of black SUVs dropped off guests.
Heavy rain and a severe thunderstorm warning for Friday night sent home many of the fans waiting outside Madison Square Garden for a glimpse of the glitterati, CNN reported.
The couple had asked guests not to bring any gifts, according to NFL player George Kittle.
Ahead of the wedding, the pair donated $26 million (€22.71 million) to 20 charities including nine food banks, an animal cruelty organisation, seven educational programmes, and three children’s hospitals. This has fuelled the belief that the wedding cost an equal amount, and the billionaire was trying to offset the lavish affair and inconvenience caused.
Swift is known for donating to local charities in the cities she visits. When she played sold-out shows in Dublin in 2024, she donated to Crosscare’s food poverty services.
Two Irish pubs near Madison Square Garden reportedly couldn’t open on Friday, as their streets were closed off.
Newstalk’s Henry McKean is over in New York soaking up the excitement and the sun.
Temperatures in the city have reached the high 30s in recent days, which no doubt has been tougher on reporters standing around Midtwon Manhattan than the celebs enjoying air-conditioning inside the windowless venue.
McKean told The Journal yesterday that it was “total lockdown” in the area, but most New Yorkers “don’t seem to mind”.
“There’s a lot of joy in the air,” he said.
“I’ve never seen such tight security in my life, even more so than when King Charles became king.”
With reporting by AFP
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say