Move over, Uncle Sam. America’s 250th birthday played second fiddle to a “Love Story” for the ages.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially married. The pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end tied the knot Friday night at Madison Square Garden in a ceremony officiated by actor Adam Sandler, Swift’s publicist Tree Paine confirmed. A marquee outside the arena lit up with the message “JUST&T MARRIED!”, a play on the couple’s initials, around 7:30 p.m. ET.
Here’s what we know about the wedding of the year.
The timing
The permit, for a “Special Event at MSG,” was approved by New York City’s permitting office on Wednesday night, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Celebrations at the storied midtown arena began at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday with a 100-guest “pre-party celebration” running until 9:30 p.m. Officials said this was an intimate rehearsal dinner, according to the AP.
Doors opened at 3 p.m. Friday for a 5 p.m. kickoff, with the festivities set to run until 4 a.m., according to the permit.
The guest list
Guests began arriving through the drive-through tent shortly after doors opened at 3 p.m., with Swift and Kelce themselves believed to have used an underground VIP entrance to stay out of public view. Actors Hugh Grant, Ethan Hawke, Bradley Cooper, Eric Stonestreet, Dakota Johnson, Jessica Chastain, Jason Sudeikis, Zoë Kravitz and Brad Pitt were among those photographed arriving, along with models Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss and Suki Waterhouse, musician MGK, singers Benson Boone, Ellie Goulding, Miranda Lambert and Griff, and country stars Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, according to People.
How does Taylor Swift throw a wedding in the middle of New York?
Organizing a wedding just moments from Times Square and directly above the nation’s busiest rail hub requires meticulous planning, strict city permits and airtight security.
In the days ahead of the wedding, the streets around MSG were busy with workers unloading food and scenery into the concert venue.
Access to Penn Station, which sits directly below the arena, was restricted and midtown traffic rerouted to accommodate the event.
A full closure of West 31st Street between 7th and 8th Avenues began early Friday, according to records. Production crews used the arena’s loading docks to erect a 180-foot drive-through tent to shield arriving guests from public view.
The strict timeline kept the street long after the event’s 4 a.m. Saturday conclusion. Load-out operations and tent teardown are set to continue through the loading docks until Saturday evening, according to the permit.
MSG must move quickly to take everything down ahead of a planned Jon Bon Jovi gig at the venue on July 7.
What city officials have said
The NYPD had declined to comment on the purpose of the street closures. However, they did post a video on Friday of Deputy Chief Timothy Beaudette shouting the names of Swift tracks into a megaphone from outside the venue.
Speaking to reporters on June 30, Mayor Mamdani made a winking reference to the wedding, which was taking place during a record-breaking heat wave.
“My recommendation to all New Yorkers is to stay inside and stay cool,” he said. “And if you happen to be getting married at Madison Square Garden, you will be staying inside and you will be staying cool. And I think it’s a good example to set for the city at large.”
At a June 15 briefing on preparations for the World Cup, Mamdani included the wedding on a list of events happening in New York City this weekend, saying: “We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”
Police commissioner Jessica Tisch declined to address the nuptials directly, but noted “an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.” In a briefing about the security for the holiday weekend, she told reporters that the NYPD would have a detail in place, adding: “I am not going to go into more specifics on that at this time.”
What we know about the ceremony
Swift and Kelce both wore Christian Dior Haute Couture designed by creative director Jonathan Anderson, according to Paine’s statement, in what the designer called his “first couture wedding dress for a world-renowned celebrity.” Their shoes were custom-made by Christian Louboutin, and Swift wore Cartier jewelry.
They did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen. Instead, Swift’s brother Austin Swift served as her man of honor, and Travis’s brother Jason Kelce, his podcast co-host, served as best man.
Stevie Nicks performed at the reception, ABC News anchors Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos confirmed on “Good Morning America” Saturday.
Guests were required to sign non-disclosure agreements ahead of the event, and phones were reportedly banned inside the arena, according to Variety. Rain began falling in New York shortly after the marriage was announced, and Madison Square Garden lit up in a pinkish lavender color after the ceremony.
Ahead of the wedding, a spokesperson for Swift confirmed the couple donated $26 million to charities across the country. Recipients included food banks, arts education charities and pediatric cancer programs. Dolly Parton, whose Imagination Library was among the recipients of $2 million from the couple, thanked Swift and Kelce Friday in a video posted to Instagram.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
