For weeks/months, I’ve detailed my disbelief regarding the reporting around Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. I truly believed that Taylor and Travis were executing some kind of misinformation campaign to hide their real wedding plans. The reporting was just too absurd – a wedding in New York, at Madison Square Garden? On or around the Fourth of July?? Come on, that’s fake as hell, right? Wrong. That was actually the plan this whole time. The reporting was correct. It wasn’t a misinformation campaign. Mayor Mamdani had the inside scoop too, as it turns out. The NY Times confirmed that all signs are pointing to an MSG wedding on July 3rd. Good lord.
One of the biggest events of the summer is still a mystery: When and where are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married? Some powerful clues are emerging.
A permit was filed with New York City to close the streets around Madison Square Garden from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3, according to three people who have knowledge of the matter. Several members of the Kansas City Chiefs have booked hotel rooms for dates around July 3 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, according to a person told of the accommodations.
A fourth person, a city official who was briefed on the preparations, said it more bluntly: Madison Square Garden is planning to host the wedding festivities on July 3.
Winick Productions, a prominent event planning company that has helped produce major red carpet events including at Madison Square Garden, filed an application with the city’s Street Activity Permit Office in early June. The company requested authorization to set up a tent or canopy outside the arena for the event, which it said would include 500 to 999 attendees. It also said that trucks would need space to load and unload materials at the arena. A representative for Winick Productions, which is based on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, declined to comment when reached by a reporter on Tuesday.
But Amtrak police officers, who patrol the station beneath the arena, have been told to expect a Swift wedding the weekend of July 4. Such an event would bring a spectacle to Midtown Manhattan in the height of an already busy tourist season. On July 4, the annual fireworks show in Lower Manhattan will be bigger than usual for the nation’s 250th birthday, and a flotilla of tall ships from around the world will sail into New York Harbor. The city has also seen an influx of visitors for the FIFA World Cup, and a game is scheduled on July 5.
…Of course Ms. Swift could be undertaking an intricate ruse. But New York City agencies are proceeding with the expectation that a major Swift event will happen on July 3, said the people who have knowledge of the plans. While the sports arena might seem like an unusual wedding venue, it is popular for lavish events, including the 1974 wedding of the musician Sly Stone.
And there are obvious draws for Ms. Swift: The venue’s highly controlled and windowless environment provides security and privacy, and, with reports of plans for a custom stage, it would be an ideal setting should Ms. Swift or her celebrity friends want to perform. There is a discrete entrance and ramp to the arena that allows black cars to bring celebrities inside.
The couple would also be able to control images coming from the event in a way that would be difficult to do in an open air venue. There has also been speculation that the Garden might not be the site of the actual nuptials. The couple might exchange vows elsewhere ahead of time and could use the venue for a reception.
The NYT is trying to hedge their bets and say that even with the permits and the city workers’ preparations, it could all still be a ruse. But I don’t think Taylor and Travis would do *that* much just to throw people off the scent. I think it’s actually happening at MSG. Taylor Swift is genuinely going to have her wedding at the Garden. It’s bonkers. I’ve already seen the Swifties swarm on anyone criticizing their queen’s taste level, but I think it’s totally legitimate to ask why in the world Taylor Swift would decide to RENT OUT THE GARDEN FOR HER WEDDING. It’s an admission that the whole thing will be a circus no matter what, I guess.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Taylor Swift’s Instagram.
- New York, NY Pop star Taylor Swift sports a bridal white mini dress by Retrofete as she arrives for dinner with her friend Ashley Avignone at Via Carota in New York. She is also wearing Gucci stilettos and carryign a Dior bag Pictured: Taylor Swift, Ashley Avignone BACKGRID USA 12 MAY 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: ASPN / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- New York, NY Taylor Swift turned heads while arriving at Zero Bond in New York City wearing a crisp white belted blouse paired with silky wide-leg trousers and black heels. Pictured: Taylor Swift BACKGRID USA 14 MAY 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: ASPN / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
- New York, NY Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted leaving Zero Bond after enjoying a long night out together in Manhattan. Swift stunned in a flowing floral maxi dress while Kelce kept things relaxed and stylish in a patterned short-sleeve shirt paired with black trousers during the fashionable celebrity outing. Pictured: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce BACKGRID USA 15 MAY 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: Tatiana / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*











158 Responses to “NYT: Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s wedding will really happen at Madison Square Garden”
You’re not going to invite 20,000 people to your wedding so how do you even use that space effectively? You can definitely have a platform in the center for the wedding party and the ceremony, that happens all the time for boxing matches and concerts, but are you just hanging bunting to hide all those empty seats and only having one section where people sit?
The tackiness of it isn’t really the thing to me, it’s the logistics? It’s not my wedding but I wouldn’t want to be married in a huge open space while either I have to have on literal stadium lights so that everyone could see, or have everything super dark and eerie so that it wasn’t obvious there’s a bunch of empty seats.
I hope we get photos bc I would be curious to see how they transform the space for a wedding. It’s a unique choice. It wouldn’t be mine but for a singer to get married in MSG…sure?
I feel like it’s more likely that this isn’t the actual wedding, but a larger reception/party that they can invite a lot more people to? Having the wedding there would so bizarre and tacky.
The security is obviously a problem. Once that is done they’re gonna do it their way I guess, with an intimate ceremony and just their closest people. The planes, the helicopters would be insane and would ruin everything in an open space, I don’t even want to imagine. The paps don’t want to be working a 4th of july. Money isnt an issue here, the msg will be everything they want ut to be. hope they make it!!!
I would assume the arena will not be used at all. There are tons of rooms in that building, that can be decorated into something lovely.
Right?
I just can’t imagine how using the actual arena, or even arena stage would work.
The thing that does make sense about it is that you can’t get a flying drone into msg to take photos of get from great distances.
That is my thinking. I worked with someone who had their wedding reception at our baseball stadium which seats 40-50,000 people. The husband worked for the team and they had the team mascot there, it was cute. But it wasn’t held in the actual stadium part but in one of the rooms where they hold press conferences and other events.
Hey, Sly Stone was the coolest of the cool, so if it worked for him it could work for Taylor Swift. I looked at his wedding photos on Getty Images & it seems both the wedding & the reception were held there and that yes, he did indeed perform at his own wedding. So I guess none of that is out of the realm of possibility.
@beaniebean what a delightful fun fact… off to look at Sly Stone’s wedding pictures !!
This is a circus… there are always people interested in one so all the best to them!
I can’t stand this couple
Me neither.
I don’t have anything against them I just find them so boring. So famous but I would rather do my taxes than watch anything related to their wedding
OMG, same. Like this who Taylor wanted to marry since she was 15 and singing “Romeo and Juliet,” I had always hoped she’d actually mature….bur I guess she wants to be the cheerleader to the best football player….
Honestly, I do hope it lasts for both of them and this is both of there true love cosplay…… but if I’m honest….. I don’t see this lasting forever.
And I’m sure she’ll get several alumnus out that…
Something just tells me that Taylor is going to just accumulate stories, and memories, and jewels, and other gifts for ever an ever and ever as she cycles thru men—Her historical “that’s me!” lady is Elizabeth Taylor!!
Yeahhhhh…I had also thought the whole thing was a ruse. This is so tacky and weird.
As an event planner, you can easily black out the extra seats etc. But it is still going to smell and look like a gym. Is her bridal suite to get ready…the locker room??
It also sits on top of penn station..how are they securing all that??! It seems like a nightmare of logistics and well…everything.
Her style is generally so bad, I can’t even imagine what the dress will look like.
And the noise! how can it even sound intimate and meaningful.
I saw Pentatonic there a few years back. At one point, they turned off the mics and sang acoustically, and it was lovely. No doubt an experienced Audio Director and team will be involved.
Lighting is easy (for an experienced Lighting Director) to accomplish the ambiance that they want.
As for getting ready – there are many rooms and suites that can be used instead of the locker room.
Love or hate them, there is a thirst for them and if they want privacy, this is definitely one way to ensure it.
I hope she takes the spotlight off the Dotard. More power to her.
Penn station is near there. The wedding may shut off access to amtrak and jersey transit. And long island railroad
There are massive events at Madison Square Garden every month multiple times a month in New York City. It is not going to cut off access to public transit. As someone who has lived in New York City for 30 years, I assure you that Taylor Swift’s wedding will not bring public transit in the largest city in the world to a halt. People in New York who use public transit walk to the station. They do not drive their cars to the station. If they were in a car, they would drive not use public transit. So while people in cars might be aggravated by the traffic around the Garden that day it will not impact public transit.
Penn Station isn’t near, it’s there. Amtrak comes in across the street. Security was even tighter for the Knick’s Game 3 than it will be for this because of the orange menace in attendance that night. The train stations were still accessible, though nearby streets were closed to vehicle traffic. My brother came in on the train an hour before the game started and had no issues. With people coming into the city for the 4th of July weekend, they’re absolutely not going to shut off access to the train stations.
ETA: What Meghan says!
There were no World Cup Games during the Knicks Game 3 nor was there a holiday. If this is true they will definitely close Penn Station to rabid Taylor Swift fans or have a heavy police presence.
There is zero chance that the city will decide to close Penn Station just because a pop star is throwing a private party, that’s just fantasy. Security, yes, but it’s far less of a big deal than Trump attending a public (ie far less safe) event there.
Not to mention that Trump’s presence at one of the games was far from the only thing the city had to deal with – in multiple locations – during the entire week of the Knick’s final run at the championship. After a week of rabid Knick’s fans, I doubt they’ll be fazed by any behavior of rabid Taylor Swift fans.
MSG literally sits right above Penn Station. And as @Meghan said, there’s absolutely no way the MTA would shut down the trains. The last time I remember that happening was on 9/11. No way would they do that for a celebrity’s wedding.
on 4h of july weekend!
This confirms how I’ve always felt and my suspicions about this relationship. She’s always trying to prove that her love for this man is genuine and vast. But it always feels empty and superficial. No one can convince me that this marriage will last more than two years. This whole thing is just over the top and tacky. Who is this spectacle really for?
I give it 6-8 years, actually. They’ll stay together to prove the haters wrong, and have three babies.
2 babies and they will make it till the 7 year stretch. I wish them all the best, but I’m glad it’s not my circus.
Dizzy FTW! 7 years. 2 babies (both boys) . And we’ll all be here for the gossip drama at the end.
Agreed. 7 years, two babies. Then he’ll cheat when he’s having his midlife crisis. And we’ll get a new album about it.
But the whole MSG wedding is so tacky. She just loves drama and loves a circus too much. Yikes.
Same.
To me its giving Ben and JLo vibes. Look at Zendaya and Tom, they just did their thing and no one had a clue. No circus, nothing to see.
This! With their money T&T could have gone anywhere in the world and flown their dearly beloved there too, to attend a lovely destination wedding. TS is enjoying all this folderol. The whole notion of wanting privacy while renting out MSG on 4th of July is a laugh. Life of a show girl, indeed.
They don’t have to convince anyone but each other that this is real. And even then there’s no guarantee that they won’t have different priorities in a few years, as we saw with a certain Lopez.
Taylor and Travis have zero chemistry. I’ve never seen it.
Agreed I’ve never seen it in any of their photos. When she’s walking into somewhere with him and getting “papped” she presents exactly the same way as when she’s walking into some other place with a girl friend….
I don’t see it between them. I know she wants it terribly, and I think he also actually does respect her hustle and work ethic, but they just seem like brother and sister…..or maybe cousins in every photo I’ve ever seen of them.
Question: Who is this circus for?
Answer: Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy.
I can’t believe she’s actually going to have her wedding at MSG.
Are you kidding? This seems smart.
And I am pretty sure we will have no photos other than what they put on their IG, like they did for the engagement.
I don’t know if they’ll have the actual wedding in there but in terms of a fully controllable environment that they have the $$$ to turn into anything they want this seems like a good choice.
That said, my only real ‘knowledge’ of MSG is from the late 90’s Godzilla film.
I don’t really care but I think that they will use MSG as the reception/party not for the actual ceremony. I’m guessing they will have the ceremony elsewhere and be a smaller affair but then have everyone and anyone at the garden for a party/celebration afterwards
That makes sense. Invite only the closest to the ceremony and have this as the reception.
Afterwards I am unfamiliar with MSG. Are there any outside spaces or is it literally just a stadium?
Yeah, I did wonder about this too. Do an intimate wedding elsewhere then a 900+ person reception with tents etc. just throwing a huge party at MSG. That would be much less tacky than having the actual wedding at MSG which is just yuck.
The full article talks about a gathering of 100 people there on July 2 (Thursday), then an event for about 1,000 on July 3 (Friday). So the actual wedding could be there.
Oh my god. I’m from the UK and always thought MSG was an actual garden. I just googled it. WHAT. WHY. This has truly astonished me. I guess she has the money to completely transform the venue..???
Is she filming this or something? Either way, this sounds tacky as hell. I’ll be looking out for which famous people did *not* show up for this spectacle.
Honestly. There has to be a hotel reception room/event space in NEW YORK CITY that can host massive wedding events for the uber-rich!!!
Why does she want her wedding or reception venue to smell like a sweaty locker room??
And if it’s just bc she needs to be able to invite thousands of people…..how special is that wedding going to be when you’re constantly running into people that *you invited,* supposedly, but you have no idea who they are.
They could be your producer’s wife’s younger cousin who contributed some kind of rift or chord progression on a song…… and now you’re greeting him and his date???
As a former corporate event planner …in terms of security I can SEE why THEY picked MSG…wouldn’t be ME if I had that kind of 💲 but it’s on point for THEM!
Tacky if the actual weddng is there. I remember that Kyle Richards had her annual White Party at SoFi Stadium. It was down on the field. Sure, everything was beautiful, but it felt so clinical or cold to me because it was dwarfed by all the seating and the event down on the field. It didn’t help that everyone was in white, which added to the coldness of it when surrounded by lots of space and empty seating.
And how many people are they inviting? With all of her money, she could have been surrounded by stunning nature or architecture in breathtaking locations in whatever state or country she wanted, but it’s at a stadium? Ugh! I hope it’s the reception and not the wedding.
NYT reporting that a permit requested for a guest list of 500-999 people.
The size is the biggest issue for me, too. Event planners can work WONDERS, and I have no doubt it will be made to LOOK beautiful and over-the-top. Maybe not to my personal taste, but eh, I’ve considered some of my closest friends’ weddings to be tacky, too. Doesn’t mean I love them any less. But the size…it’s going to FEEL absolutely cavernous unless you have a minimum of several thousand people in attendance. So that’s what I’m actually most curious to see: how many guests will be there? Having had a decent-sized wedding in NYC myself, I can say with confidence that your venue choices in the city are somewhat limited if you go over 500 or so. It’s mostly ballrooms and the like above that, spaces which can also feel quite sterile in their own way, so I can’t blame anyone for not wanting that. I can also understand Taylor not wanting to host a huge event on her own estate in RI. But if I had her money? Shit, I’d treat my guests to an all-expenses-paid destination wedding anywhere in the world. Give me a private island or something!
I’m puzzled by the mention of the request to set up a tent/canopy for 500-999 people “outside the arena” that was filed with the Street Activity Permit Office. But maybe that’s a holding area for people arriving who need to have credentials checked before going inside. I wonder if you can set up a tent inside the Garden. That would be one way of providing a little more intimacy, though it sounds like there’ll be a performance stage set up as well…
The city had something of a dress rehearsal for this when T came in for the Knicks game.
The mention in the article about a “flotilla of tall ships from around the world” sailing into NY Harbor is a bit of an understatement. Fleet Week in NYC is usually around Memorial Day but was moved to July this year. Sail4th 250 beginning on July 3 is expected to be ten times the size, including ships, and aircraft flyovers. There will be 20,000 sailors on those ships, expected to come ashore at various points. Not to mention other people coming into the city to view the ships, for the fireworks on the 4th, etc. I guess the wedding guests will have other things to do too!
Gonna be an absolute zoo in NYC next week. Hope at least the weather is good!
@Miranda, where did you get married (if you don’t mind sharing)? I also got married in Manhattan, and my dream choice for a venue had always been the Central Park Boathouse, but it was totally unrealistic. Insanely expensive, with a years-long waiting list. Idk if this is true or not, but I heard that sometimes women would book it before they even MET their future husbands, since the waitlist was so long, lol.
As it turned out, my husband’s University had a private club on Fifth Avenue so we had it there and it worked out perfectly. It was about 130-140 people, which was big enough for me. We were able to get a Saturday night in October on fairly short notice, and it wasn’t exorbitantly expensive. Plus the top two floors were basically hotel rooms, so guests could just go upstairs after the wedding. I remember feeling incredibly lucky that it worked out, because trying to plan a wedding in Manhattan is insanity. (My husband wasn’t a member of the club, but he joined just so we could get married there, and then cancelled his membership after the wedding, but it worked for us!)
I just went to the Gardens website and there are several very nice places inside of MSG, where a wedding could take place with a reception to follow. Personally, I’d much rather get married somewhere “prettier” but in July the heat could be an issue so maybe holding it all inside makes sense for them.
I just don’t get it.
I figured she’d gather her guests and fly them to some remote fancy resort she bought out in its entirety for the weekend.
Very interested to see how this turns out.
Because it all seems so odd.
But I do understand wanting to keep drones from getting photos of her. Which happens to her at other people’s weddings.
That was my bet too. Destination wedding in some super swanky but private resort. But with that she would have to restrain the guest list and it looks like they didn’t want to do that (for the reception at least).
I’m amused to think of what the venue requirements were that MSG became the best (only?) option. That said, she probably didn’t want other people copycatting her wedding and this guarantees that won’t happen!
Madison Square Garden is just a few blocks north of my home. Closing streets around MSG from 7/2 – 7/4 could present a major inconvenience to area residents. I cannot picture a tent for hundreds of guests — space is very tight. Plus Amtrak, the subway and the LIRR are beneath MSG. Crowded dirty smelly and ugly streetscape.
.
So how would people traveling to NY on Amtrak deal with it. Would they have no trains arriving until the next day. Seems like a mess.
If true, tack yes. But from the woman that made songs about all her relationships, publicized them and capitalized on them, I can ABSOLUTLY believe this what she is doing.
“the woman that made songs about all her relationships, publicized them and capitalized on them”
you could be describing any singer from Carly Simon to Beyoncé to Shania Twain to….
Thank you Kitten. People who dislike Taylor Swift always act like she’s the only song writer to use her personal experience as material.
@Kitten, correct. This could be anyone. Every artist does put their personal something of themselves in their art. From literature to paintings. So why is it so crazy she would choose MSG, I am simply stating it’s not so farfetched from a person in limelight and putting her life out there for consumption. @Joanna, not sure how you jumped to the conclusion I was admonishing her or disliked her – your conclusion based on my statement is incorrect.
@Kitten, and if she left out the gendered pronoun, the list could also include Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd, the guy from Fleetwood Mac, and….John Mayer.
And I’m sure others! So why does Taylor get so much backlash for it?
(As a non-Swiftie, that’s a serious question: I don’t understand why Taylor gets so much flack for incorporating her experience into her art, for having several exes, etc. Like, isn’t that all fairly common, perhaps even rather relatable for many?!)
Aw – male musicians use relationships as muse, too. Everyone knew who “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” was about!
And all the old troubadours singing “Greensleeves” – “Alas my love, you do me wrong, to cast me off discourteously …” + Shakespeare’s Love Sonnets!
I kinda hope this is just for the reception/party.
Her bachelorette thing was low-key + even Travis with his millions of things he did + friends was pretty low-key, too.
Yeah but that’s her whole persona🙄she makes whole albums about relationships and leaves clues about her boyfriends for her crazy fans to figure out….grow up.
Ya, how dare she write songs about HER experiences and HER life. That really is over the top……
Maybe because it’s a pretty long list?
Oh, I am not raining on her parade AT ALL, if that is what you think from what I posted you are incorrect. I can believe it. Not that farfetched. To each her own.
Welp, now we see who she truly is.
She’s not the person that gives money to fans, and is so wonderful. She is a person that will
Shut down streets over a holiday weekend in midtown for her wedding. Think about that.
She could have bought out a place like blackberry farm outside of Nashville, had it at Ed sheeran’s compound which he says is always available to friends with a chapel and extensive grounds, locked down several unique buildings in marakesh which would be insanely secure, etc etc .
Instead, she goes to MSG and has streets shut down. Girl.
She saw dua shut down a town square in Italy (and gave resident 1000 euro each) and said, hold my beer.
Yup. I agree with every point you make.
Midtown is a claustrophobic madhouse on any given day; closing streets when the city with be packed with tourists celebrating the Semiquincentennial on the 4th is completely self-centered.
Swift wants the whole world looking at her.
WAIT!
Maybe this is Swift’s birthday gift to the USA—what’s orange and feeds on attention? Who still wants to be King of NYC? Could this be a devious and brilliant plot to end our long national nightmare? 🤞🏼
“Popcorn! Get your popcorn! Ice cold beer, here!”
You joke, but I’ve been to 2 weddings with roving concessionaires (or whatever you want to call them). One was carnival-themed and it fit with that, though I think it ended up being a little more disruptive than intended. The other, the groom was a big sports fan and I think it was the sole input he had about the wedding, and the bride bitched about it as the couple went from table to table greeting guests: “sorry, I know it’s tacky, it was HIS idea”. He may have done it just to spite her? I think they only lasted about 10 months.
@Sue LMFAOOOOO!
People’s reactions are so over-the-top LOL.
Yeah, ita. I’m Swiftie-adjacent and while I think this is all bonkers, it isn’t my wedding and I’m not THAT perturbed by it.
Yes, the amount of weird projection is a lot. Is it my style- nope but if it fits them and their needs- good for them.
Given that fans swarmed her Rhode Island just last weeknd because she may have had her bachleorette there, security for this thing must be an absoute nightmare to plan. And we have seen helicopters circle outdoor or tented celebrity weddings far too often.
Seriously. You would think they were being forced to attend against their will, or to have their own weddings there. Sheesh, the investment in vitriol about a wedding is mystifying.
It’s the over-investment for me. Sure it’s an unexpected venue but there’s no reason to think it won’t be an amazing wedding. It’s Taylor Effin Swift, ya know? Love her or hate her, she knows how to put on a great show and I’m sure this will be no different.
I was reading through all of this and said aloud, “thank god I have my chill now.” Post- menopausal and on Cadillac HRT 😁
Oh man I am so looking forward to the exact life stage you’re in lol. Throw in a gummy and I’ll be CHILLIN.
Beyond security, it is courteous to her guests. Lots of people will be local to the NYC area. Travel and lodging to NYC is easy with all kinds of options. People can still get a flight anywhere if they are not local to keep their July 4th plans. So you choose July 3rd so most people will already the time off, but you are also not asking people to give up their July 4th plans.
It appears MSG is also usually not booked for the 4th of July. Everyone who can afford to usually Manhattan on the weekend of the 4th. This is a wedding planned in less than a year. I’m sure a lot of venues that meet their logistical needs as far as security and everything else so perhaps not as surprising that MSG would pop as a venue that was actually available.
They could have been rude and shut down entire Italian towns like the Bezos or stopped local sports traditions for security reasons like Trump. Sound to me like they picked a location that can handle their security and privacy needs, and the number of guests, without causing major problems for the people who live there. And they it’s in a venue they both have had a lot of success in. Makes sense to me.
Agreed, remember when she had to cancel an entire weekend of concerts because ISIS targeted it?
You are not from NYC, are you
You keep acting like you are but the streets around the Garden are regularly shut down for myriad nonsense constantly.
MSG would be not on my list for wedding (reception and party) venues.
What are they going to do?
I can’t imagine doing a sit-down dinner in there.
Funhouse mirrors? Maze? Roller skating disco?
May they be happy ever after, for a few years at least…
The NYT makes excellent points about MSG’s value as a venue, but Traylor can absolutely afford to pull of an elaborate ruse like this. The reservations at the Marriott Marquis seem especially sus. I spent a week there at a work conference. It’s a bland conference hotel that could just as easily be in Omaha. No way people who can afford fancier would choose to say there. Is the reception at the Times Square Olive Garden?
@MightyMolly, I had the same exact reaction to seeing the Marriott Marquis mentioned. There’s no way!
I am really hoping this is a bait and switch and they are planting stories so the hoard of media goes to MSG and they quietly get married somewhere else. That the real guests are in on and pretending to book hotels near MSG. Then taken somewhere else.
That is my hope.
It must be an American mindset to think that anyone would go to such lengths to avoid the media.
Huh. I seem to recall reading about subterranean entries to the clinic where Kate was treated, also something about private entry/exit & being all alone for her infusions.
Avoiding media intrusion for a medical visit is entirely different from asking for privacy at one of the most famous venues in America. Besides, I don’t recall Kate announcing she was receiving treatment at the Millennium Dome to throw the tabloids off the scent. We’re talking about a wedding and people need to get a grip.
I can believe if she had a guest list of around 150 of her intermost circle she could do it without leaks but with over 500 I have a hard time believing no one has leaked anything
Eh, I never thought the idea of them renting MSG for the wedding was over the top or preposterous. NYC is an extremely convenient location for their guests, and security is assured with that venue. Just because it’s an arena doesn’t mean they intend to fill it with thousands of people. Renting an arena in a city that knows what it’s doing when it comes to privacy and security for the famous extremely rich people isn’t egregious to me compared to some other weddings we’ve heard of. Like shutting down Venice for a week. That was egregious.
It would make sense for the reasons you list. They know how to do security, there’s plenty of space inside, and no one can get photographs of what goes on inside the building. They could all be driven inside in the backs of vans into basement areas, so no pap shots of guests either.
Why not get married in the Hamptons? You can get marquee tents and gazebos and cover the square footage so that even if there are drones in the air they can’t get good angles. Or rent a yacht and sail out past drone range into the Atlantic off the shore of Newport? Also New London is a naval base so the airspace is not a free-for-all for helicopters, etc. US air space is actually stringently regulated. Especially around NYC and the airports that service it in Queens and NJ.
Wow, I didn’t even think about that! Some place close to an airport or military base would have strict airspace restrictions and they could be far enough away to not have the noise be an issue. Great idea Yankee Doodle! Have you ever thought about doing event logistics? I bet you’d be great at it!
Yeah, totally agree! A Hamptons wedding would be so lovely. But nah, tacky circus wins the prize!
Couldn’t they get married in the Hamptons and then have a tacky reception in the closed off streets surrounding MSG? Peak public display?
I think there was a wedding in hot air balloons high in the sky above Marrakesh in a book by the Crazy Rich Asians author, Kevin Kwan. Jeepers, why couldn’t Taylor do that?!
This is either a misinformation campaign or an abrupt change in plans. I work in insurance and have some inside knowledge. NDAs were signed months ago and not for the Garden. Things may have changed though.
Good to know, I just don’t see MSG?
Will she get married on the 3rd or the 13th? I thought she’d pick a date with the number 13 in it.
In my head, it’s so she can perform her new single, “Vows”, that she wrote about her love for Travis because she is that cringe.
Im ready to say these vows
You fill my days with wows
Way better than a Joe
Or that stupid Matty bro
Can’t wait for life to start
And dont I look the part
Dressed in white but lips so red
Let’s be together til we’re dead
She’s such a poet.
Kaiser, might this be related to how they met or when/where they first met? From what little I’ve read, it does seem they met right around this time 2 years ago. July 2-4th could be their meeting anniversary, as July 1 is the 10 year anniversary of the day Harry and Meghan met.
Based on all of the information we have from them, they met as a result of Travis shooting his shot on his podcast, which didn’t air until the end of July. My guess is it’s just a good date that fits with their own schedules; being a holiday weekend means guests in various industries, from sports to entertainment to normies, likely can make it; locals frequently flee the city that weekend so it’s actually less likely to impact folks; and just for fun: you can pull (8)7/(1)3 for numerology, and what better weekend for what is widely being discussed as “America’s royal wedding?” (I don’t think they are actually anointing themselves the royal wedding, but it’s fun for the rest of us)
So the not so secret “wedding” is going to be at a stupid sports venue🤣I’m so sick of these two twats. I hope the Chiefs luck again, and she keeps on hiding behind her shield on wheels.
Weird and tacky all at the same time. Nothing like multi-tasking, keep doing you Taylor.
The f**king NEW YORK TIMES doesn’t know the difference between “discreet” and “discrete”?!?! Shoot me now.
The NYTimes laid off most of the copy editors years ago
I raced to the comments to say exactly that!
I was shocked by that, too. I know the NYT has declined sharply over recent years, but seriously?
Wow y’all have some strong opinions about this! I have none but I am not surprised she is going big and more power to her. She can afford to do what she wants, she’s not hurting anybody, so why not?
She’s hurting me- I go to Tai Chi class in that area,🤣🤣
They will be blocking off a main part of Manhattan. that’s a transportation hub hosting World Cup fans, tourists and now rabid Taylor Swift fans. It’s a logistics nightmare.
I take it you’re not a New Yorker. Do you know how much crap people are going to have to go through getting around because she decided to have her wedding there? It’s smack dab in the middle of town, every train stops there. The security and cordoning off streets because she decided to do a power flex and have a wedding in the ugliest interior and exterior setting ? It’s two rich people inconveniencing people for nothing.
While I get that MSG does have multiple event spaces that can be transformed into something nice and wedding-worthy, I’ve wondered if the MSG chatter could intentionally be a tiny bit off — and the old Farley Main Post Office building might actually be the space that they’re planning to use. I don’t know the building well, but I can imagine that it must still have some fabulous, historic spaces that would be a beautiful setting for a wedding.
It doesn’t.
It doesn’t , it’s basically one big arena, a smaller one and they look like exactly what they are. There are no number of flowers or decor that will make that place look like anything but a stadium masquerading as a wedding venue. It’s also ugly, inside and out. It would make more sense if she chose Radio City, that’s a lot nicer than MSG.
Again, I’m not talking about the MSG building — but the Old Farley Post Office building across the street. It’s a beautiful beaux arts building that’s at least partially restored, and might well have its own versions of the Campbell Apartment or other event spaces. I know that the Moynihan Train Hall is on the lower levels, but I’m speculating and asking about what might be upstairs.
I agree @Mel, that Radio City would be a lot nicer than MSG — which does have a few options besides the actual arena.
@Blithe, that makes a lot more sense, but photographers would be able to see guests entering (which, imo, who cares, but Taylor might).
The old Farley post office is beautiful, but it connects directly to the train station through regular halls in places. I wonder if they could adequately secure it? I’m also not sure about how secure (not visible to the pedestrians outside) the entrance and exits from Farley would be.
I’m reasonably sure that it’s possible to secure it — although I might be underestimating what the efforts of committed paparazzi might look like. As @Mario has said below, there are already controlled entrances and highly experienced security at MSG. MSG routinely handles security for extremely high profile sports figures, entertainers, and audience members on the regular for events — without ever encountering attention from the pedestrians outside or people scrambling to catch their trains. I’d imagine that security might be even easier to arrange with accessing the Farley building. If there’s not a secure, dedicated VIP entrance, there are surely secure service entrances.
Think of all the deliveries that entered and exited the Farley building for the better part of a century when it was the main Post Office, or even just things like delivering plumbing supplies or whatever. Most of this would not ever be visible to casual pedestrians. Taylor Swift herself has performed multiple times at MSG. The Knicks have their home court at MSG. At no point are these people or their roadies or their VIP guests visible to the general public — unless they’ve wanted to be.
If I had $1 billion, renting out MSG as a red herring while enjoying my private wedding on Long Island or what-have-you wouldn’t break the bank.
@Kozy, same
Oh, the ego of it all! Sad and thirsty.
I find the Taylor/Travis hate on here a little disturbing.
Taylor is good to her fans. She hasn’t spoken out against Trump, as Bruce Springsteen has, but she isn’t an Elon Musk-esque villain. Her music isn’t everyone’s taste, but she’s not Lee Greenwood. And Travis has done some good things in Kansas and Cleveland.
Anyway, who really knows what they’re planning? We’ll find out when everyone else does. In the meantime, sheesh, maybe direct some of that ire at the people who are really ruining this country.
Taylor certainly did speak out against Trump. She did so when he ran against Biden.
Yep, agree.
I don’t think most of the folks in the comments understand how truly wealthy folks do weddings. I was talking to a wedding planner about a wedding (she couldn’t tell me exactly where but from clues I’d guess a huge estate in Hudson valley) and she said her team had already been there for 4 months doing the build!!!
We are talking maybe a 10mil wedding at that rate.
Taylor would have virtually an unlimited budget, clearly wants to evade drone and heli footage as well as leaks and I just don’t see that being feasible at most venues we would normally associate w weddings. She wouldn’t be able to do an Italy wedding bc someone in town would leak for $ then the paps and stans show up.
Taylor’s team can create a multi tent extravaganza in MSG- it’s not like her 1000 guests will be sitting in bleachers yall. She likely has multiple set designers working on this and massive amounts of furniture rental and flower budget alone I’m going to peg at 5-10 mil for that number of guests and that space. I saw a Hadid bday celebration one night and their flower build was over 100k for a small dinner so I’m extrapolating based on that.
Anyway, it’s a wild choice yes but totally in line with her security needs. I do not understand the hate. Seems smart for a billionaire who is likely one of the most famous women in the world.
If I may, here’s Sly Stone’s 1974 wedding at MSG: https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?phrase=sly%20stone%20and%20kathy%20silva%20wedding&sort=best&license=rf%2Crm
Wow, they look so fabulous! I miss this decade, the clothes, the hair, the rizz… I was out on to lunch today and actually reflected on the fact that everyone dresses so incredibly basic now, all I see are white and black tees and shorts where I live and it’s so boring… Give me a nice red corderoy suit any day!
Thanks for the link!
I can see how this might work and I’m not against it given the specifics. Forget the seats–I doubt those would be used or needed at all (same as they aren’t all used or needed when there are concerts or events).
What there IS is a big open space — and many, many smaller ones, if preferred — that can be decorated, built on/upon, and customized to meet any need, look, or configuration. There are support spaces for dressing rooms, waiting rooms, makeup, kitchens, prep areas, etc, and staff who have background checks, know the space, are fully organized, trusted, supervised, and experienced–and are even used to guest celebrity chefs, event planners, and A-list talent.
There’s also a full security apparatus already built in. Controlled entrances, limited access spaces, full-time security professionals with elite credentials and experience and knowledge of how to successfully work with the city law enforcement partners and elite private security teams.
This is a major event that will draw everything from rabid fans, to political haters, to even actual terrorists (mass violence and terror have been committed adjacent to/out of hate for/to get the attention of global sports and music superstars before, including Swift herself and a plot to attack an Ariana Grande concert).
The guest list alone for this will involve so many sports, entertainment, even political luminaries and plenty of other people who have never experienced this level of attention before.
Now that I think of it, this is actually a brilliant idea and way preferable to other celebrities who impose themselves on entire villages or cities and the people who live them, or upend/destroy/impose their outsized requirements on places and venues that aren’t equipped to handle them and suffer in the longrun.
Going to a self-contained place where almost everything is already in place to do what needs to be done in the least destructive way possible, including with established protocols to pack out, clean up, and restore things to normal operations AND where all of the relevant labor will likely be union work paid fairly? It’s pretty darn ethical and waste free. So, yeah, it seems ridiculous, but I’m not mad at it. I actually am even more of a fan than I was when I started writing this comment, lol.
Someone above mentioned you can’t get a drone over it (for paparazzi or terror purposes) or aim a long range lens. I agree with that, too. Not to mention, your guests can arrive and leave completely secretly and away from undesired or unauthorized eyes. It can be as private and secure as you want and need it to be, and you have one point of contact at the venue who can work with your wedding planner to coordinate all of the pre-cleared vendors, security, so you can focus on the decisions you want to be involved in.
Thanks for this.
I actually don’t hate it. It wouldn’t be my choice but then I don’t have paparazzi and fans descending on an area when I’m a mere wedding guest, either. They have complete control over the space. It’s a secure location. If they use it, I hope we see photos eventually because I can’t envision it but could imagine it’ll be stunning.
How romantic. 🙁
These two are so basic and boring… I can’t…
I’m in corporate events and have planned large events for thousands of people. If you have the money you can transform any venue; if they are having their wedding at MSG/in the arena itself I can promise it will be unrecognizable and they will tailor the space down to make it a more intimate space for the number of guests they’re expecting. I also agree with the poster above who has doubts about housing guests at the Marriott Marquis. Their famous guests are not staying at that hotel. But the army of worker bees involved in the production of an event of this size could absolutely be housed there, particularly given its proximity to MSG. That said, I still find it VERY hard to believe that this is the ceremony venue. I’m wondering if this is some kind of celebration concert following a ceremony/reception held elsewhere. I could see musical acts and singers she’s collaborated with and/or that she and Travis admire all performing for the bride and groom’s nearest and dearest?
Would the trains have to skip stops and not come into NY at all until it’s all over?
No, not at all. It might be a bit inconvenient for cars if the streets are blocked off, but the trains should be fine.
This is bonkers and giving Roman circus. It has to be a ruse or a pre-wedding concert. I’m not understanding the thinking behind this venue when the Hamptons and so many beautiful locations are right there. It’s giving tacky and sponsorship but whatever. It’s their wedding and their life. They can do whatever they want but sometimes these massive declarations and spectacles are built on a shaky foundation.
My take, as a 30+ year event management professional – Madison Square Garden has MANY smaller venues inside the complex https://www.msg.com/venue-rentals/#madison-square-garden and a few of them would be ideal for a high-profile “event” where maximum security can be employed. The fact that this wedding is going to be a big deal for the entertainment industry (paps, news outlets, fans, haters, etc.) I can see why this is a great option for them.
In contrast, think about the complete insanity this wedding will impose on an idyllic wedding location. I would be devastated for a beautiful location/resort/neighborhood to have to endure the onslaught of every gawker from around the globe. Keep all that high-profile S*&t in a high-profile friendly location, please and thank you!
It does sound absurd, but for this couple, I understand. MSG is secure, famous people can arrive/leave without hassle or paps and security would be locked down. Frankly, this type of celebrity gossip is a nice distraction from everything else going on right now.
Yeah, I’ve worked my fair share of events, and while the idea of MSG might be off-putting to people, this is a massive enclosed space with security, temp control, parking, and the ability to configure it* to be literally anything they want—plus fortifying it as much as possible against drones or helicopters or, hell, terrorism threats.
*Set aside any idea of what it might look like. It will look like whatever they want it to look like, because it can effectively work as a giant film set.
If you’re worried about security you dont get married at a huge stadium in the middle of midtown in one of the busiest cities in the world. It’s down the street from Macy’s flagship store. Every train include NJ transit stops under it. The area around it is dingy AF. If security is a concern You don’t get married directly on top of a MAJOR transportation hub.
I know people hate them both with a level usually reserved for serial killers but good lord. It makes sense to me just from the security standpoint alone.
It really doesn’t because it’s a kind of dingy area with a lot of homeless people . There are other places she could have gone, and no one would have had to know until it was over with. Massive amounts of people are going to be inconvenienced because she couldn’t pick some quiet spot in the Hamptons or out in Montana to get married. I work in the area, if I were that rich and famous, I would NEVER hold a wedding there, even if you transform it, it’s just “ick”.
Exactly this.
That just feels nitpicky.
Everyone will be driven inside the venue, they won’t ever come into contact with the area much less random homeless people so who cares about the area.
There’s no way they could pick some quiet spot in the Hamptons or Montana without it leaking, and if it leaks, it has to be cancelled because the security threat is too high.
Besides why should women be forced to have “quiet” weddings when they don’t want a little rural quiet wedding, just so others won’t call them tacky? So sexist.
@Sunday, there’s parking lots around MSG. Not under or in MSG, So yeah, they’re going to clear that street of its regular inhabitants. I’m not nit picking I actually live here. People who don’t and have never been here have no idea what it’s actually like. You sound like Europeans who come here and and don’t understand how far apart things are or that they can’t walk everywhere. Also that comment about expecting her to hide is ridiculous . If I don’t cheer lead every ridiculous thing another woman decides to do it isn’t sexist or misogynistic.
It wouldn’t be my choice but whatever. I’m sure they have their reasons. Maybe it’s for security?
I’ll keep this brief: RICH PEOPLE ARE F-ING EXHAUSTING. ME ME ME 24/7, 52 weeks, 365 days a year. These 2 need to go away ASAP. Sorry folks. I don’t care about the security blah blah blah.
This is the tackiest thing. Not a romantic, small wedding someplace intimate, but at a large arena for the world to see. It’s not for security – they can have a small and secure ceremony anywhere. They crave attention, it’s like oxygen for them.
It’s gross esp given the economy as people are deciding between food and rent and healthcare.
She WANTS to be photographed all the time. Joe Alwyn wasn’t having it, so she moved on to someone thirsty like her willing to play the Fame Game. Most of her relationships have been for show (ahem the Tiddleswifting anyone? She sure loves trying to make the 4th of July about her). Celebs are more than capable of moving stealthily. Meghan and Harry do it all of the time. Taylor doesn’t want to. That’s why this trashy MSG rental tracks.
Here’s an Instagram showing prepping for a wedding there. Good way to prevent paps too.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXufD2_kTpW/
This may come as surprise to you all but people hate TayTay for more than her juvenile lyrics. I guess I’ll compare her to someone Kaiser can relate to Kate🤣
I don’t care, but have to add that if Tom and Zendaya can be married and nothing leaks, TS can too. Shoot we never even saw photos/videos from Beyonce’s wedding until Lemonade.
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