Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding LIVE updates: Images show Swift’s SUV arriving at venue

It’s been a long time coming … but finally, finally, we can write the sentence many fans have dreamt of seeing for 20 years: Hello and welcome to our live blog of Taylor Swift’s (reported) wedding weekend!

The 14-time Grammy winner is tying the knot with NFL tight end Travis Kelce, of the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s the extent of what we know for sure.

Are they getting married in New York City? Seems so. This weekend? All signs point to yes. Could the “mastermind” (prepare yourself for many Swift puns) actually be fooling us with an elaborate Madison Square Garden ruse? That’s also likely.

Stick with us as we bring you rolling updates on what is sure to be an enchanting affair, reportedly starting with a 100-person rehearsal dinner on July 2 (Friday, July 3 AEST).

Are you ready for it?

Well, we’re stabbing in the dark… but some speculation has caught serious traction over the past week.

Firstly, the date. Forget Swift’s lucky number 13 because it appears she will say “I do” on July 3 (US time). Why? Well, it’s the day before US Independence Day, one of Swift’s all-time favourite holidays. And, though this could never be proved, there’s surely some kind of power trip in snatching attention from your country’s 250th birthday, as well as one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

As for where, all signs point to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Some reports are noting two permits – one for 1000 people on July 3 (US time), and another for 100 people on July 2.

If true, this suggests two celebrations at Madison Square Garden – perhaps one for a smaller rehearsal dinner before the big bash, or for a more intimate wedding (if 100 guests can be called intimate) before the reception to end all wedding receptions.

The larger celebration will include a cocktail party starting in the late afternoon, according to CNN, and it’s expected to continue through to 4am (6pm July 4 AEST). Reporters at TMZ even believe the couple have planned for a giant castle to be built inside the arena, transforming the sterile sports space into a Folklore-esque fairytale.

The Shakespeare of pop is getting married inside a sports arena. It sounds entirely contradictory, but come on. This is Taylor Swift, a woman who has never been known to do anything by halves. Regardless of where she ties the knot, you just know she’ll make it enchanting.

Several sources close to the couple have told People Magazine that the MSG has been completely “transformed”, with a copious number of staff working through the night to set up the upcoming festivities.

On Monday (US time), workers were seen unloading equipment, decorations and even grass from several large trucks outside the arena.

It was the black equipment boxes that caught everyone’s attention, though.

It took just one grainy shot of a white staircase being unloaded into Madison Square Garden for everyone to lose their minds and assume Taylor Swift was building a castle inside the arena for her wedding festivities.

But, to the disappointment of all Disney adults out there, it seems these reports have since been debunked. According to People Magazine, “insiders” have said a castle is not being erected – not even a little one.

“There’s no castle being built. Not at all,” the source (who, like every “insider” before them has remained anonymous due to alleged ironclad NDAs signed by all guests) said.

That’s not to say it won’t still feel like a real-life Folklore fairytale. Another source told the magazine that the couple has arranged grass, carpets and canopies inside the expansive venue. And for those who have been sceptical about a wedding inside a sweaty, windowless sports arena (who isn’t?), the insider assured it “looks like a place where you’d get married”.

“There’s a stage set up, but it’s special.”

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding will begin at 5pm Friday (Saturday 7am AEST) and stretch until the early hours of Saturday morning, closing several blocks in the heart of Manhattan during the busy holiday weekend, according to a copy of a city permit obtained by The Associated Press and new details provided by police.

The application — for a “Special Event at MSG” — was approved Wednesday night by New York City’s permitting office, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The permit shows 100 guests will begin arriving at Madison Square Garden at 6.30pm on Thursday for a “pre-party celebration,” which officials described as an intimate rehearsal dinner.

A full street closure will then go into effect overnight, allowing crews to erect a “drive through tent” next to a separate “entrance tent,” according to the permit.

Only Swift could overshadow both the FIFA World Cup and the 250th anniversary of America’s independence with an event that won’t be confirmed until it’s actually happening.

The rumour mill has been in overdrive for the past month as “insiders close to” the cultural juggernaut, 36, and her fiancé, also 36, tell tabloids any juicy details they deem safe enough to spill.

Swift and Kelce are getting married. Of that, we’re 100 per cent certain.

In August 2025, after two years of dating, the pair shared photos of their engagement, confirming it truly was a love story, and Swift did, in fact, say yes.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have donated $US26 million (about $37 million) to at least 20 charities in the week before their rumoured New York Fourth of July wedding weekend, Variety has reported.

According to the report, the charities include nine food banks, an animal cruelty organisation, seven educational programs and three children’s hospitals.

The announcement, released by Swift’s representatives, did not allude to a wedding.

City Harvest in New York thanked Swift and Kelce for a $US1 million ($1.4 million) donation.

“We are incredibly grateful for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s generous $1 million donation to City Harvest. This donation is a love letter to New York and a bold commitment to our efforts to ensure that no New Yorker goes hungry,” said Jilly Stephens, City Harvest’s chief executive.

Look. I have something to confess. I … wish this wedding were happening anywhere other than (reportedly) Madison Square Garden. Why, you ask? To that, I say three words: Stinky! Sports! Arena!

OK, maybe that is a bit harsh. It was a lovely venue when I was there for one of Billy Joel’s final residency shows a few years back. But Forbes declared one Taylor Alison Swift the richest female musician in history in June, and in the month since, her net worth has increased by a further $US100 million ($145 million) to $US2.1 billion ($3.045 billion).

Point is, she can afford something like the 2024 Ambani wedding – a six-day, 2500-dish, at least $US600 million ($870 million) extravaganza for the son of Asia’s richest man and Radhika Merchant – thrice over. Why a windowless pit that has been her place of work eight times? Well, allow me to show you this video:

Hundreds of chanting fans – and paparazzi – crashed the wedding of musician and producer Jack Antonoff and actress Margaret Qualley in August 2023 just to catch a glimpse of Swift, who was a guest at the New Jersey nuptials. Now, imagine that but with Swift as the bride. To say it would be chaos would be an understatement.

As my colleague Nell Geraets wrote, security is paramount (according to The Hollywood Reporter, the couple has called in the FBI to keep them safe). As strange as Madison Square Garden may seem for what’s meant to be the most romantic day of the Shakespeare of pop’s life, it’s incredibly fortified.

It has no exterior windows and highly secure infrastructure. This also means that the chances of paparazzi getting a clear shot of Swift – and distributing it before she or whoever has bought them are ready to release the official photos – are extremely slim.

Pop music megastar Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce are married, the New York Post’s Page Six reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources as preparations for an expected celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York were under way.

The pair exchanged vows in front of a “tiny group of loved ones”, the outlet said. It did not say when or where the nuptials took place, though it noted Swift’s private jet recently spent time in Nashville.

Swift’s publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As workers scrambled to prepare Madison Square Garden on Thursday for what was expected to be a lavish celebration for the megastars, the pair gave their clearest hint yet of what their plans might be.

AP

Police set up barriers around the venue on Thursday, closing streets and blocking pedestrian walkways. New York was already abuzz with major happenings to take place over the US Independence Day weekend. Tall ships are to sail into New York Harbour and mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, while a World Cup soccer match was set for Sunday in nearby New Jersey.

On Wednesday, onlookers stopped to watch a couple of Russian daredevils who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building and unfurled a banner urging world peace.

The big events coincide with high temperatures, which have prompted city officials to declare a heat emergency. When asked about a potential Swift wedding, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used the moment to urge people to stay indoors and protect themselves from the extreme weather.

“If you happen to be getting married at MSG, you will be staying inside and staying cool, and I think it’s a good example to set for the city at large,” he told reporters earlier this week. Reuters confirmed that an event planning company had applied for a permit to close the streets around the arena from Thursday through to midday Saturday. Fencing was being erected around the venue’s entrances this week. The venue sits above a major commuter hub, and some commuters and tourists said the preparations and street closures were a hassle for people trying to get around New York.

That was not the case for Swift fan and Utah resident Tara Rosales, who said she felt “1000 per cent excitement” for the event. “She’s never an inconvenience. Taylor can do whatever she wants,” Rosales said.
AP

Photos from Getty Images that have just landed show a grey SUV thought to be carrying Taylor Swift pulling up at Madison Square Garden – the location of her rumoured wedding.

Thursday night (Friday morning AEST) is Swift’s and soon-to-be-husband footballer Travis Kelce’s rumoured rehearsal dinner.

Outlets such as The New York Times have reported that public permits and records are tied to a large-scale event in New York over the Fourth of July weekend. Other media reports state one permit is for 1000 people on July 3 (US time), and another for 100 people on July 2.

If true, this suggests two celebrations at Madison Square Garden – perhaps one for a smaller rehearsal dinner before the big bash, or for a more intimate wedding (if 100 guests can be called intimate) before the reception to end all wedding receptions.