Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have officially tied the knot at New York’s Madison Square Garden, in a star-studded ceremony officiated by actor Adam Sandler.
The pair wore Christian Dior, Swift’s publicist said, and did not have bridesmaids and groomsmen. Swift’s brother, Austin Swift, served as her man of honour, and Jason Kelce, Travis’s brother, was his best man.
The event shuttered one of Manhattan’s busiest corridors and brought out Hollywood A-list stars, such as actors Hugh Grant and Jason Sudeikis, singer Benson Boone and model Gigi Hadid.
Fans huddled outside the venue throughout the day, with some onlookers climbing scaffolding to try catch a better view.
The wedding celebrations began on Thursday with a much smaller “‘pre-party” event, according to permit filed with New York City officials.
The ceremony on Friday was much a larger event, with a stream of blacked-out SUVs seen driving through a pop-up tent erected outside the stadium to shield guests’ arrival.
Some celebrity guests were still spotted upon their arrival, including model Gigi Hadid, her actor boyfriend Bradley Cooper, actress Dakota Johnson, and members of Kelce’s football team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesAs Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, said confirmed the pair had officially wed, an announcement appeared on a display outside Madison Square Garden that read “JUST&T MARRIED” – a play on Taylor and Travis’s names.
Jonathan Anderson, a creative director at Dior, designed Swift and Kelce’s outfits, Paine said.
“This is the designer’s first couture wedding dress for a world-renowned celebrity,” Paine said in a statement.
Their shoes were custom made by Christian Louboutin, she added, and Swift wore Cartier jewellery.
EPA
Getty Images
Getty ImagesThe New York City Police (NYPD) closed the streets around the arena midday, closing them off to vehicles and pedestrian traffic.
Swifties – the singer’s legion of fans – lined nearby blocks around the arena, braving sweltering temperatures of up to 37C (98.6F).
Some chanted lyrics to their favourite Swift songs and cheered: “We love you Taylor”.
“I thought it was going to be more gardens, more flowers, more tropical. Something more fancy, something more Taylor Swift,” Canadian teen Emily told the BBC outside the venue.
New York resident Rose said it was “sort of absurd” that the couple shut down the busy streets around the arena, but believed the ceremony would be beautiful “because it’s Taylor Swift”.
“I hope it’s a beautiful wedding… but I think they should do it somewhere that’s less inconveniencing to [the] general populace of New York City,” she laughed.
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Getty ImagesThe couple likely spent tens of millions of dollars to rent out Madison Square Garden, planning experts told the BBC.
The spectacle showcased the power the couple holds, with Swift widely recognised as one of the world’s most powerful and famous people.
The two-day wedding celebrations led news broadcasts, lit up the Empire State Building in NYC and spurred millions in online betting markets as details of their nuptials left people speculating for weeks.
Pop culture critic Kristen Meinzer told the BBC that their marriage was meaningful because Swift and Kelce are from two important worlds when it comes to pop culture and American identity.
“We worship at the throne of music and football, these are all the things we love in America married together,” she said.
New York City also has a long-standing ethos of treating celebrities as part of the fabric of everyday life.
“We aren’t people who run up to our celebrities, we usually leave them alone,” Meinzer added.
The Pennsylvania-born singer has been based in New York since 2014 – when she bought two adjoining Tribeca penthouses for $20m (£15m) and combined them into one massive living space.
She fell in love with the city after discovering she could go shopping without being bothered, saying she was “physically different since” moving there. The move also inspired her 1989 album track Welcome to New York.
Ahead of the celebrations, the couple donated $26m (£19.5m) to more than 20 charities – though made no mention of a wedding.
To many, though, the 20,000-capacity arena – which hosts concerts and sports matches with beer-drinking fans – felt like an unusual choice for a wedding, though the venue does boast an unusual level of privacy because it lacks windows and underground access points.
Fan Tara Rosales was one of the many who were unconvinced the wedding would actually take place at the arena.
“I knew that she was going to get married in New York but I had no idea where. So I can’t believe it, I’m actually shook and I’m so excited,” she said.
“She’s never an inconvenience. Taylor can do whatever she wants.”
