By Kurt Hall
NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) – 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 multiple unnamed sources amid preparations for an expected celebration at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The couple, both 36, exchanged vows in front of a “tiny group of loved ones,” the media 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, the city where she lived early in her career.
Swift’s publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Reuters could not confirm the Page Six report.
As workers scrambled to prepare Madison Square Garden earlier Thursday for what was expected to be a lavish celebration for the superstars, the pair showed some support for New York: The singer’s publicity team said on Thursday that Kelce and Swift had donated $26 million to several charities in the city and elsewhere this week.
Neither has commented publicly on their plans, but several media outlets reported that Swift and Kelce held a 100-person event at the sports arena on Thursday that will be followed by a larger celebration in front of 1,000 people on Friday.
Police set up barriers around the venue, closing streets and blocking pedestrian walkways. Several sport utility vehicles, with tinted windows to conceal the occupants, drove into the venue. Celebrities including actors Bradley Cooper and Lena Dunham, sportscaster Erin Andrews and music producer Jack Antonoff were photographed at or near the site in sequined dresses or other fancy attire.
A sign posted at an entrance advised that anyone entering from June 29 through July 3 for “an event” could have their photo taken. By entering, people were agreeing to maintain strict confidentiality, including not discussing its hosts or attendees, the sign said, according to an image captured by a Reuters journalist.
FOLIAGE AND LOBSTER
This week, workers hauled in food and decor to make the whole place shimmer. News cameras captured foliage, a box marked “garden party” and another labeled lobster meat. The venue’s public calendar shows no events scheduled until Tuesday — a rare six-day stretch in a summer otherwise packed with concerts, with just the occasional night unbooked.
New York City already was abuzz with major happenings over the U.S. Independence Day weekend. Tall ships will sail into New York Harbor to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, and a World Cup soccer match is set for Sunday in nearby New Jersey.
The big events coincided with high temperatures that 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 to 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 midday Saturday. Fencing was erected around Madison Square Garden entrances this week.
The venue sits above a major commuter hub, and some locals 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 “1,000% excitement” for the event.
“She’s never an inconvenience. Taylor can do whatever she wants,” Rosales said.
‘AMERICA’S ROYAL WEDDING’
The union of the “Love Story” singer and a Kansas City Chiefs tight end, dubbed “America’s royal wedding,” is one of the most anticipated celebrity weddings of the century.
Speculation has intensified since the couple announced their engagement in August following a public courtship that enchanted fans. Cameras caught Swift cheering on Kelce at Chiefs games and followed him as he jetted around the world to her concerts.
A star-studded crowd is expected, given Swift’s roster of celebrity friends, including Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Emma Stone and Gigi Hadid. In one TV interview, Swift joked that she would invite “anyone that I’ve ever talked to.”
Irish television host Graham Norton, who appeared in Swift’s “Opalite” music video, was pictured arriving at New York’s JFK airport.
Swift was a guest on Norton’s BBC chat show last year, and when he asked her when the wedding would take place, the singer said: “Oh, you’ll know … I was going to invite you to it.”
(Reporting by Kurt Hall in New York and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; additional reporting by David Dee Delgado in New York and Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London; Editing by Scott Malone, Stephen Coates, Nick Zieminski, Cynthia Osterman and Michael Perry)
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