Dark-windowed black SUVs were waved through security clearance outside of Madison Square Garden Thursday morning. Dozens of camera crews and reporters were camped out in front of the side entrance to the New York Knicks home court.
As the fervor around Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding intensifies, attention has expanded beyond her dress designer choices to the guest list, rumored big-name performances, the rehearsal dinner and perceived slights, including who may not be there.
Long before prediction markets turned nearly every public event into a wager, predicting celebrities’ wedding dresses had become a sport in itself with fans and fashion types speculating over which designer will be the chosen one. Industry experts are betting on at least two dresses, if not more.
Bridal designer and retailer Mark Ingram said, “In New York and the USA, this is the probably the closest that we are going to get to having a royal wedding-type event happen any time in the near future. She’s a top celebrity. He is a very well-known one. They seem to be a well-matched couple. They’re both so attractive. It’s going to be a feast for the eyes. There are all kinds of bets on what she’s going to wear.”
Because Swift has not publicly aligned herself with a single designer, Ingram said, she will have “free rein to really run the gamut of what her looks can be. It will be an all-weekend fashion event for all of her guests. She can wear anything. She’s classic, but she loves corsetry, high slits, ballgowns, color, fantasy and romance.”
Ingram expects Swift to choose at least two polar opposite looks — one corseted “huge and grand” gown for the wedding and something a little more sultry for the reception. “She loves to rock short dresses and ruffles,” he said. “This is really going to cause some excitement in the industry.”
Taylor Swift in Oscar de la Renta at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2014 Costume Institute Gala.
Fairchild Archive/Penske Media/WWD
Kelly Cook, CEO of David’s Bridal, speculated about how Swift could influence other brides: “We think she’s going to be into multiple outfit changes. That’s going to be potentially everything from the entrance dress to the ceremony dress, the reception dress and the exit dress. We’re expecting multiple silhouettes — short and skimpy, romantic and Old Hollywood glamour.”
Swifties who caught her Eras Tour also witnessed a nonstop three-hour-plus fashion show, thanks in part to her stylist Joseph Cassell, who lined up dazzling styles from luxury houses like Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Etro and Alberta Ferretti. When the 36-year-old closed out her four-night run at the Paris La Defense Arena, the white corseted Vivienne Westwood couture ballgown she debuted quickly drew bridal comparisons. The recycled-taffeta design was inscribed with “I love you, it’s ruining my life,” a lyric from “Fortnight.”
Although there have been whispers that she may wear a Givenchy wedding gown designed by the house’s Sarah Burton, representatives for the luxury house did not respond to requests for comment. If so, the choice would give Swift another indirect link to royalty.
Burton was at Alexander McQueen, when she designed the intricate gown with an ivory satin bodice and lace sleeves that Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore to marry Prince William at Westminster Abbey in 2011. For her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle wore a long-sleeve Givenchy gown designed by Clare Waight Keller, who was the house’s artistic director at that time.
Swift’s custom strapless floral Givenchy gown at her June 11 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame added fuel to the theory. However, the singer has previously said that the Easter eggs she plants point toward her music, not her personal life. The Guardian also observed last fall that Burton entered her showgirl era on the runway in sync with Swift’s release of “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Monse, the label started by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, may be in the running, according to an industry source. The designers stepped away from their creative roles at Oscar de la Renta in February. Earlier this week Kim, who could not be reached Wednesday, posted several images of Swift on her Instagram account, and Garcia added, “@taylorswift in @monsemaison since day 1, we love you,” with a smiley face, which is why Monse has also emerged in broader industry speculation about the dress.
Swift’s designer history also leaves Chanel, Dior, Elie Saab, Ralph Lauren, Iris van Herpen and Etro in the running. A Chanel spokesperson was unavailable to comment Thursday, and there was “no news” from Elie Saab, according to a spokesperson.
Names reported as possible guests include like Zoë Kravitz, Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, Stevie Nicks and the Haim sisters, although Swift and Kelce have not confirmed a guest list. Current reports have named Nicks and Tim McGraw, rather than Garth Brooks, as possible performers.
For millions, Swift’s big day is a real-life fairy tale, and while early chatter suggested a manmade castle might be part of the decor for Friday’s union, there was no indication from what could be seen Thursday that such a structure had been installed. The Pennsylvania-based Rock Lititz, which designs and builds immersive live events, declined to provide information Thursday about whether it was involved, a company spokesperson said.
Taylor Swift at the 55th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and awards gala on June 11 in New York City.
John Nacion
As another sign of the frenzy around Swift, one enterprising publicist was offering an interview with 77 Diamonds’ head of bespoke, Anna Byers, about possible designers for Swift’s wedding band.
Taylor Swift performs onstage during her “Eras” tour at Wembley Stadium on Aug. 15, 2024, in London.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f
Her fashion choices influence others, including four Argentinian sisters, Pilar, Agustini, Martin and Mayte, who had walked for an hour from their New York City hotel with their mother, Silvana, to check out the scene at Madison Square Garden Thursday morning. They said they immediately share photos of Swift, whether paparazzi shots or concert images, with their mother, and they spend “hundreds” of dollars each year on similar styles. “We love how she dresses, all of the sparkle and glitter,” Agustini said. “I am huge fan of hers. It’s a really special moment for her, and for me too, if she’s getting married, because I feel that close to her. It’s a historical moment.”
Pilar added, “She doesn’t know it, but she is our friend. If she’s happy, we’re happy.”
This family of five, who live in Argentina, walked for an hour Thursday morning to check out the scene at Madison Square Garden.
Nearby, Jill Barlow said, “This is such a moment. If this is going to be her wedding venue, what a time for our city. It’s secure, it’s private, there are no windows, no helicopters — it makes sense. I wanted to see if there was actual movement with these trucks.”
Aware of what she described as online conspiracy theories about when and where the actual ceremony will take place, Barlow speculated, “With the number of musical friends that she has in the industry, this could be where she sits back and enjoys music for the best concert ever by Selena [Gomez], Ed [Sheeran], Jack [Antonoff] and on and on.”
Pedestrians will have limited access to the area around Madison Square Garden over the Fourth of July weekend.
Glancing at a few 18-wheeler trucks parked near an underground entrance to Madison Square Garden, Kathleen Baker, a 61-year-old Port Jefferson, N.Y. resident, said, “This is awesome. If she decides to marry the football player and stop all of the streets in New York, that’s great. Supposedly, she helps everybody. She buys people houses. She’s among the most prolific songwriters in the world. And he’s probably a good football player, so heck, let them have it.”
While several of her younger relatives are diehard fans, including one whose living room is decorated with photos of Swift, Baker said, “I think Taylor influences me in the way that she’s kind. Everybody should be that kind.”
En route to a Peloton class, Seattle residents Ashley and Richard Lee stopped to take a few photos of the delivery trucks and the media. “I like her message that everybody is welcome. She’s just a great person.”
Speaking from a parked delivery van, Ronny Carpo, an exterminator with Systematic Pest Elimination, said, “it’s nice to see a lot of people out here gathering around to watch this beautiful thing that is about to happen. Any event that brings people together in a community with diversity is needed. That’s what’s most important in this world, where everything is hectic and divided.”
Others were less convinced, including a general contractor, who identified himself as John Doe. He said, “It’s ridiculous. They’re just people. It’s not about how much money you make. You’re going to shut down roads and do all this, because you feel that you are more important than the next person, because of your financial status. I think it’s disgusting actually.”
