Will Taylor Swift's wedding cost $20 million? How it compares to average wedding budgets

• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are rumored to be getting married over the Fourth of July weekend in New York City.
• Speculation points to Madison Square Garden as the venue, with permits filed for street closures.
• A luxury wedding planner estimated the event could cost over $20 million.
• The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. in 2025 was approximately $34,000 to $36,000.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are rumored to be just days away from tying the knot.

Speculation is only growing that the NFL star and pop star will get married at Madison Square Garden in New York City over Independence Day weekend. And their Big Apple wedding is also expected to come with a big price tag. Luxury wedding planner Sonal Shah told the New York Post that it would cost the famous couple nearly $2.5 million just to rent out the arena, estimating the wedding could cost up to $20 million in total.

"A weekend night at one of the most iconic venues in the world is not just about renting the space — you’re also paying for exclusivity, staffing, security, operations, and the opportunity cost of a concert or sporting event that could otherwise be taking place," she said. "Once you add production, security, catering, entertainment and décor, a Madison Square Garden wedding could very realistically become a $10 million to $20 million-plus event."

Indeed, someone is spending a lot of money on those days at that venue, even if Swift's team has declined to comment on the rumors. The New York Times first reported on a permit for street closures around the arena in Midtown Manhattan from July 2 to around noon on July 4 for a July 3 event, citing three anonymous sources. The Times also reported on the wedding occurring at the Garden.

USA TODAY confirmed permits have been filed to close down city streets near Madison Square Garden, as well as for an event with capacity for several hundred attendees. 

As a billionaire, that speculative budget wouldn't even be a fraction of the "Love Story" singer's net worth. Here's how those numbers measure up to the national average price of a wedding.

How does Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's estimated wedding budget compare to average wedding costs?

According to The Knot Real Weddings Study 2026, the average wedding and reception cost in 2025 was around $34,000 with the average cost per guest being $292.

The research showed that couples hire around 13 vendors to bring their big day to life.

Another report, this one published by the wedding registry website Zola in collaboration with Fidelity, showed a comparable national average of $36,000 for a typical American wedding in 2025. The range varied by state, with New York's averaging going as high as $65,100 compared to a high of $34,700 in Missouri, where the Kansas City Chiefs play.

"Around 2 million U.S. couples got married in 2025, contributing to more than $100 billion in total wedding-related spending," The Knot study noted.

Most couples try to avoid spending more than 5-10% of their total net worth on a wedding, even if it does turn out to be the most expensive day of their lives. However, in Swift's case, even a $20 million wedding would barely represent 1% of her net worth alone, much less their combined wealth.

Only time will tell how much a wedding of this scale impacts New York and local spending in July.