Live updates: Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding preparation heats up

Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce married?

That's what eagle-eyed fans and casual onlookers alike have been wanting to know as speculation about their star-studded wedding has ramped up in recent weeks, almost a year after announcing their romantic engagement.

Though the couple still haven't confirmed when or where they'll get married, rumors and reports have emerged with clues about their upcoming nuptials. Details about the couple's big day, purportedly in Madison Square Garden on July 3, have continued to come to light – from production equipment load-ins, public permits and venue schedules to comments from teammates, city officials and friends of the bride and groom.

Here's everything we know about the Swift-Kelce nuptials (and everything we don't).

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce donate $26M to charities ahead of wedding

This week, Swift and Kelce donated $26 million to charities across the country, according to a representative for Swift, with all having ties to the couple through location or personal causes.

Among the recipients are several food banks in New York, Los Angeles, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Missouri, as well as the national organization Feeding America.

Swift is a noted animal lover, as well as a proponent for arts in education, and also earmarked funds for the ASPCA, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Grammys in the Schools and the New York-based Education Through Music, Musical Mentors. Donations also went to After-School All-Stars both in New York and Cleveland – near the Cleveland Heights hometown of Kelce – as well as The Store, a no-cost grocery store to help those in need established in Nashville by country star Brad Paisley and his actress wife, Kimberly Williams.

Additionally, the Swift-Kelce partnership gifted money to MSK Kids, the pediatric cancer program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, where Kelce is well-established as the star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Why is Taylor Swift getting married in New York?

Few venues in North America offer what Madison Square Garden already has built in: security. Andrea Davis, president and CEO of The Resiliency Initiative, has spent 25 years planning emergency response and crisis management for organizations including Disney, Walmart, the FIFA World Cup and Times Square's New Year's Eve celebration.

"Madison Square Garden is a venue known for their security protocol," Davis says. "It's top-notch. When I heard about it being an inside venue – and especially being at Madison – I thought, 'Oh, that just takes all of those security issues off the table.'"

The arena also already has experienced personnel, and established procedures for protecting high-profile guests and trusted vendors and staff are accustomed to strict nondisclosure agreements.

Madison Square Garden and Taylor Swift have history

Madison Square Garden does hold personal significance for Swift. She headlined her first show there during the "Fearless" era in 2009, returned for the Speak Now Tour, performed at multiple Jingle Ball concerts and celebrated her 30th birthday at the venue in 2019. She was also courtside at the NBA Finals Game 4 in June.

And there is a notable gap in MSG's public calendar. The venue's website lists a June 28 concert by Rüfüs Du Sol and a July 7 performance by Bon Jovi, with no public events scheduled in between. But the venue has been known to go dark before on the long July 4th weekend.

Taylor Swift wedding security ramps up

Amidst the barricades already set up, additional officers, units and tactical personnel are expected around the venue.

During a Fourth of July public safety news conference, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch acknowledged "an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night" but declined to provide additional details.

"The NYPD will of course have a detail in place, but I'm not going to go into more specifics at this time," Tisch said alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani at 1 Police Plaza.

Swift, Kelce should reimburse NYPD for wedding security, NYC congresswoman says

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-New York, decried New York City tax dollars used to pay for police staffing of the reported wedding in midtown Manhattan.

"Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce should reimburse NYPD for the 130 officers needed per day to keep their multi-million dollar, thousand person wedding at MSG safe," Malliotakis, who is from Staten Island, said in an X post. "Our officers are already working overtime for 4th of July festivities & NYC taxpayers should NOT be on the hook."

The city's police unions have decried conditions in which police are set to be placed with the World Cup, the Independence Day holiday weekend and now the reported wedding. Unions have complained over the city's delayed holiday pay as police work through the weekend.

Citing officers' exhaustion after already working overtime, Scott Munro, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, told The New York Times that Swift and Kelce should "have their wedding in Pennsylvania or wherever she's from." –Eduardo Cuevas

Taylor Swift wedding dress code

The dress code will be black tie, with guests encouraged to wear top hats for men and long gloves for women, for a "magical" summer night, a source told USA TODAY.

But what will the bride walk down the aisle wearing? Many fans expect a big, perhaps weird, reveal.

Wedding venue: Is Taylor Swift really getting married at MSG?

Reports from TMZ and the New York Post have linked the couple's celebration to Madison Square Garden, though neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly commented.

USA TODAY has confirmed that permits related to Madison Square Garden were filed for July 2 through July 4. However, the records do not identify Swift or Kelce and do not reveal if the event is directly connected to the couple.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani referenced "Taylor Swift's wedding" while discussing public safety planning for the busy Fourth of July weekend. A city official later clarified the mayor was referring to previously published media reports rather than confirming independent knowledge of the wedding. Mamdani has agreed to overtime shifts as long as 12 hours for the NYPD.

The city faces a possible logjam of events, with World Cup games and celebrations for America's 250th anniversary of independence, a Sail250 maritime gathering – and a wedding that could attract hundreds of fans.

Swift-Kelce guest list rumors

Ed Sheeran, who is a possible performer at the wedding, was spotted in Malta, New York, (about a three-hour drive from New York City) at pizza restaurant BuonaSera on the Lake with musician Aaron Dessner, who is one of Swift's longtime collaborators. A fan shared a photo on X that appears to show Sabrina Carpenter at Emmett's on Grove in New York City.

It won't be a far commute for the New York Knicks' starting five Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored invitations, according to Page Six. After all, Madison Square Garden is where they helped the Knicks win the franchise's first NBA championship in 53 years.

Very few details about other guests have emerged. Suki Waterhouse, Selena Gomez, the Haim sisters, Zoë Kravitz, Emma Stone, Gigi Hadid, and Jack Antonoff are all likely attendees.

Actress Mariska Hargitay, who joined Swift courtside at Madison Square Garden during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, appears to have one notable gap in her Broadway schedule. During her run in "Every Brilliant Thing," July 3 is the only Friday without a scheduled performance.

Wedding schedule reports emerge

The New York Times, CNN and ABC reported the couple are expected to host a rehearsal event July 2, followed by a larger celebration on July 3 that could last until 4 a.m. and host roughly 1,000 guests. Neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly confirmed the plans.

Who is designing Taylor Swift's wedding dress?

While Swift has not revealed who designed her gown – and there may be several – there are several possibilities based on designers she's frequently worn throughout her career.

Among the names drawing the most attention: Monse, the New York brand founded by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia (Swift wore some of their looks when they served as co-creative directors at Oscar de la Renta); Stella McCartney (she's rumored to be attending the wedding); Jonathan Anderson of Christian Dior; Vivienne Westwood, known for romantic corseted bridal gowns; Ralph Lauren, whose striped dress Swift wore in her engagement announcement; Oscar de la Renta, a longtime red-carpet favorite; Jackson Wiederhoeft, whose designs Swift has recently embraced; and Givenchy under creative director Sarah Burton. –Morgan Evans

Who is planning the wedding?

Page Six linked luxury event planner Mark Seed to the celebration, a choice that would align with the couple's emphasis on privacy and discretion.

Seed maintains one of the lowest public profiles in the celebrity-event industry, but he has previously been connected to high-profile weddings involving Jennifer Lawrence, Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley.

Fans may remember Antonoff and Qualley's 2023 New Jersey wedding because Swift attended.

Contributing: Anika Reed, USA TODAY