Jaw-dropping new photos reveal most detailed look yet at Taylor Swift’s wedding: Inside the reception… her scrapped carousel plans… and how they hid elaborate planning for months
It’s been three months since Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce said ‘I do.’ But Swifties are still waiting with bated breath for the newlyweds to share even a glimpse of the biggest celebrity wedding of the century.
Now, for the first time ever, the Daily Mail can reveal exclusive images that showcase in great detail how the design team planned to transform Madison Square Garden from a New York City sports venue into a whimsical forest wonderland.
The elaborate plans included a two-tiered carousel, a man-made pond underneath the altar and droves of real and fake trees with twinkling lights sprinkled throughout the reimagined space, which was reminiscent of the couple’s August 2025 proposal.
The never-before-seen designs follow our exclusive first look from inside Swift and Kelce’s wedding, which we published earlier this year and which featured a coral-carpeted entryway adorned with the couple’s heartwarming personal photos and the headline-making reveal of their first dog together.
The leaked video also gave a sneak peek into the room in which Swift, 36, walked down the aisle, but how did it all come together?
The Daily Mail has spoken exclusively to an insider who pulled back the curtain on the difficult decisions the bride was forced to make throughout the wedding planning process in her bid to pull off the wedding of her dreams.
The Daily Mail has exclusively obtained renderings of the designs used to prepare for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding.
The rendering above obtained by the Daily Mail shows how the plan was carried out using rows of trees and lots of greenery. ‘I wouldn’t have changed that part at all,’ Guérard said of the scenery depicted in the rendering, though she had stronger opinions about the seating choice
Swift and Kelce got engaged in August 2025 in the NFL star’s backyard, which had been transformed into a magical garden filled with lots of flowers in pink and white hues
The couple started dating in 2023 and tied the knot three years later at Madison Square Garden
‘When you’re talking about a billionaire in a billionaire wedding, you would think that anything you want, they can make it happen. And there were a lot of things that they actually had to cut back,’ the source said.
The Daily Mail has learned that the wedding planning process began in November 2025, three months after Kelce proposed and eight months before the big day.
Dozens of Zoom calls with workers sworn to secrecy took place to meticulously plan every detail of the A-list couple’s vision.
The design plans the Daily Mail obtained attempted to execute every one of their ideas, but not all aspects of the renderings eventually made it to the wedding day.
Spearheaded by Los Angeles-based celebrity planner Mark Seed, the nuptials were hush hush for months as several teams worked diligently to bring Swift’s ideas to fruition for one of the biggest days of her life.
As a result, the project was given the top-secret name ‘Eventica.’
Photos the Daily Mail exclusively obtained showed staffers in a West Coast workshop constructing the one-of-a-kind wedding set, including a large T&T logo to symbolize the couple’s first initials.
All of the equipment was transported leading up to the big day in 11 semi-trucks.
Prior to its arrival in the Big Apple, our source confirmed that the entire set was taken to Rock Lititz, a dynamic production campus in Pennsylvania that offers rehearsal studios where many famous stars have previously prepped their tours.
Exclusive images the Daily Mail obtained also showed some of the models that were created to carry out the design plans, including the couple’s T and T logo
An insider exclusively told the Daily Mail that some of the structures, like the one seen above, were created to mimic Colosseum-like walls for the altar decor
The designs were overseen by renowned planner Mark Seed and built on the West Coast
The project, which as the photo documents was assembled from pieces, was secretly dubbed ‘Eventica,’ according to the Daily Mail’s source
We were told the entire set was transported across the country in 11 semi-trucks
Swift herself worked on her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour there, and worked on the sound for the Eras Tour at Clair Global, also located on the Rock Lititz campus.
‘We did do a bunch of test builds and walk-throughs there,’ the source said of the wedding prep, explaining that Rock Lititz was chosen because its space was similar to Madison Square Garden (MSG), where Swift and Kelce eventually tied the knot.
We’re told it was Swift’s idea to marry at MSG because of her love of New York City, its accessibility to family and close friends who lived nearby and due to privacy and safety protocols, as she had a guest list of more than a thousand guests that she and Kelce, 37, couldn’t bear to whittle down.
The week of the wedding, semi-trucks were seen pulling up to the Manhattan venue.
Paparazzi then captured dozens of workers dressed in baseball caps, T-shirts and jeans unloading the secret decor, which was concealed at times with black coverings so as to not give away the theme to the fans hoping for a peek outside.
We hear the final concept was Swift’s – with some input from Kelce, of course.
‘The plants, the lushness was definitely spearheaded by [Swift],’ the insider said.
The altar itself was adorned with foliage and vines instead of the floral arch that was featured in the original design plans exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail.
The entire wedding process reportedly took place from November 2025 through July 2026. Guérard told the Daily Mail that despite some of her critiques about the design choices made, as depicted in the renderings, a good planner’s job is to bring out the ‘style of the bride and grooms at all times’
The Daily Mail’s source said the front rows closest to the altar in the ceremony room, as shown in the rendering above, were reserved for family and close friends, but there was no other assigned seating. Guérard told the Daily Mail that the seating, as depicted in the renderings, could have had more ‘comfortable’ options like sofas
The design rendering above is an overhead shot of what the final result looked like when Swift and Kelce held their ceremony inside of MSG. The center ramp shows where Swift walked down the aisle. Guérard criticized the choice to use actual stadium seating, as indicated in the photo of the rendering
Guérard said instead of the cream-colored coverings, seen in the rendering photo above, she would have opted for black or green so that the seating would better ‘disappear’ into the room
Celebrity wedding planner and event producer Tara Guérard – who did not work on Swift and Kelce’s wedding but has been in the industry for more than 30 years and worked with high-profile clients, including Swift’s former friend Blake Lively for her wedding – told us in an exclusive interview that she ‘loved’ that Swift chose to not go the traditional flower route, as shown in the renderings.
‘If your idea is to try to create a whimsical, beautiful forest, then I totally love the leaves and trees and making it feel like a forest I think is dreamy. I wouldn’t have changed that part at all,’ she said.
However, the Tara Guérard Soiree founder – who did not see Swift and Kelce’s wedding designs in person – felt that the seating for the ceremony should have been done in ‘browns and green, so they all kind of disappear, not white or cream’.
She was also not impressed by the choice shown in the rendering to use cream-colored coverings that went over the stadium seating.
‘I probably would’ve tried for more comfortable seating assignments,’ she explained. ‘The ceremony was over an hour long, and when you ask people to sit down for that long of a time, you really need to make sure they’re really well cushioned.’
Guérard told us she would have brought sofas that could fit about four people.
‘I know it’s a lot of people, but damn, I think I have the budget to bring in custom seating for everybody,’ Guérard joked, referencing the 1,200-person guest list.
The Daily Mail’s source shared that other elements of the ceremony space included Colosseum-like panels, which are also visible in our exclusive photos, and printed graphics that were ‘supposed to make the entire space look like trees’.
Even the speakers and musicians were hidden behind the greenery and architecture.
The original design plans, seen here, showed that Swift was going to have a man-made pond underneath her aisle. However, the Daily Mail learned the idea was scrapped due to safety concerns because guests were at risk of falling into the water. Guérard said was the right call
Leaked video the Daily Mail exclusively obtained from inside the actual wedding day showed the alternative option that Swift, Kelce and the designers opted for instead of a pond, which was more greenery and luscious shrubs to fit the forest theme
The Daily Mail’s source also said speakers and musicians were strategically hidden behind the greenery of the ceremony room, seen above in a screenshot of our exclusive video
The Daily Mail’s source said that Swift oversaw every decision, as she ‘didn’t want to just be handed a wedding’.
But even with a bountiful budget, not everything went exactly to plan.
For instance, the original design plans, which the Daily Mail obtained, showed a pond was to go underneath the altar where Swift and Kelce exchanged vows.
However, the idea was scrapped by the team because it would ‘require too much engineering’ and presented a hazard risk, according to our source.
‘The edges weren’t tall enough and it would be really easy to fall over,’ the insider explained. Instead, the pond was replaced by more greenery, which is visible in the exclusive video Daily Mail obtained back in July.
‘I mean, I’ve built some ponds pretty easily,’ Guérard said of the initial idea, ‘but being inside a building and filling something with water and then figuring out how to get the water out, it’s kind of a pain.’
Once the ceremony concluded, guests – and even the bride and groom – exited via two large gates that led to ‘Juliet-style’ balconies which looked over the transformed arena-space, according to our source.
The above graphic shows the full layout of what Swift and Kelce’s reception area inside of MSG was meant to look like – before some ideas, like a carousel, had to be nixed. Guérard said of the carousel, ‘They’re not ten years old, and your guests aren’t ten years old, and it’s not a children’s party. I personally just don’t think it’s necessarily appropriate for a wedding’
The ‘whimsical forest’ theme continued in the reception, as guests first saw ‘an artificial tree’ that ‘had twinkly lights and it had a circular bar around it.’
Once inside, there were photo booths and carnival games that the couple mutually agreed they wanted at their wedding – though we’re told Kelce also made a case to include mini-golf.
The design renderings the Daily Mail obtained showed a two-story carousel. But according to our source, the price tag was so astronomical, it ended up getting removed.
‘The carousel was going to be like $7 million,’ the insider claimed, before noting that even if it was minimized to one-story, it would have cost $3.5 million.
‘That was a great thing to scrap because it’s hard to get something in like that [to the venue],’ Guérard said. ‘I also think that it’s just too young. They’re not ten years old, and your guests aren’t ten years old, and it’s not a children’s party. I personally just don’t think it’s necessarily appropriate for a wedding.’
Instead, Swift and Kelce put in a large peach-colored tent for carnival games, including the aforementioned corn-hole and mini-golf.
Guérard said that she doesn’t think that option is juvenile and prefers it, especially given ‘some people are shy’ and ‘some [guests] might want to have some type of entertainment.’
‘I do always have people requesting a little something for people to do, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that,’ she said.
‘I don’t know if I would want to make my entire party a carnival theme, but having a few other things to do besides eat and drink for your guests is not a terrible thing.’
According to a source, Swift was the one who liked the idea of a carousel being incorporated into the reception area, as reflected in the rendering above. The two-story structure, however, reportedly cost $7 million and was therefore deemed too expensive, the insider further claimed. Guérard agreed that the carousel as rendered should have been removed
![The design rendering above shows another angle of the reception floor inside of MSG, featuring a tent where games were played on the left, which replaced the carousel altogether. Guérard approved of the rendering's games tent because 'some [guests] might want to have some type of entertainment'](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/10/23/19/112056557-16230499-image-a-1_1792779994866.jpg)
The design rendering above shows another angle of the reception floor inside of MSG, featuring a tent where games were played on the left, which replaced the carousel altogether. Guérard approved of the rendering’s games tent because ‘some [guests] might want to have some type of entertainment’
The overhead shot of the reception floor rendering shows a stage in the far back with a metal dance floor in front. Guérard told the Daily Mail that the proscenium, as depicted in the rendering, in a room full of entertainers ‘definitely brings an entertainment value’
Following Swift and Kelce’s wedding, guests who attended the nuptials spilled that the games – and the prizes that came along with them – were met with mixed reviews.
‘Straight after the ceremony, Taylor and Travis did a raffle and gave out expensive gifts for an hour. Everyone was weirded out,’ a guest told the Daily Mail in July.
‘It was a circus meet-and-greet. Everyone kind of felt like, why are they giving away Chanel bags as if we are all their poor fans? It was pretty demeaning. It killed the vibe.’
And the complaints did not stop at the activities.
Multiple sources have spoken out to slam the venue’s seating arrangements, which allegedly left many people without room to comfortably eat their dinner.
‘There wasn’t assigned seating so you got placed wherever you got placed,’ our source said, noting that there were areas to sit by a greenhouse-like structure that stood 35-feet tall on one side of the room. There were also benches, seats and standing tables near the stage.
All 1,200 guests were technically accommodated for – but there was also plenty of room for error.
‘If someone took up an extra seat with their purse or their bag or they just didn’t want anyone sitting next to them because they were a high-profile person, then there were some people that had to stand,’ the insider said. ‘I did hear that, after the fact.’
As for where the guests got their food, in lieu of a formal dining set-up with tables and waiters, the bride and groom opted for a buffet dinner to be eaten at standing and lounge chairs, with food from Swift and Kelce’s favorite New York City restaurants.
Workers constructed a 35-foot tall structure that was meant to resemble a greenhouse, as seen here in this photo the Daily Mail exclusively obtained
The greenhouse, as seen in the rendering above, had additional seating areas and places for guests to eat their dinner. According to sources, people found themselves standing in long lines. Upon learning of the layout at the reception as seen in the rendering, Guérard joked, ‘I know it’s a lot of people, but damn, I think I have the budget to bring in custom seating’
The design rendering above shows one of the many trees adorned with twinkling lights to create the dreamy forest setting, which Guérard commented was executed well
A-list celebs like Jennifer Lopez and Swift’s best friend Gigi Hadid were among the big names on the star-studded guest list
According to our source, Kelce requested that his football player friends, some of whom are seen here, have a big enough area to accommodate their large size and tall statures
Guests have complained that they stood in long lines, with one previous source claiming they went home hungry rather than wait.
Kelce, we hear, tried his best to make sure his friends felt comfortable.
He reportedly spoke up during the planning process to ensure his massive football player pals had enough room to enjoy the evening’s festivities.
‘There were talks of like, “Oh, my friends are going to be too big. How are they going to fit in there? No one’s going to be able to see the stage over my friends who are 6’4,”‘ the source claimed.
The insider explained that they eventually came to a compromise, claiming, ‘We did have a separate area just for them but it wasn’t as big as he had wanted.’
It is our understanding that it was decided there would be no separate VIP sections for any of the guests – regardless of their fame status.
Planners also had to compromise when it came time to conceal the famous MSG scoreboard.
We’re told the team put a black wrap over it and projected lights onto it to create the illusion of a starry sky, as real lights could cause a fire hazard.
‘The sprinklers wouldn’t be able to go off [if they were covered],’ the source said. ‘It was a whole thing.’
We’re told Swift oversaw every decision of the planning process as she ‘didn’t want to just be handed a wedding,’ per the source
Kelce, we’re told, took more of a laid-back approach but was part of several design meetings
Swift and Kelce were reportedly thrilled with how their big day turned out.
The Grammy winner, in particular, who really wanted to incorporate karaoke into her wedding, was able to ensure music played a big role on her big day.
Toward the very end of the space, there was a large stage that looked like a proscenium with metal gold engravings and lights built for performances to take place in front of a large dance floor.
It’s been reported that Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney were among the big names to grace the stage, as well as the bride herself, who enjoyed singalongs with her famous pals, including Kesha, Avril Lavigne, Sabrina Carpenter and others.
‘You’re also talking about a room full of huge big egos,’ Guérard said. ‘I mean, I’m sure everybody wanted to get on stage and do their own bit, right? If you are having a wedding where half your wedding guests are professional singers, I think that would be hysterical and kind of fun. So why not? It definitely brings an entertainment value.’
She noted that ultimately a good planner needs to ‘bring out in weddings the personalities and the style of the bride and groom at all times.’
‘And if that’s their thing and that’s their schtick, I think why not?’ she concluded.
Experts have estimated that Swift and Kelce’s star-studded wedding cost anywhere from $15 million to $50 million, though the exact amount has not been disclosed.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani did reveal, however, that the couple spent $160,000 in order to cover the cost of city resources in the Big Apple.
The Daily Mail has contacted Swift and Kelce’s representatives for comment.
