Taylor Swift fans brave the New York heat to be (at least somewhat) near wedding to Travis Kelce | Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s fans gathered in the heat outside New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday for Travis Kelce’s wedding, or at least celebration, and enjoyed the feeling of being close to the superstar singer-songwriter and her NFL champion groom on their big day.
Whether Swift and Kelce are already married or not, fans said they were excited about the union and the venue, as at least one outlet reported, citing anonymous sources.
Speaking outside the venue, 19-year-old Frankie Root said: “I think it’s a safe bet for them because he’s a very special person when he wants to be.” His friend Gray O’Sullivan, 18, said the venue was a good fit because he’s “always been a huge Knicks fan.”
“It’s nice that he’s doing this here and connecting with his life in New York because it’s so special for him,” O’Sullivan said less than a month after the Knicks captured their first NBA title since 1973.
Root and O’Sullivan agreed that the venue felt like their safe space for brides and grooms performing in stadiums. Moreover, Swift had made a good match.
“He treats her very well and makes her very happy,” Root said. “He treats her like a princess, and she feels safe enough to go into public spaces when he’s around her.”
The couple planned to be out and about until the event, which was scheduled to last from Friday evening into the early hours of Saturday morning.
Permits were obtained to host 1,000 people and an arrivals tent was set up next to the venue.
When asked if the wedding would inspire scenes similar to those after the Knicks won the NBA championship, the Madison Square Garden securities chief laughed and said, “I hope not!” he said.
While final preparations are in full swing, even staff assigned to work at the party said they had little idea of what was planned. Swift fans said it didn’t matter that so little was known for sure, which was perhaps best symbolized by conflicting reports about whether the wedding decor would include a castle.
“There’s something about being a Swiftie where you can experience other Swifties even if Taylor isn’t there,” said Margaret Brower, who visited the venue with her daughter Angelina. “We shared the love for her music and her life. Taylor believes in energy, so we’re sending her that good energy.”
Erik de Schipper and his 17-year-old daughter, Vera Suzanna, said they came from the Netherlands on Friday and wanted to see the place, even though there was not much to see.
“It’s very clever in terms of privacy,” De Schipper said of the venue. “All the fans stay out. That’s the only way to keep this secret.”
Her daughter said Swift made the right choice after a series of moody British boyfriends. “I think Travis is sincere,” she said, while denying that Swift might be less accessible to fans after getting married. Even if that were the case, Vera said, “He deserves it.” “He’s been in the business for so long that he deserves some down time now.”
Swift fans outside Madison Square Garden cross generations. Lori Powers and Cecily Hall, 50, of Cold Spring, New York, said they were in town because they heard a rumor that “Taylor and Travis were having a big event today.”
“We said, ‘Let’s look into it;’ we love it so much,” Powers said. Admitting that she’s not as young as other Swifties, she said, “There’s someone living inside me who’s been listening to Taylor forever. She feels like my little sister or my niece. I’m so happy for her.”
Asked if there was a better man for Swift than Kelce, Powers thought for a moment in the 101F heat of Manhattan on Friday afternoon and responded: “He’s not a pessimist. He’s… found someone who says: ‘C’mon! You’re the most famous woman in the world and that’s okay. Let’s do this.'”
Hall added: “He shares her energy. He’s involved in everything she does. That’s huge.”
