NDAs, permits and street closures: Evidence is mounting for a Taylor Swift wedding at Madison Square Garden

Your English teacher and your gym teacher are (finally) getting married, and it’s reportedly happening this weekend. The rumours are everywhere and all signs point to a massive New York wedding for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Ever since Swift and Kelce announced their engagement, fans have been dying for details. While absolutely nothing is confirmed by the couple themselves, here’s what has people talking. 

Madison Square Garden takeover

All signs are pointing to Madison Square Garden as the venue, ahead of July 4 weekend.

Eyewitnesses and outlets like CBS, Page Six and TMZ have said there was a “massive” load-in outside the venue Monday.

And that’s not all: TMZ reports a “massive castle is being built inside a garden at MSG,” setting a fairytale-esque theme.

A lighting company, a piping and draping business, a transportation services company and a bunch of unmarked trucks all behind barricades, were reportedly on scene, seemingly prepping for would could be a star-studded affair, dressing up the arena known for big concerts and sporting events. 

In typical Swift fashion, a potential easter egg already emerged — TMZ got a glimpse of a box marked “40-inch mirrorball,” a possible reference to her 2020 song Mirrorball, which she told Stephen Colbert last year would probably make the list of her Top 5 songs from her catalogue.

ABC News is now reporting that unnamed sources confirm the couple will host two events, one for 100 people on Thursday, plus a larger, 1,000-person event Friday, details that are similar to what the New York Times reported last week. The outlet’s sources say “both events will have a strict no-phone policy for everyone inside the venue” and that tents and canopies will be up to “prevent the public from catching glimpses of arrivals and departures.”

NDAs and watermarks 

Nobody is saying a thing and, allegedly, they can’t. Several reports claim guests were asked to sign an NDA — but that anyone who violates it won’t face any financial penalties. 

However, if details were to slip out via any of the supposed attendees of this rumoured wedding (catch my drift?), it’ll allegedly be traced back to them pretty simply.

Another TMZ report on June 29 said every invite that was sent out to the possibly 1,000-plus guest list is watermarked with the person’s first and last name, and the invites that went out didn’t include the venue on them, just the city. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, who co-founded Tight End University with Kelce said even he doesn’t know.

When asked by Entertainment Tonight if they scored an invite, Kittle said they’d be there in a blue suit. But when asked if it’s at Madison Square Garden, he and his wife, Claire Kittle, had little to say. “I actually asked Travis about it last night. And he laughed at me,” he siad

“I’m half expecting there just to be a jumbo jet on a runway and they just put us on a plane somewhere.”

Possible performers

When Taylor Swift attended the star-studded Knicks game on June 10 at Madison Square Garden, she wore a cheeky “Stevie Knicks” shirt, which many are pointing to as yet another Easter egg, as Stevie Nicks is rumoured to be performing at the wedding event.

Nicks and Swift performed together at the 2010 Grammys, and since then, Nicks been a consistent fan of the pop star. Most recently, she told the New York Times: “[Swift] just doesn’t stop, and that is what has turned her into this beautiful young woman who makes magic with everything she touches.” 

Country singer Tim McGraw’s name has also been floated as a performer, driven by reports from Rolling Stone and Page Six.

For Swift, this makes sense. Her debut single was titled Tim McGraw. It came out in 2006, and was the lead single off the self-titled debut album that launched her career, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard country charts.

What we had already heard

Last week, the New York Times reported that “a permit was filed with New York City to close the streets around Madison Square Garden from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3,” citing “three people with knowledge of the matter.”

The report also said an “entertainment industry executive and another person with knowledge of the matter” confirmed that “Ms. Swift rented” the Garden for “an intimate gathering of about 100 people at the Garden” on July 2, followed by “a splashier celebration with possible stage appearances” on July 3rd where roughly 1,000 guests are expected to attend.

The outlet also reported that “several members” of Kansas City’s NFL football team have booked hotel rooms for dates around July 3 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, “according to a person told of the accommodations.”

The federal Amtrak police department, which patrols the station beneath the arena, has apparently been notified to “expect a Swift wedding the weekend of July 4.”

As for what actually happens, who attends and what we’ll find out, one thing’s for sure: the world is watching.