By Dawn Chmielewski
LOS ANGELES, July 1 (Reuters) - The romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce played out in public but the pop icon and NFL star have so far succeeded in keeping plans for the wedding itself under wraps, leaving fans, internet sleuths and the news media scrambling for clues as to what to expect.
The couple have made no public statements about their plans and Reuters has not been able to confirm the timing or location of the wedding, which is expected as soon as this week.
“We're
getting little bits of information that again, could be decoys for all we know,” said Elana Fishman, style and shopping director for the New York Post’s Page Six. “But it really is, I mean, it is Pentagon-level impressive, the security and secrecy around this event.”
Even before Swift and Kelce announced their engagement on Instagram, under the caption “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” fans had been ruminating about the most appropriate venue for the pop-culture equivalent of a royal wedding.
Celebrity site TMZ reported that the invitations arrived -- watermarked to prevent leaks -- with the time and location kept deliberately vague. The New York Post's Page Six reported that a wedding planner known for organizing lavish affairs won the gig, at least in part, because of his discretion.
Spokespeople for the couple did not respond to requests for comment. TMZ didn't respond to a request for comment.
INTERNET SLEUTHS ON THE CASE
The couple’s vacation to Lake Como, Italy, in May 2024, sparked speculation the couple was inspecting potential wedding venues, such as the Villa d’Este. The wedding platform Wedding Chicks shared an Instagram post suggesting that the wedding would be held at Swift’s oceanfront mansion in Rhode Island, where she has hosted star-studded July 4th parties.
Five New York Times reporters shared a byline on a story reporting that Madison Square Garden would host a multi-day event, beginning with an intimate gathering on July 2, followed by a splashier affair the next day, with some 1,000 guests.
The Times declined to discuss its coverage plans for the celebration.
Internet sleuths have scoured schedules for potential guests. They found actress Mariska Hargitay, recently spotted with Swift at a New York Knicks game, has canceled this Friday's performances of her Broadway play "Every Brilliant Thing," and country singer Kenny Chesney called off his Friday and Saturday concerts in Las Vegas.
Billboard’s co-editor-in-chief, Jason Lipshutz, remains skeptical, saying it could all be an elaborate ruse.
“She likes up-ending expectations, and this certainly plays into that,” said Lipshutz.
WHO SINGS FOR THE SINGER?
Variety’s executive music editor, Jem Aswad, said the trade publication typically devoted to the business of Hollywood plans to cover the wedding, adding, “We don’t usually do things like that.”
Reader interest in all things Swift-related warrants extraordinary coverage, he said.
“I can say from first-hand experience, nothing gets clicks like Taylor,” said Aswad. “Absolutely nothing.”
Rolling Stone has prepared a number of articles in anticipation of the big day, including a history of the biggest celebrity weddings and a list of Swift’s greatest love songs, said Shirley Halperin, co-editor-in-chief.
Halperin also speculated that the custom blue T-shirt Swift wore during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, emblazoned with "Stevie Knicks" in orange letters, may hint at some role for the former Fleetwood Mac band member, Stevie Nicks, during the ceremony.
"It’ll be interesting to see who has a role of being the entertainment at the entertainer’s wedding -- and who will officiate," said Halperin. "Is it going to be a major musician?"
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)
