Three months after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce said "I do" at Madison Square Garden, the wedding is still giving. This week Paul McCartney revealed that he performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at the reception, and that it was Taylor who asked for it.
We have covered this wedding from the engagement announcement to the rehearsal dinner here at Wedded Wonderland. So here is what we actually know from the people who were in the room, and which viral stories turned out to be nothing.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live on 2 October, McCartney said he sang the Beatles classic "I Want to Hold Your Hand" because Taylor requested it. He said he told her: "You should sing along, and you should sing it to your man," as reported by Parade.
According to Parade, it was the first time he had performed the song live since 1964. BroadwayWorld also covered the reveal.
It is a charming choice, because the song is sweet, simple and about wanting to be close to someone. If you are choosing your own reception music, it is a reminder that the most memorable moments are often the most personal, not the most obscure. And if you have wondered whether Taylor's new single could become a wedding staple, we asked whether Patient Zero could be her next wedding anthem.
Taylor walked down the aisle to her own "Love Story", reportedly an instrumental version. Guest and former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick confirmed it on the record, according to Hello!. Stevie Nicks also performed during the celebrations, according to the NFL.
Their first dance song has never been confirmed.
These details come from on-record reporting by CBS News and ABC News:
Date and venue: Friday 3 July 2026 at Madison Square Garden, New York, after a rehearsal dinner at the same venue the night before.
Guests: approximately 1,000.
Officiant: Adam Sandler. Our story on how celebrities are now officiating weddings shows he is far from the first.
Wedding party: Taylor's brother Austin was man of honour and Travis's brother Jason was best man. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen.
The fashion: Taylor wore Christian Dior Haute Couture by Jonathan Anderson, and Travis wore a white tuxedo by the same designer, with custom Christian Louboutin shoes for both. We had already predicted the Dior connection when we asked whether Jonathan Anderson's couture collection hinted at her wedding dress.
The city celebrated: the Empire State Building lit up in "something blue", and Madison Square Garden's screens flashed a "JUST&T MARRIED" message after the couple were pronounced married.
As of 6 October, neither Taylor nor Travis has posted a single official wedding photo on Instagram. Dior has said it will not release the dress details until Taylor shares the first images herself, as reported by NBC New York. An insider told Yahoo the reveal will be "meaningful, not rushed".
For now, the only official post is still their engagement announcement from August 2025.
The privacy was deliberate. The wedding reportedly had a no-phone policy, with guests and staff signing NDAs. Even so, the Daily Mail published leaked images of the venue showing cream-draped seating, greenery and a hallway of framed childhood photos of the couple, according to Yahoo. If you are considering an unplugged day, here are six polite ways to tell guests your wedding is phone-free.
Plenty. Here is the scorecard:
"Taylor paid a bride to give up her wedding date." False. Page Six claimed Taylor had paid off a couple booked at Ocean House in Rhode Island. The venue's director of sales and marketing said on the record that it "would not and is not allowing another party or entity to buy a wedding group out of a contracted wedding date", as reported by the Boston Globe. The wedding was never held there anyway.
"The wedding trash was for sale." Real, but not serious. A site called New York City Garbage listed items supposedly collected outside the venue, including a "bag of air" priced at US$49,999.99, as reported by Fox News. It looks very much like a joke.
"Workers were thrown out for taking photos." Disputed. Page Six reported that several hired staff were removed during setup, but a Madison Square Garden source denied it.
"A second wedding in Tennessee." No evidence. The rumour dates from December 2025, when the wedding was still expected in Rhode Island.
Guest list snubs: Lists of famous faces who were "not invited" circulated widely, but none have been confirmed by the couple. Treat them as gossip.
The cost to the city was very real, though: New York confirmed the couple paid more than US$160,000 for police overtime, something we unpacked in what Taylor's wedding permit reveals about the hidden cost of celebrity weddings.
Even if your budget is a fraction of Taylor Swift's, her wedding offers some very usable ideas:
Choose a venue that means something: Madison Square Garden is an arena Taylor has played many times. Your version could be the bar where you met or the town you grew up in.
Ask a loved one to officiate: Having a friend lead the ceremony, as Adam Sandler did, makes the vows feel personal.
Put your siblings in the spotlight: A man of honour and a best man, with no wider bridal party, keeps things simple.
Make one song request count: You do not need a Beatle, but one meaningful live song can carry the whole night.
Protect your privacy if it matters to you: An unplugged ceremony, a clear guest list and a photographer you trust give you control of your own story.
For more, see our look at the guest list and black-tie dress code and our full archive of celebrity weddings.
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Content and Creative Manager
Joseph Joshua is the SEO & Content Manager at Wedded Wonderland, bringing an editorial and search strategy perspective to the publication’s coverage of luxury weddings, destination celebrations and bridal lifestyle. His approach to content centres on helping readers move from inspiration to informed decisions, with attention to the design, craftsmanship and personal details that give a celebration its character.
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