Taylor Swift wedding mania takes over: Glamorous stars and NFL greats gather in black tie for party of the century while fans sweat it out on the streets hoping to catch a glimpse

The biggest stars on the planet have taken their seats to watch Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tie the knot in a colossal celebration inside Madison Square Garden. 

Celebrations are underway at the popstar and Kansas City Chiefs wedding bonanza, which is expected to see icons including Stevie Nicks and Tim McGraw perform for the couple’s 1,000 guests.

The bridal party – including Gigi Hadid, Lena Dunham and the Haim sisters – were spotted making their way to the venue in pink gowns, while NFL stars dressed wore black tuxedos. 

So far, there’s been no sign of the bride, who is keeping every detail of the event under wraps but spent the morning getting ready with Hadid.

Hadid’s boyfriend Bradley Cooper, looking dapper in his tuxedo despite the 100-degree heat, escorted the model to the venue before the festivities began.

Selena Gomez, the bridesmaid who peddled her own make-up brand ahead of the couple’s Thursday night celebration, is also yet to be seen.

The couple have welcomed more than 1,000 guests to the arena, including Karlie Kloss, Fergie, Ed Sheeran, Jason Sudeikis, Ellie Goulding, Dakota Johnson and Benson Boone.

Mega-watt celebrities Jay Z, accompanied by his daughter Blue Ivy, and Steven Spielberg jetted into the city on helicopters from the Hamptons ahead of the big bash.

Kelce’s NFL star friends also traded their uniforms for bow ties as they walked into the estimated $15 million soiree, which was brought midtown Manhattan to a standstill.

Swifties and onlookers alike gathered outside Madison Square Garden in hope of catching a glimpse of the A-list wedding of the year.

Some celebs seen walking into the venue via security barricades from the street despite the sweltering heat. 

A group of guests were even seen removing their tuxedo jackets as they were searched by security. 

But the most high-profile guests were ushered through in VIP cars.

Experts revealed that the celebration for the couple, both 36, costs over $15 million, and taxpayers footed over $1 million to help cover the bill. 

Ahead of their celebration, Swift and Kelce donated $26 million to 20 charities. The unusually specific number has sparked speculation that it matches the actual cost of their wedding celebrations. 

Regardless, the over-the-top celebration has caused a security nightmare in the city, with 130 NYPD officers tapped to work the event.

City officials have worked alongside the couple with in pulling off the soiree and Empire State Building will be lit up blue tonight as Swift’s ‘something blue.’

Ed Sheeran and his wife of seven years Cherry Seaborn are among the A-listers celebrating with the couple inside MSG tonight.

Sheeran, who has been a friend and musical collaborator to Swift for over a decade, was spotted heading to MSG in a bright cyan suit, while Seaborn opted for a yolk yellow long dress.

Karlie Kloss, in a stunning gold dress, ventured to MSG hand-in-hand with her husband Josh Kushner. Kloss and Swift, who were once inseparable, have not been seen together much in recent years.

Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie donned a glamorous ruched gown with a large black pom-pom shawl on the way to wedding, seemingly unfazed by the sweltering heat.  

Kelce’s close friend and former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Ross Travis was among the athletes photographed heading to the wedding party. 

San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk also arrived at MSG with his hands full of canned beverages and his wife, Kristin, on his arm.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, wore matching green suits and dresses to the glamorous wedding bash. 

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp and his wife Anna Marie were among the well-dressed guests spotted by the Daily Mail as they got out of their blacked out SUV and headed into Madison Square Gardens on foot. 

The daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, Paulina Gretzky, arrived at MSG in an SUV. Paulina, along with her father and pro-golfer husband Dustin Johnson, played a round of golf with Kelce on Father’s Day in Nashville in 2024.

United States Women’s National Soccer legend Abby Wambach, a longtime friend of Swift, arrived at MSG holding hands with her wife, author Glennon Doyle. 

Both Swift and Kelce extended invites to key members of their press teams, with Swift’s longtime publicist Tree Paine being among the first guests to arrive at MSG.

Kelce’s podcast producer, Brandon Border, and his fiancée, Lauren Winn, shared a car with Jake Chatzky, the senior director of social media for New Heights, and his pregnant wife Emily as they made their way to the party.

The singer’s childhood best friend Abigail Anderson Berard, who tapped Swift to be her bridesmaid nine years ago, also flashed smiles at the cameras before going to MSG.

The couple, their parents and siblings have not been seen in public, but Kelce’s uncle, Don, brother to his mother Donna, stepped out in a tuxedo for his nephew’s wedding celebration. 

An insider told The New York Times it cost the couple between $1.2 million and $1.6 million to book out Madison Square Garden for two days.

Insurance would cost over $10,000, Erica Maurer, a partner at EMRG Media, told the newspaper.

Lighting, sound, catering, flowers, decorations and labor could cost between $10 million and $12 million, The Times suggested, while adding that their estimate was a very conservative one. 

Permit fees for the two-day affair would likely cost at least $132,000 based on the city’s permitting office rates.

It would also cost taxpayers over $1 million to have hundreds of police officers providing security and patrolling MSG.

Photos taken on Friday afternoon showed scores of New York City cops in their uniforms drenched with sweat as they stood guard close to the Garden in 100F heat.

The bride arrived at Thursday’s event two hours before its start time in a blacked-out silver Chevrolet Suburban with an extended roof and communication antennas.

She was later seen returning home well after midnight, having spent more than eight hours partying at what was said to be her first-night bash.

There are unconfirmed reports that Swift and Kelce are already legally married, but will have a second celebration with all of their guests today.

Famous guests including Selena Gomez, Jack Antonoff, Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, as well as the singer’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson, were seen heading inside on Thursday, while Taylor was spotted being swept into the back.

As we previously reported, the dress code for Thursday’s event was ‘cocktail attire’, a source said, with only family members and close friends invited.

Outsiders were given a few rare glimpses of how the pop singer and the Chiefs tight end transformed the venue into the wedding celebration of their wildest dreams.

Pink, orange and yellow roses were photographed woven into foliage at the top of an escalator on Thursday night.

The venue was lit up with lights and adorned with dusty pink curtains.

It’s been said that Swift built a custom ‘castle’ inside MSG and has supposedly bought every available calla lily in the city.

Guests descended upon the theatre to the most exclusive invite in town in stunning ensembles.

Sports commentator Erin Andrews, former football player Ross Travis and NFL WAG Claire Kittle were all among the famous faces to flaunt their fashion credentials.

The stars brought traffic to a halt with police banning the press from assembling near the venue and even threatening to arrest those who don’t comply.

They hung curtains on the arena’s large windows and erected an arrivals tent which blocked the public’s view of who was there.

A sign at a security checkpoint outside the venue instructed guests to ‘have identification out, have devices ready’, suggesting attendees were forced to give up their phones before entering.