New York City official Zohran Mamdani has disclosed the significant financial sum Taylor Swift paid to the city regarding her recent wedding to Travis Kelce. The couple, both 36, held an elaborate ceremony at the iconic Madison Square Garden on July 3, an event that required the New York Police Department to shut down the surrounding area in Manhattan.
According to Mamdani, the Grammy-winning artist provided over $160,000 to cover the costs of the permit and the associated police response. He noted that the permit was finalized just days before the event took place. Swift’s representative, Tree Paine, confirmed that the couple officially married that evening, with a sign outside the venue displaying the message “JUST&T MARRIED” shortly after the ceremony.
The event, which is estimated to have cost upwards of $20 million, hosted approximately 1,000 guests. The wedding party featured Austin Swift as the man of honor and Jason Kelce as the best man, while Adam Sandler served as the officiant. The bride and groom wore Christian Dior Haute Couture designed by Jonathan Anderson. A star-studded guest list—including Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, and Zoë Kravitz—arrived at 31st street in a procession of buses, SUVs, and Ubers.
Madison Square Garden has long been a significant location for Swift, who headlined her first show there in 2009 for the Fearless Tour, returned for the 2011 Speak Now Tour, and celebrated her 30th birthday at the venue during a 2019 Jingle Ball performance.
The couple’s relationship began in the summer of 2023 after Kelce publicly expressed interest in the singer on his “New Heights” podcast, where he mentioned an unsuccessful attempt to give her a friendship bracelet at one of her Eras Tour concerts. Swift later appeared on the podcast on August 13, joking about his persistence. The pair announced their engagement just 13 days later, sharing photos of the proposal on Instagram with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨.”
Contributing: Bryan West and Charlie Carballo, USA TODAY
