Swift paid city over $160,000 for wedding costs, mayor says
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Taylor Swift covered city costs tied to her Madison Square Garden wedding to Travis Kelce.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
Taylor Swift has paid New York City more than $160,000 for public costs connected to her July 3 wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday. The disclosure addressed questions over whether taxpayers would absorb expenses from added policing and city services around one of the year’s most closely watched private events.
Mamdani told reporters that Swift had already paid the city after he was asked whether she would reimburse police overtime costs. According to Mamdani, the payment covered the event itself and the city response around it.
The mayor said the permit was completed only days before the wedding, according to Fortune and The Associated Press. City permits of that type are used when private events require street closures or extra municipal services, with organizers billed for added costs, according to the report.
City braced for a crowded week
Mamdani had discussed the wedding before while describing the NYPD’s preparations for several major events in the same period, according to Fortune and AP. Those included the World Cup, the Knicks’ championship run, Fourth of July activity and the Swift-Kelce ceremony.
Asked earlier whether he had been invited, Mamdani said he had not, according to the report. He said at the time that he would listen to Swift’s music at home instead.
Swift and Kelce married at Madison Square Garden on a Friday night, AP reported. The event had been kept under tight wraps until the arena marquee announced the marriage with the message “JUST&T MARRIED,” according to AP.
Actor Adam Sandler officiated, and Stevie Nicks performed, AP reported. Good Morning America hosts George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, who said they attended, later described the setup as personal despite the size of the arena and said Swift and Kelce wrote their own vows.
A private ceremony with a large public footprint
Swift’s publicist Tree Paine said in an email that the couple did not use bridesmaids or groomsmen, AP reported. Paine said Austin Swift, the singer’s younger brother, served as her man of honor, while Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce’s brother and podcast co-host, was best man.
AP reported that Swift and Kelce wore Christian Dior Haute Couture designed by Jonathan Anderson, with custom shoes by Christian Louboutin. Swift also wore Cartier jewelry, according to the report.
The guest list included figures from entertainment and sports, AP reported. Among those named were Bradley Cooper, Zoë Kravitz, Hugh Grant, Ethan Hawke, Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, Chris Rock, Steven Spielberg, Camila Cabello and Jenny Han, along with Chiefs coach Andy Reid and several athletes and sports broadcasters.
Outside the arena, AP reported seeing black SUVs bring guests in formalwear while fans and other onlookers gathered near Madison Square Garden. The report said a short rain shower broke a spell of heat after the marriage was announced.
The couple’s relationship has drawn intense public attention since they began dating in 2023 after Kelce attended Swift’s Eras Tour stop at the Chiefs’ stadium, AP reported. Their decision to hold the wedding at one of New York’s busiest venues made city staffing and public costs part of the story, which Mamdani said Swift has now covered.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.