JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
We don't have royal weddings in the U.S., but we do have word that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially married. Swift's publicist issued a statement saying the ceremony took place at Madison Square Garden in New York. Just as the pop star and the football star were set to tie the knot, NPR's Brian Mann spent some of his cruel summer outside the Garden, and he joins us now from New York City. Hey, Brian.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hey there, Juana.
SUMMERS: Brian, I mean, there's just been so much secrecy around this wedding. It's finally happened. What can you tell us?
MANN: Yeah. We know it's official. According to the statement NPR received just a short time ago, Swift and Kelce were married this evening. It happened, we understand, without bridesmaids and groomsmen. Instead, members of the family took part in this ceremony, and the wedding was officiated by the comedian and actor Adam Sandler, who's described as a friend.
This was truly lavish gathering. All through the afternoon, musicians, actors, artists and professional athletes arrived at Madison Square Garden. According to news reports, Swift was expected to perform during this gathering, possibly with Stevie Nicks, though NPR has not been able to confirm that. This event was expected to include up to a thousand guests and will continue into the early hours tomorrow. A lot of fans have been gathering nearby, though some streets around the Garden are closed off now by the NYPD.
SUMMERS: And, Brian, I know you spent some time talking to Swifties - Taylor Swift fans - today. What did you hear?
MANN: Yeah, yeah. It was fun. I heard a lot of joy. The connection they feel to her and her music runs incredibly deep. Here's Kennedi Kersavage (ph), who lives in New York, and her friend Ashlee Sevilla (ph) from Utah.
KENNEDI KERSAVAGE: Yeah. I have been listening since "Speak Now" and have loved her music. She's been my No. 1 artist for - since I was probably in first grade. Yeah.
ASHLEE SEVILLA: Yeah. I love her. She raised me, literally. She's amazing.
MANN: And Kersavage told me one of the things that makes this moment special is that so many of Swift's fans feel like they haven't just shared her music. They've shared their lives with her.
KERSAVAGE: I feel like she captures, like, the feminine experience really well. So as a young girl growing up, I feel like she was writing songs about things that I was going through in a way that I could really connect with. And so I've kind of grown up with her, and she's kind of explained my life for me before I even get to that step.
MANN: So you could hear there a lot of love and excitement.
SUMMERS: Absolutely. Now, renting Madison Square Garden, that is certainly a choice for a wedding. How's it playing with her fans?
MANN: Yeah. Some pop-culture critics did kind of throw some shade about this, questioning Swift's decision to go really big, so much glitz and extravagance. But I didn't hear any of that today. Here's Lauren Gomet (ph), who's from Idaho.
LAUREN GOMET: Oh, I'm so happy for her. I feel like she's gone through so many different relationships and different experiences, and she deserves all the love. So I'm so happy for her.
MANN: And I also spoke with Lisa Benham (ph), who's visiting from England with her daughter. They both say they're huge fans.
LISA BENHAM: I'm thrilled for her. I love it. I love the whole story. I am so pleased for them, really pleased for them.
MANN: People say they've really been following this romance closely, and they describe this wedding as a happy moment in their story.
SUMMERS: Brian, are fans going to get to see any of the wedding ceremony?
MANN: You know, we've - as you've heard - been getting little dribs and drabs of information about this ceremony, but we have not heard any plans for tonight's celebration to be made public or broadcast. Swifties I talked to today say they do expect some parts of it to be visible.
SUMMERS: Yeah.
MANN: Taylor Swift has shared so much of her life, including her romantic life, through documentaries and songs and books. A lot of hope and anticipation that at some point, fans will get to share at least part of this big moment too.
SUMMERS: NPR's Brian Mann in Manhattan. Thanks so much.
MANN: Thanks, Juana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
