NEED TO KNOW
Celebrity guests, including Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff, were seen heading to the couple’s rehearsal dinner at Madison Square Garden
Swift and Kelce donated $26 million to various organizations ahead of their wedding celebrations
Madison Square Garden was transformed for the multi-day event, with a permit filed to shut down surrounding streets
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding weekend has officially begun — and a slew of celebrity guests are already celebrating.
Guests were spotted arriving at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, July 2, for what is believed to be the famous couple’s rehearsal dinner.
Around 6 p.m., the couple’s celebrity pals — including Lena Dunham, Jack Antonoff, Abigail Anderson, Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson, Greg Olsen and Aric Jones — were seen arriving at the venue for the festivities wearing sequined and jewel-tone dresses.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Antonoff, 42, was photographed on his way to MSG in a suit alongside his sister, fashion designer Rachel Antonoff, who wore a pink feathered dress and heels.
Swift, 36, and Antonoff have been musical partners since 2013, with Antonoff co-writing and producing many of her biggest hits on albums including Folklore and Midnights. Dunham, Antonoff’s ex-girlfriend, is also a longtime friend of the pop superstar.
Jones, meanwhile, first met Kelce when the two were children growing up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Kelce was about 6, Jones told PEOPLE in an earlier interview, while he was just 4.
Retired NFL star and sports commentator Olsen appeared on the Wednesday, Jan. 21 episode of Kelce and brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, offering his tongue-in cheeck advice for “must-haves” at the upcoming nuptials: “Number one’s me. I’m mean, let’s just be honest. I just want to be clear here for anyone potentially getting married — I don’t say it, but there’s a lot of people sayin’ it — if you want it to be memorable and you want there to be great energy and great camaraderie and fellowship and moments, I’m at the top of that list.”
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s engagement photo
Credit: Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce
A few days before Swift and Kelce’s celebrations, sources told PEOPLE earlier this week that Madison Square Garden has been “transformed” in the days leading up to the expected wedding.
On Monday, June 29, multiple trucks were spotted outside the famous arena with workers loading equipment, grass and other decorations inside. Boxes labeled “Garden Party” and “Mirror Ball” have been spotted outside the venue.
One source told PEOPLE they’ve “never seen” Madison Square Garden “look so different.”
Last week, The New York Times reported Swift had rented the iconic N.Y.C. venue for a multi-day event. A City Hall representative later confirmed to PEOPLE that a permit was filed through the City Street Activity Office to shut down the surrounding area.
According to The New York Times, Swift and Kelce’s plans allegedly include a smaller gathering of about 100 people on July 2, as well as a larger celebration with around 1,000 guests on July 3.
Ahead of Swift and Kelce’s big day, a rep for Swift told PEOPLE that the mega pop star and the professional athlete made a staggering $26 million donation to various organizations “this week.”
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift in Taylor Swift | The End of an Era.
Credit: Disney+
Among the organizations receiving donations from Swift and Kelce are City Harvest, the Food Bank for N.Y.C., New York Cares, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Harvesters in Kansas City, Brad Paisley and Kimberly Paisley’s The Store in Nashville, Helping Harvest in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Feeding America, ASPCA, Grammy in the Schools and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Swift and Kelce also donated to Education Through Music, Answer the Call, Musical Mentors, After-School All-Stars (in both New York and Cleveland), MSK (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) Kids, Hassenfeld Children’s Hosipal at NYU Langone and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
The two got engaged in August 2025, nearly two years after the pair confirmed their relationship in October 2023.
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” wrote Swift and Kelce in a joint Instagram post announcing their engagement news.
Read the original article on People