Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are rumoured to be tying the knot today in New York's Madison Square Garden (MSG) - what we know so far
Black SUVs have arrived outside the arena, while crowds have gathered outside to try and catch a glimpse of any celebrity guests
The couple have not confirmed any details surrounding their wedding, but some streets in Midtown Manhattan are closed to traffic
There's excitement in the air, with a heavy police presence in the stifling heat, our reporter writes from MSG - here's how the day could play out
Watch the build-up from New York live at the top of the page
Temperatures could hit 38C (100.4F) in the city today, as much of the eastern half of the USA and Canada experiences a prolonged and dangerous heatwave
The big question now is how much the couple will share later, writes our reporter in New York
Mark Savage
Music correspondent
Image source, ReutersA strong Manhattan breeze is upsetting some of the security arrangements at Madison Square Garden.
A gust blew back the privacy curtains, revealing a very cheery looking Jimmy Fallon arriving for the ceremony.
More celebrities have been spotted outside Madison Square Garden, including actor Hugh Grant, as well as US actors Ethan Hawke and Jason Sudeikis.
Image source, ReutersHugh Grant with Anna Elisabet Eberstein
Image source, ReutersUS Actor Jason Sudeikis
Image source, ReutersEthan Hawke arrives at Madison Square Garden
Floyd Cush
Reporting from New York City
We’ve hit the reported start time of the festivities of 17:00 EST (22:00 BST) and SUVs are still lined up along 7th Avenue waiting to drop off guests at Madison Square Garden.
Some guests rolled down their tinted windows to capture the media spectacle here and others ditched their rides and walked up to the venue.
The sun has finally dipped beneath a skyscraper giving us a small reprieve from the scorching temperatures.
Sakshi Venkatraman
US reporter in Manhattan
I just spoke to the manager of a local shop which sells New York City memorabilia right across from Madison Square Garden. “I have no idea what is going on,” he says of the chaos and blocked streets outside. He tells me that this is normally a busy time for the business, with the large tourist crowd in Midtown stopping by to purchase souvenirs. “Normally we get a lot of customers,” he said. “Today is less than usual.”
Mark Savage
Music correspondent
Taylor Swift invited BBC Radio 1's Greg James to her wedding live on his radio show last October. My colleagues at the station have been busily checking his holiday schedule ever since...
But doubts were raised he could attend the bash this weekend, because he was due to take part in the Crossed Wires podcast festival in Sheffield.
He was there last night, on stage with his friend Alice Levine. On Radio 1 this morning, she confirmed he'd gone out drinking afterwards. But this morning? No-one could get hold of him.
He wasn't on air for his breakfast show. And when stand-in hosts Sam and Danni tried to phone him, his voicemail had been changed to a Taylor Swift song.
And then, just 25 minutes ago, he posted a photo to his Instagram story of a woman in a gown and a man wearing formal shoes.
The plot, as they say, is thickening like a stodgy custard.
Taylor Swift may be busy with wedding preparations, but she still has time to make it into the top singles charts.
Her new song "I Knew It, I Knew You" is currently charting in the UK top 10 of the Official Singles' Chart, after it was released it early last month for the movie Toy Story 5.
It is currently seventh on the chart, behind hits from Olivia Dean and Sam Fender, and Olivia Rodrigo among others.
Across the Atlantic, the song is at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas"
Kansas City Chiefs player Chris Jones, retired US women's footballer Abby Wambach and author Glennon Doyle are among those who have been seen arriving at Madison Square Garden.
Here are some of the latest pictures from Manhattan:
Image source, ReutersKansas City Chiefs player Chris Jones arrives at Madison Square Garden
Image source, Getty ImagesAbby Wambach and Glennon Doyle arrive at Madison Square Garden
Image source, ReutersGuests arrive at Madison Square Garden for what is believed to be Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding
Image source, ReutersSeattle Seahawks American football player Cooper Kupp arrives at the event
Image source, ReutersBenson Boone arrives at Madison Square Garden
Singer Benson Boone has just arrived for the event, making his way through the Madison Square Garden barricades and past security while wearing oversized sunnies,a dark suit and bowtie.
Mark Savage
Music correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesAmong the guests to shun the black SUVs are retired US football legend and Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach and her wife, author Glennon Doyle.
Their connection to Taylor Swift goes back a long way... Swift invited Wambach onstage with her teammates during the 1989 tour, after the US Women's team won the World Cup in 2015.
Swift has also credited Doyle’s writing, including her memoir Untamed, with being a "huge help" during the Covid-19 lockdown, as she wrote her companion albums Folklore and Evermore.
Christal Hayes
US reporter
Image source, TheStewartofNY/GC ImagesTabloids and paparazzi across Manhattan have captured some of Swift and Kelce's potential guests ahead of the expected festivities.
Model Gigi Hadid was spotted getting into a vehicle with a floor-length pink sparkly dress. She was accompanied by boyfriend and actor Bradley Cooper, who was seen in a black tuxedo.
Outside a hotel near Madison Square Garden, Swift's longtime publicist Tree Paine was spotted getting into a black van. She was seen in a brown, off-the-shoulder, floor-length gown.
Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from New York City
It’s a balmy 38C at the cross streets between 7th Avenue and 31st Street from where we can see a row of cars waiting at the intersection.
Every now and then police will allow them to go inside one or two at a time.
Spectators stop by and ask each other what’s going on and I heard a man loudly say “ah, I see. Wow!”
Image source, Getty ImagesSakshi Venkatraman
US reporter in Manhattan - Favourite song: The Way I Loved You
Midtown Manhattan is extremely chaotic even on an average Friday. It’s home to offices, tourist attractions like the Empire State Building, and the city’s busiest transit hub, Penn Station.
But today, with the holiday weekend and a celebrity wedding coinciding, the area around Madison Square Garden is at an absolute traffic standstill.
Pedestrians and drivers are stuck behind dozens of black SUVs with tinted windows, presumably carrying some of the most famous faces in entertainment on their way to the rumoured Swift-Kelce wedding at MSG.
I was stuck behind all of the black cars for about 20 minutes before I decided to jump out of my Uber and walk the remaining few blocks to the venue.
The celebs in their formalwear probably don’t have that choice. I hope they’re not late to the function!
A group of four people - two men dressed in black tie and two women dressed in evening dresses - have just been seen walking through a security gate at Madison Square Garden.
They hold their phones up to a member of security at the gate who has a look at the screen before typing on a tablet, and they disappear behind a cordoned off area.
Moments later another couple, including a woman in a silver dress, arrive at the same gate and also have their phones checked.
Meanwhile, a queue of three black 4x4s can be seen travelling through a black curtain into a secluded area.
We're starting to see suited-up guests arriving at Madison Square Garden, where there's a considerable New York Police Department (NYPD) presence.
Temperatures could reach highs of 38C (100.4F) in the city today, and police officers already appear to be feeling the heat.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York City
It’s all happening here at Madison Square Garden now.
Black SUVs with tinted windows carrying guests are going through a few checkpoints, with women dressed in sleek black outfits there to check names.
The vehicles then go into a white tent, so it’s very hard to see anyone.
There is also now a group of fans who have gathered to watch it all.
Mark Savage
Music correspondent - (favourite song: Seven)
Image source, ReutersA steady stream of cars is entering Madison Square Garden now. Each one approaches a black curtain before being ushered into the venue and disappearing into a marquee.
Tantalisingly, the curtains keep billowing in the wind, giving brief glimpses of the activity behind the scenes (mostly credential checks, I'm afraid).
Some guests are skipping the queue and walking into the venue. So far, however, none of them have been immediately recognisable.
Adam Goldsmith
Favourite song: August
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockLong story short, here's a rundown of all the big developments around New York's Madison Square Garden:
While we wait for any sign of celebrity guests, you can familiarise yourself with tonight's anticipated itinerary - which includes a cocktail hour and a late-night reception.
Floyd Cush
Reporting from outside the arena
Lines of black SUVs are making their way towards the black tented entrance to Madison Square Garden.
Crowds have gathered on the other side of the street to try and catch a glimpse of potential celebrity guest arrivals, but security is very tight and from this angle it’s impossible to catch who’s going inside.
Madison Square Garden has been a hive of activity this afternoon ahead of the rumoured wedding celebrations, which have been billed as America's version of a royal wedding.
Police have cordoned off the roads surrounding the arena and fans have been seen stopping for pictures outside Swift's Manhattan residence.
Here are some of the latest pictures we've received of the preparations.
Image source, MEGA/GC ImagesWorkers have been seen unloading equipment outside the arena. Who can guess what they're building?
Image source, AFP via Getty Images7th Avenue is one of the roads blocked off by New York City Police (NYPD) officers near Madison Square Garden
Image source, ReutersFans have also been seen taking pictures outside Taylor Swift's residence in Manhattan
Mark Savage
Music correspondent - (favourite song: Seven)
If we were to list Taylor Swift’s achievements in music, we’d be here 'til next year.
She currently holds more than 100 Guinness World Records - from the most weeks spent in the Top 10 of the US albums chart (more than 440) to the largest seismic activity caused by a pop concert (at a 2023 Eras Tour show in Washington).
The key to her success? Well, it’s the music. It sounds obvious, but her songs are accessible and catchy. The lyrics are memorable, relatable and authentic. And she works hard to make sure people hear about it.
Her fingerprints touch every aspect of the writing, production, performance, visual presentation and marketing. And she is, as this weekend’s wedding proves, a master at building anticipation.
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockFans at one of Taylor Swift's concerns in Lisbon during the Eras Tour of 2024
Lana Del Rey, who duetted with Swift on the 2022 song Snow On The Beach, once told me that Swift “wants it more than anyone”.
“She’s driven, and I think it’s really paid off.”
On top of that, she has created an incredible sense of community with her fans. They see her as a role model - a woman who has fought misogyny and come out victorious - and empathise with the ups and downs of her love life.
That’s why more than 10 million people attended the Eras Tour in 2023-24, swapping friendship bracelets, dancing together and bonding over their favourite songs.
For those Swifties, today’s wedding is the fairytale ending of a story they’ve shared for the last 20 years.
