"A Love Letter to New York"... Swift and Kelce Donate 40 Billion Won Ahead of Wedding

Swift and Kelce Donate 40 Billion Won to 20 Charities
Generous Gift Amid Widespread Rumors of Secret New York Wedding
1,000 Guests Expected, Wedding Costs Estimated Up to 31.1 Billion Won

Pop star Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce donated approximately 40 billion won ahead of what is being called the "wedding of the century." The generous donation comes amid widespread rumors about their secret wedding in New York.

Pop star Taylor Swift and American football (NFL) star Travis Kelce couple. Photo by AP Yonhap News Agency

On July 2 (local time), Yonhap News, citing the Associated Press, reported, "Swift and Kelce donated a total of 26 million dollars (about 40 billion won) to 20 local and national charities." The beneficiaries include the Food Bank for New York City, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and Children’s Mercy Kansas City. The chosen organizations are located in places deeply connected to the couple, such as Kansas City, where Kelce's team is based; Pennsylvania, Swift’s birthplace; Nashville, where Swift began her music career; Los Angeles (LA), where they reportedly spend significant time; and New York, where their wedding is to be held. Nationwide organizations such as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Feeding America were also included. The specific donation amounts for each institution were not disclosed.

City Harvest, one of the recipient organizations, stated, "This donation is a love letter to New York," and expressed gratitude, adding, "It comes at a critical time when, due to federal budget cuts, the number of visitors to New York’s food banks has reached record highs."

Previously, Swift donated millions of dollars to food banks ahead of her global "Eras Tour," and Kelce has been active in philanthropy, running a nonprofit that supports youth. Both have a history of active charitable giving.

This donation is drawing even more attention as reports continue to surface that the couple will soon be getting married at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York. According to city permit documents obtained by the Associated Press and CNN, the wedding will be held entirely in private over two days. On the afternoon of the 2nd, a rehearsal dinner for about 100 people was held at the 5,600-seat Infosys Theater. On the 3rd at 5:30 p.m., the wedding and reception are scheduled to take place and continue until the early hours of the next day.

On the 1st (local time), police arrived near Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York, USA. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

The scale of the event is massive. The main wedding ceremony is expected to host 1,000 guests, with around 500 vehicles mobilized. Roads near MSG will be fully closed throughout the night, and guests are to disembark under large tents to minimize outside exposure. It has been reported that guests are required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and are prohibited from using smartphones inside the venue. An anonymous high-end wedding planner estimated to CNN that the cost of the wedding would be between 15 million and 20 million dollars (approximately 23.3 billion to 31.1 billion won).

The guest list reportedly includes celebrities such as Ed Sheeran and Selena Gomez, with speculation that Stevie Nicks and Tim McGraw will give congratulatory performances.

MSG is a venue where Swift has performed eight times and is capable of accommodating a large number of attendees. With very few windows, it can also minimize outside exposure. In the past, punk singer Sly Stone held a large wedding there in 1974, and in 1982, over 2,000 couples were married in a mass ceremony. A former senior New York police official compared Swift’s fandom to that of the Beatles and Michael Jackson at their peaks, noting, "In addition to private security, hundreds of police officers will be needed." As wedding rumors spread, the prediction betting platform Kalshi saw related bets reach 2 million dollars (about 3.05 billion won) as of June 10.

The couple has not officially confirmed whether the wedding will take place. However, Zohran Mamdani, a New York City Council member, stated on the day, "A permit application for a large-scale event at MSG has been submitted," adding, "We are fully prepared."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.