Taylor Swift's Wedding: Over 200 Million Won Paid in Permit Fees to New York City

Paid for Three Days of Road Closures and More
Wedding Costs Estimated at 1,000 Times the Global Average

The world-renowned pop star Taylor Swift has reportedly held a private wedding ceremony with National Football League (NFL) player Travis Kelce, and it has been confirmed that Swift's team paid over 200 million won to New York City for this secret event.

The world's top pop star Taylor Swift and National Football League (NFL) player Travis Kelce. Screenshot from Taylor Swift's Instagram

On July 10 (local time), international news agencies including the Associated Press reported that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed in a press conference that "Swift paid more than $160,000 (approximately 240 million won) in permit fees for the event and event response," adding that "the permits were finalized only a few days before the event was held."

Swift and Kelce held their wedding on July 3 at Madison Square Garden (MSG), in the heart of New York City. In addition to the wedding, they requested road closures for nearly three days to accommodate a rehearsal dinner on the previous night and an after-party that continued into the early morning hours the following day. Hundreds of police officers were deployed at the scene to maintain order.

This led to some criticism, and during the press conference, when Mayor Mamdani was asked whether Swift would cover the police overtime costs, he disclosed the amount paid for the permits.

However, it is estimated that the amount paid to New York City was only a portion of the total wedding expenses. Forbes estimated the overall cost of Swift's wedding to be as high as $20 million (around 3 billion won). The American entertainment media outlet Page Six cited expert opinions predicting the cost could reach $30 million (about 4.5 billion won). According to the report, at least $5 million (approximately 751.7 million won) was spent on decorations and flowers, $2.5 to $3 million (around 375.8 million to 451 million won) for catering and management for more than 1,000 guests, and $2 million (about 300 million won) on attire and entertainment. The outlet remarked that this is "1,000 times the global average wedding cost."

At the ceremony, Swift and Kelce each read vows that lasted about 20 minutes, and guests were provided with embroidered handkerchiefs to wipe their tears. A raffle was also held at the reception. According to NBC New York and People, Jackie Tranquill, wife of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drew Tranquill, shared on social media that she won a Chanel handbag worth $6,700 (about 10 million won) as a raffle prize. It was also reported that a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, the same model Kelce drove on his first date with Swift in 2023, was among the prizes.

After the wedding, New York-based artist Justin Gignac made headlines by collecting trash found around MSG and selling it in small clear plastic cubes. Items enclosed in the cubes reportedly included cigarette butts, candy wrappers, water bottle caps, police caution tape, a Ring Pop, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit. However, Gignac stated that he could not verify whether the items came from inside the wedding venue or were discarded by guests, as the ultra-luxurious wedding was conducted under strict secrecy.

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