Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding: Manhattan streets shut, Rs 223 cr charity donations ahead of big day

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Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding is shaping up to be one of the biggest celebrity weddings of the decade. With the couple set to tie the knot on July 3, fresh updates continue to emerge — from street closures around Madison Square Garden to reports of the couple donating over $26 million to charity. Several alleged glimpses from the festivities are also circulating online, with Selena Gomez’s Instagram Story drawing particular attention as fans speculate she was heading to the couple’s rehearsal dinner. View this post on Instagram A post shared by curators of pop culture (@deuxmoi)According to the Associated Press (AP), the wedding ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5 pm EST (2:30 am IST) on Friday and continue until the early hours of Saturday. To ensure the smooth conduct of the event, multiple blocks in the heart of Manhattan will remain closed during the busy holiday weekend. An application for a “Special Event at MSG” was approved on Wednesday by New York City’s permitting office. View this post on Instagram A post shared by curators of pop culture (@deuxmoi)Taylor and Travis kicked off their wedding festivities on July 2 with an intimate rehearsal dinner attended by around 100 guests. The gathering reportedly began at 5:30 pm EST (3:00 am IST) and continued until around 10:30 pm.Wedding schedule on July 3On July 3, several streets around Manhattan will be closed to facilitate wedding preparations. Set-up activities are scheduled until 2 pm, after which guests have been instructed to arrive between 3 pm and 5 pm EST ((12:30 am to 2:30 am IST). The main ceremony is expected to begin at 5 pm EST (2:30 am IST) and the recpttion will continue until 4 am on Saturday.According to the approved permit, a full overnight street closure will allow crews to erect a “drive-through tent” alongside a separate entrance tent for the venue.However, the extensive road closures have sparked frustration among some local residents, who have taken to social media to complain about disruptions to traffic and movement over the holiday weekend.$26 million donated in charityMeanwhile, the couple has also made headlines for reportedly donating more than $26 million (Approximately Rs 223 crore) to charities ahead of their wedding at Madison Square Garden. According to Swift’s publicist, the donations were distributed among 20 local and national charities, many of them located in places that hold special significance for the couple. While the announcement made no reference to the wedding, a law enforcement official briefed on the security arrangements confirmed to AP that the ceremony is scheduled for Friday, following a smaller rehearsal dinner on Thursday evening.ALSO READ | Taylor Swift wedding on July 3, rehearsal dinner on July 2: Timeline of the eventsNine of the beneficiary organisations are based in New York, including Food Bank For New York City, City Harvest, and Musical Mentors, a nonprofit that connects music teachers with students in need. The exact amount received by each charity has not been disclosed.Story continues below this adSeveral other organisations represent places closely associated with the couple, including the Rhode Island Community Food Bank — where Swift owns an estate in Watch Hill — and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, where Kelce has long been involved through his ties to the Kansas City Chiefs.A number of national organisations also reportedly received donations, including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Feeding America, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).Are Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce already married?In another development, some reports have claimed that the couple has already legally married. According to Page Six, Swift and Kelce allegedly held a private wedding ceremony attended by close family and friends before preparing for a larger rehearsal dinner and star-studded celebration at Madison Square Garden.The report claims the venue is expected to host around 1,000 guests, including celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Ed Sheeran, among others. Several videos claiming to show Taylor Swift arriving at the venue for wedding rehearsals are also circulating online. However, none of the footage has been independently verified.Story continues below this adAn official confirmation regarding the couple’s reported marriage is still awaited.