Music icon Taylor Swift and NFL superstar Travis Kelce tied the knot in front of over 1,000 guests at their top-secret wedding at Madison Square Garden on July 3, 2026. The happy couple managed to keep most details of their nuptials under wraps, requiring attendees to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements, and most weren’t even willing to confirm whether they were invited or not.
Only in the hour or two before the evening wedding did press and fans get glimpses of who made the guest list, as celebrity attendees were photographed or filmed heading to the venue. While there were plenty of stars that made perfect sense, from Kelce’s NFL buddies to Swift’s longtime pals like Ed Sheeran and Selena Gomez (who was seen attending the rehearsal dinner the previous night), a few celebrity attendees at the wedding caught even die-hard Swifties by surprise.
Here are Most Surprising Celebs at the biggest pop culture wedding in decades, and why they made the guest list.
Eric Stonestreet from ‘Modern Family’
GettyMany were perplexed to see actor Eric Stonestreet, best known for co-starring on the long-running sitcom “Modern Family,” arriving at Swift and Kelce’s wedding. But the comic lives in Kansas City, where Kelce plays for Chiefs, and has been involved with him in various fundraising activities there.
When Stonestreet learned of Kelce’s engagement to Swift in 2025, he told Page Six, “Travis is awesome. I’ve known Travis for a long time, and I was so happy for him when they started dating because I know him. She deserves a great guy, and he’s a great guy.”
Ashanti & Nelly Called Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Wedding ‘Incredible’
GettyAs guests began leaving the venue following the wedding and reception, rapper Nelly posted a video of himself and his wife Ashanti in his Instagram Stories, looking glamorous in the backseat of a luxury SUV.
The video lasted only a few seconds, until Ashanti realized her husband was filming as she scrolled through her phone. He wrote in text over the video, “S/O to @taylorswift and @killatrav..!! Wedding was incredible.”
While Nelly and Ashanti’s inclusion in the wedding may have surprised many fans, the truth is that Swift has been a fan of Nelly’s for many years, and he was a surprise guest during some of her shows in the early years of her career. In March 2013, fans in Nelly’s hometown of St. Louis were shocked when he appeared onstage during her tour stop there, according to Taste of Country, and they sang his hit “Hey Porsche” together. Months later, he also appeared at her Houston show.
Meanwhile, Ashanti has been vocal about how Swift inspired and “empowered” her to re-record the masters of her first six albums. She told Metro.co.uk in 2022, “I think Taylor is amazing for what she’s done and to be able to be a female in this very male-dominated industry, to accomplish that is amazing.”
Adam Sandler Officiated Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Wedding
One of the biggest surprises of the night was learning that comedy legend Adam Sandler was the couple’s wedding officiant. While many fans were scratching their heads over that decision, it turns out there are some good reasons behind Sandler’s role.
According to USA Today, the couple has become good friends with Sandler, his wife Jackie, and their teen daughters Sunny and Sadie. In 2023, they attended a screening of Swift’s “The Eras Tour” documentary and spent several minutes chatating with the girls.
Kelce, meanwhile, was over the moon to be part of Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore” sequel in 2025, playing a restaurant manager where Sandler and tons of golf greats are dining in some hilarious scenes in the movie.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight about the movie, Sandler said, “Travis is such a gentle, nice guy, and funny as hell. He’s like the guys I grew up with. When I was with Travis, it reminded me of my buddies in high school and just being able to laugh and say the things you want to say.”
He also told the outlet at the time, “”Taylor is incredible. Taylor is so damn nice to my family and has always been. My kids have met Taylor a bunch of times over the years, and she’s ridiculously nice to them and warm.”
Many Swifties Were Surprised to See Karlie Kloss Made the Cut
After many headlines about a falling out between Swift and model Karlie Kloss, who was once very close with the “Shake It Off” singer in the 2010s, many Swifties were surprised to see her leaving for the wedding with her husband, Joshua Kushner.
According to Elle, Swift and Kloss became close friends in 2012 and were frequently photographed out and about in New York City, with Kloss often staying in Swift’s guest room. But by 2018, things seemed to have cooled between the duo, especially when Swift didn’t attend either of Kloss’s weddings to Kushner. Swifties speculated that the reason was Kloss and Kushner’s friendship with Scooter Braun, who notoriously bought and sold Swift’s music catalog, and was at the couple’s 2019 wedding ceremony.
However, Elle repeorted that Swift and Kloss had possibly made amends when the model was spotted at the final Los Angeles show on The Eras Tour and also liked Swift’s engagement announcement on Instagram.
Country Star Attendees Including The Chicks Surprised Some Fans
Swift got her start in country music, but some fans were still surprised by the appearances of certain artists, including The Chicks, who posted a pre-wedding photo of them glammed up for the big night. The trio was featured on Swift’s heartbreaking 2019 track “Soon You’ll Get Better,” inspired by her mom’s breast cancer battle.
The following year, Swift told Billboard how influential the group had been on her career, explaining, “Early in my life, these three women showed me that female artists can play their own instruments while also putting on a flamboyant spectacle of a live show. They taught me that creativity, eccentricity, unapologetic boldness and kitsch can all go together authentically.”
She added, “Most importantly, they showed an entire generation of girls that female rage can be a bonding experience between us all the very second we first heard Natalie Maines bellow ‘that Earl had to DIE.'”
While country artists like Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris were no surprise to see among the wedding guests, some were perplexed to see Little Big Town there. But the foursome have been part of Swift’s career for more than a decade, recording and releasing her song “Better Man” in 2016, per Time, and appearing at many of her shows around that time.
