The wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is rumored for July 3, and it has started an argument about holiday weekends. Should a couple ask guests to give up one of the biggest summer weekends of the year?
Swift’s ties to Independence Day are well known. Her Fourth of July parties at her Rhode Island home have featured red, white and blue outfits, barbecue and baked treats, according to reports. Guests over the years have included Gigi Hadid, the Haim sisters, Blake Lively and Emma Stone, as E! News has reported. This year the holiday also marks America’s 250th anniversary, which may mean even more to some invitees.
What etiquette experts say
California etiquette expert Lisa Mirza Grotts told Fox News Digital that holiday weekends “often mean higher travel costs, crowded airports and giving up time with family”. Still, she said, “every couple has the right to choose a date that’s meaningful to them.” Celebrity weddings, she added, “are naturally different. Many guests will gladly rearrange their schedules for an event of this significance.”
Jacqueline Whitmore, an etiquette expert in Florida, said couples who pick a holiday weekend should send a save-the-date early, “so they can plan ahead”.
Guests who cannot make it have an out. “Even if it’s for one of the biggest pop stars in the world, good etiquette gives guests permission to decline graciously, without guilt or explanation,” Grotts said. Texas etiquette expert Diane Gottsman agreed. “Summer weddings have their own challenges, with family vacations being planned,” she said. “Some people may not mind, and others will choose to skip the occasion.”
The venue
A source with knowledge of the event told Fox News Digital that the NYPD is preparing to lock down a city block outside Madison Square Garden, the apparent location. The source described several days of setup and 1,000 expected guests. Many believe the closest friends have known the date for a while. Fox News Digital called it unlikely that many invitees have declined.
What Reddit thinks
The larger question, Fox asked, is whether ordinary couples should ever book a July 4 wedding. Reddit users were split. One wrote that many people want to spend the day “outside, near water, drink[ing] beer and [enjoying] BBQ with friends and family”. Another said it “may still reduce your attendance rate.” A third said: “Personally, I wouldn’t go to a [July] 4th wedding. The night before, yes. Day of or day after, no.”
Grotts said guests should not get too hung up on the date. “The most memorable weddings aren’t defined by the schedule,” she said. “They’re defined by how guests are made to feel.”
