Taylor Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce occurred on July 3, 2026, and among the over 1,000 attendees, including such stars as Bradley Cooper, Karli Kloss, Hugh Grant and more, was Donna Kelce.
The mother of Travis and Jason Kelce, Donna is Taylor’s mother-in-law, and the two women have already established a close relationship over the years. “Everybody knows how close Travis is with his family,” a source told Us Weekly in January 2024. “So it really means everything to him how seamlessly Taylor blends in with all of them. His family is all about just hanging out, joking and having a great time. It’s almost like she’s known his family forever, and he loves that about her.”
To celebrate 2026’s most talked-about nuptials, Us looks back on Taylor and Donna’s relationship throughout the years.
September 2023
Swift went to her first Chiefs game on September 24, sitting next to Donna in a private suite. While Donna wore Travis’ No. 87 jersey and matching team-branded earrings, Swift sported a white corset-style tank with a red Chiefs hoodie.
October 2023
Donna once again sat with Swift during the Chiefs’ October 1 away game in New Jersey. Days later, she was asked about the pop star dating her son during an interview on the Today show.
“It’s fairly new, so I don’t like to talk about it,” Donna said on the morning show. “I honestly can’t tell you. It’s just too new.”
Donna also said it “was OK” interacting with Swift, but she later regretted being so blasé. According to Travis’ WSJ. Magazine profile in November 2023, he called Donna “immediately” after the broadcast and reassured his mom that “she did a super job.”
January 2024
Throughout the NFL season, Donna alternates between attending Travis and Jason’s team games. (Jason retired from the Philadelphia Eagles in early 2024.) When she hits up Travis’ games, she is often seated with Swift in a private suite.
The two women notably sat next to each other at the AFC Wild Card playoffs on January 13 and the AFC championship on January 28. During the latter, Swift wore a ring with a replica of Travis’ jersey that had been a gift from Donna.
After the game, Donna updated her Facebook banner photo with a snap with Taylor and the rest of their suitemates in the box.
“That was a picture where all of us were so excited that we’re in the suite,” Donna told Today in early February. “And we were so excited that they made it to the Super Bowl that we took a shot of everybody that was there, so it wasn’t anything calculating or anything like that.”
She added, “It was just everybody that was supporting my son and I was so happy to put that picture on Facebook, yes.”
February 2024
The Chiefs won the Super Bowl, marking the team’s second Lombardi Trophy in a row, on February 11 in Las Vegas. After the game ended, Donna and Swift walked on the field holding hands.
April 2024
Swift dropped her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19, and Donna listened to all 31 songs that same day.
“It’s her best [album],” Donna told Us less than one week later at the QVC Women’s Summit in Las Vegas.
TTPD features several songs that seemingly have Travis-coded references, though Donna played coy about whether her son was indeed Swift’s muse.
“I know there’s a few that some people think are about Travis, but we’ll just see,” Donna quipped to Us. “You know, I’ll have to ask her when I see her.”
November 2024
The duo cheered Travis on from a suite at Arrowhead Stadium during his game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 4.
January 2025
Swift and Donna hit the Arrowhead Stadium field after Travis and the Chiefs won the AFC conference championship. The two women walked onto the field holding hands before greeting Travis with a pair of sweet hugs. Swift, of course, added a kiss to her interaction. Swift and Donna were also seen warning Travis about staying away from Bourbon Street at the 2025 Super Bowl held in New Orleans.
Just months later in August, Travis proposed to Swift. The couple planned to wed in July 2026 after Donna flew into NYC for the occasion.
March 2026
Seven months after Swift and Travis announced their engagement on August 26, 2025, Donna was spotted exiting the LAX airport. When approached by TMZ, she refused to spill any secrets about the upcoming event. Donna was also asked what Travis would wear to the wedding, or if she’s involved in planning, to which she replied, “Is the mother of the groom ever involved?”
She then added, “I’m just happy. Just so happy for them.” Donna can keep a secret, but she can’t hide her joy for the soon-to-be-married couple.
July 2026
It’s safe to assume Donna will be at her son’s wedding, but everyone got closer to a confirmation when she arrived in New York City on July 2, one day before the nuptials were reportedly taking place. According to TMZ, Donna was picked up by one of Swift’s drivers and was taken straight to Madison Square Garden. The tight-lipped Kelce mother was even more secretive than usual, not answering any questions or divulging any new info about the ceremony.
