Though we really weren’t planning to ride aboard the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce wedding train of crazy, there seems to be some misinformation floating around the internet about the couple’s recent engagement announcement, so onto the bandwagon we hop.
A number of other websites are reporting the hugely famous pair’s engagement photos were snapped in Missouri, and indeed Kelce’s own father told the media that Kelce surprised Swift with an impromptu proposal in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. However, those widely publicized engagement photos starring the two 35-year-olds were most definitely snapped in Kelce’s own backyard, on the grounds of his lavish estate in Leawood, Kansas.
Kelce acquired the sprawling property, and its 16,000-square-foot mansion, less than two years ago. We don’t know exactly how much he paid—the Sunflower State is always a bit persnickety about sharing sales prices—but the place was listed at $6.9 million and numerous media outlets have reported the deal was done for around $6 million.
Built in the late 1990s, the hulking stone house offers six bedrooms and six bathrooms spread across three full levels of living space. As one might expect, the place includes all of today’s requisite luxury residential amenities: a six-car garage, a grand foyer, a chef’s kitchen, a wine cellar, a home theater, gym, sauna, a “club room,” a wet bar, and a full second kitchen on the lower level. But the star of the show here are undoubtedly the tree-shaded grounds, which include bountiful lawns, a miniature golf course, dozens of mature trees, and a resort-like pool area surrounded by sunbathing patios, flowers, and rolling lawns.
Also on tap are a waterfall, a bridge, manicured gardens, a fire-pit seating area, and ample room for grand-scale backyard entertaining.
Due to the Swift-Kelce couple’s massive fame, don’t expect them to marry in a public location. Because they both maintain substantial real estate holdings, and because they—and particularly Swift—would likely want to be in complete control of the occasion, we also think it’s unlikely they would marry at a rented private location. That means the most obvious wedding venue, of course, would be either at the Leawood mansion or at one of Swift’s many homes.
As the biggest music star of this generation, Swift unsurprisingly presides over a world-class real estate portfolio. She’s long maintained a penthouse in Nashville, Tennessee, where her business operations continue to be based. Her parents also still live in the Nashville area, where they maintain separate homes in different areas of town.
The jet-setting Pennsylvania native has also long owned the historic Samuel Goldwyn estate in Beverly Hills, California, which she’s substantially renovated and upgraded in recent years. This property is definitely big enough for a large wedding, with sprawling lawns and a full-size tennis court, but we think it’s unlikely the couple will host the nuptials here—Swift has not spent much time in L.A. in recent years, and the house is actually occupied full-time by her younger brother, Austin.
For many years, Swift’s main residence has been located in New York City, where she owns a Tribeca townhouse and basically half of the entire condo building next door, including the duplex penthouse where she actually resides. That penthouse has a rooftop terrace and garden, but the logistics of hosting a celebrity wedding on a Manhattan rooftop also make it an unlikely setting, we think.
Swift also owns a mansion in northern London that is currently undergoing major renovations. But we believe the most likely wedding location in Swift’s property portfolio—by far—is High Watch, her longtime oceanfront vacation home on the Rhode Island coast. That historic compound, located in the quiet town of Watch Hill, offers a huge lawn and a big poolside pavilion with more than ample space and endless sunset views—ideal for a summer wedding, if that’s the route everyone’s favorite celebrity pair should choose to pursue.
