By EMMA POWELL, EXECUTIVE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR and RUSS WEAKLAND, US SENIOR SHOWBIZ REPORTER
When Andrea Swift heard that a handsome NFL player had turned up to one of her daughter's concerts in 2023 intent on gifting her a friendship bracelet, her only question was: 'How in the world am I going to get her to meet him?'
Enamored with Travis Kelce's 'earnest' attempt to woo Taylor Swift, doting Andrea set about devising a way to set them up.
The rest, of course, is history - and having played such a pivotal role in her pop star daughter's happily ever after, it would surely be safe to assume that the mother of the bride, 68, is heavily involved in planning the couple's upcoming wedding.
Not quite.
Insiders have told the Daily Mail that Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce, both 36, have shut out their parents, instead arranging the big day between themselves and a wedding planner.
'Both sets of parents are all really happy and think getting married is the right thing for them to do because they're old school and wanted him to put a ring on Taylor's finger,' an insider told us. 'But none of them are involved in the wedding planning, although surprisingly Travis is.'
It comes despite Swift's mom Andrea, 68, helping to play Cupid when her daughter first met the NFL champ, 36.
'Both sets of parents are all really happy...' an insider told us. 'But none of them are involved in the wedding planning, although surprisingly Travis is'
'Taylor's not the official wedding planner, but most of the ideas are hers. She's used to taking control. This will be her big day and along with Travis she'll be the mastermind,' the source continued.
'She literally runs everything past him. If they don't agree on something they scrap it.'
The decision may have come as a surprise to both sets of parents who have been so involved in their children's lives thus far.
Andrea and Scott Swift, who were married in 1988, sold their family home in Pennsylvania and relocated to Nashville in 2004 to support Swift's dreams of becoming a country star, with both taking active roles in her management.
Meanwhile, Donna and Ed Kelce, who married in the 1970s, have talked openly about staying together for as long as they did before their divorce for the benefit of their boys Travis and retired NFL star Jason, and how they would 'tag team' to ensure their sons never missed out on opportunities.
So dedicated is Donna to her sons' careers she once traveled 1,300 miles to see both compete in their respective playoff games on the same day.
And the two families have established close bonds with one another since the Swift-Kelce fairy tale.
'Taylor and Travis are big on family, so when they can have any functions, they want their parents there and they love it,' said another well-placed insider. 'Family events are often around the holidays, or when they're all at a game they will often go back to the house and eat together. They will continue the family time when they can. They don't do it every time, because sometimes Travis just wants to go home and relax.'
The insider described the two families as 'pretty normal' and claimed 'everyone gets along.'
'Taylor's not the official wedding planner,' the source said. 'This will be her big day and along with Travis she'll be the mastermind'
The decision may have come as a surprise to the in-laws to-be who have all grown close over the last three years, regularly spending time with the A-list couple and in frequent contact on group chats.
When it comes to future mothers-in-law Donna, 73, and Andrea, a second insider added: 'They talk. Together with Taylor they're all in contact, talking about everyday things, like recipes or a TV show recommendation or plans to hang out. They're definitely becoming great friends.'
The Daily Mail previously revealed that Swift and Kelce will tie the knot in early July before the next football season kicks off.
Sources at the time told us that preparations are very much underway, and that Swift has already made specific demands about what she wants her big day to look like, including that it 'take place someplace indoors' to ensure ironclad security.
The wedding is reportedly expected to take place in New York, putting to bed long standing rumors that it would be held at Swift's $17 million Rhode Island mansion.
Invites have been sent out and aside from the couple’s respective families, those expected to attend include Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany Mahomes, as well as Swift’s best friend Selena Gomez and her husband Benny Blanco who got married in September.
It is unclear if Swift and Kelce’s parents are irked by their reported lack of involvement ahead of the big day, but Donna convinced critics she wasn’t too excited when questioned about the wedding while making her way through LAX - her tone a point of debate for many on Reddit forums.
Asked by a photographer how ‘hands on’ she is with the planning, Donna replied: ‘Oh... is a groom’s mother ever involved?’ When pushed on if she wants to be, she paused, looked down and said: ‘I’m just happy, just so happy for them.’
Digging for more, the photographer asked if she would at least like to help pick out a tuxedo for Travis or the candles on the tables, to which she replied: ‘Not really.’
‘I can bet IF the wedding is still on... it’s the Andrea, Scott and Taylor show and their side of the family (the Kelce’s) are having no say in it whatsoever,’ claimed one critic on Reddit.
Another added of Donna: ‘Lol she had the same energy when answering questions about her windows as with answering questions about the wedding.’
Jason’s wife Kylie Kelce leapt to Donna’s defense on her Not Gonna Lie podcast last week, asking people to ‘quit asking me and my mother-in-law about upcoming nuptials’ because ‘nobody is f*g telling you anything.’
Kylie, 34, insisted that even she has been told nothing about the upcoming nuptials.
‘I don’t have any details,’ she said. ‘I don’t have any details. I have none.’
Holding out her empty palm she reiterated: ‘That’s how many details I have. I have none.’
‘Even if I did have any information, I’m not f*g telling you,’ she warned. ‘That’s private information between family.’
Teaming up with the Swifts has been no easy feat for the Kelces. Despite their sons making it in the NFL, Donna and Ed were unprepared of the level of fame and intrusion Kelce’s relationship with the pop megastar would bring.
Donna has often found herself in hot water over her responses to questions about Swift, with viewers and fans dissecting her words and tone searching for hints of animosity.
She faced a bashing after coming off underwhelmed when questioned about Swift during an interview back in October 2023, months after the pop star started dating her son.
'There are times when all the attention was a bit too much for Donna,' said our first insider. 'Occasionally she's overwhelmed, but she manages to hold it together. While Travis was famous in his own right before hooking up with Tay, it was never this kind of fame. Now it's worldwide superstardom with cameras in Donna's face when she's in public.
'Her life has changed. At first she said it was too much to deal with. Now, after almost three years, she's got used to it.'
So accustomed has she become to the intrusion that the family have an in-joke that Donna, not Swift, is the true star.
'There is often a lot of joking that Donna is the actual celebrity in the family,' said the second insider.'Everyone gets along,jokes with each other...and wants to be on grandparent duties next.'