American billionaire Taylor Swift's wedding guests gave to charity instead of gifts

American pop billionaire Taylor Swift and her husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, asked guests at their July 3 wedding to give to charity instead of buying gifts, according to an animal rescue group that received one of the donations.

The Hancock County Humane Foundation, an animal rescue in West Virginia, said on social media that attorney Mike Simon and his wife, Lisa Simon, had chosen it for their gift. The couple "asked for donations to charities in lieu of gifts and Mike and Lisa chose us!!" the foundation wrote, adding: "Four beautiful people, four generous hearts."

Swift, Kelce and their representatives have not publicly confirmed the request. The Simons and the foundation did not respond to requests for comment from reporters. Kelce has spoken about the wedding on "New Heights," the podcast he hosts with his brother Jason, but has not addressed the gift arrangement.

The request fits a pattern of large gifts from the couple. Swift and Kelce gave a combined $26 million to U.S. charities ahead of the wedding, including $2 million to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the children's book program founded by the country singer. Parton said she was "blown away and overjoyed" by the gift.

The list of recipients ran across the cities tied to the couple's lives and careers. It included City Harvest, Food Bank For NYC, New York Cares and Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone in New York, Children's Mercy Hospital and the Harvesters food network in Kansas City, and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Nashville's The Store, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Feeding America and the ASPCA were also on it, along with music-education groups Grammy In The Schools, Education Through Music and Musical Mentors.

Swift has a long record of giving to food banks, often in the cities where she performs. During her Eras Tour, which became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, she made donations to food banks at stops across the United States and abroad. Kelce runs the Eighty-Seven & Running foundation, which supports youth programs in Kansas City and his hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Swift, 36, became a billionaire in October 2023, according to Forbes, which credited her fortune to music royalties, touring income and the value of her song catalog. She is one of the few musicians to reach that mark mainly through her own songs and performances.