Writers and literary figures who attended Taylor Swift’s wedding

July 7, 2026

Usually when I hear about a party thrown by the most famous person in the world, I don’t immediately assume that someone like me should be there. What does make me think that delusional thought is when the guest list is populated by people that I have met, chatted with, and shared space with, albeit only once or twice. That is: authors. Literary folk. People who (very occasionally) attend the same media events as me (like when Danielle Haim and I were at the same Paris Review party last fall). The distance between me and Taylor Swift may be wide, yet somehow it’s never felt smaller than when I perused her guest list. 

People don’t usually become writers to become famous. But maybe they should! Here’s a running list of every literary person who attended Taylor Swift’s wedding. For obvious reasons, we can’t count the hundreds of attendees who have written a celebrity memoir, but from there the rules get a little more dubious. Let’s start with the most undoubtedly literary guest of all:

Zadie Smith 

The writer who sparked this line of thinking for me: the author of White Teeth is indisputably one of the planet’s most recognizable novelists, yet she has conspicuously stayed out of the broader entertainment circuit. Her focus remains on books. Nevertheless, she moves in circles that routinely pull her into red-carpet moments: she even rubbed shoulders with pop culture at the Met Gala, where she and Taylor Swift reportedly exchanged greetings. Of all authors, Zadie Smith is the one who can glide from a decade-old celebrity encounter to an invitation to a wedding. She also counts Lena Dunham as a close friend and ally, suggesting their social spheres overlap in a shared space. 

Jenny Han

There was a time when Jenny Han was known primarily as a YA author. The phrase “primarily” should be read with care, because she authored two of the most wildly successful young-adult series in recent memory: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Summer I Turned Pretty. Her ascent accelerated when the adaptation of The Summer I Turned Pretty, for which she served as co-showrunner, became a hit. The project featured a notable inclusion of Taylor Swift songs, a choice that arose from a personal request Han made to Swift. It’s a rare instance when Swift approves songs for TV and film, and the bond between the two women likely formed from this shared taste. 

Glennon Doyle 

Glennon Doyle was a known name before her memoirs, though it’s hard to imagine Taylor Swift had been aware of her before Untamed surged to bestseller status. Doyle became a literary phenomenon: a memoir that feels deeply particular yet universally relatable, so much so that it captured attention far beyond the usual circles—Swift included. In 2020, Swift mentioned reading the book and described it as a source of substantial help to her. 

Ronan Farrow

From the moment he emerged into the public eye, Farrow has lived in a world close to the spotlight. He is the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, and in his own right he has built a serious profile as a magazine writer and a prominent author. In 2020, Swift allegedly wrote him a note about his book Catch and Kill, a year that proved especially fertile for his career: a period when the chances of Swift reaching out personally seemed alarmingly high, perhaps because like many of us, she spent more time at home and sought connection wherever she could find it.

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke has been a luminary of cinema since the late 1980s, yet one can imagine him as a devoted author hunkered in an attic, chipping away at his Great American Novel for all of time. In reality, he has produced four novels, in addition to a substantial body of directing and acting work. He embodies a rare blend: the dreamy, romantic poet’s sensibility paired with the output and momentum that would make a modern superstar jealous. Hawke has carried fame since his youth, yet he still seems to kindle that same spark of creativity that once defined him. If you’ve ever heard him wax lyrical about that very subject, you’ll know why such a pairing captivates me. 

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With this, we arrive at the end of this concise roll call of literary figures present at the celebration. One might wonder why the roster didn’t include more authors. There’s talk that Travis (the groom) isn’t an avid reader, or at least isn’t deeply fond of reading, while Taylor describes herself as a book lover. Perhaps authors aren’t always the party animals we hope they’d be. Zadie Smith may be the sole literary woman who can truly cut loose in such a milieu. 

If you were in charge of inviting guests to a wedding with a thousand people, which authors would you choose? Personally, I’d invite Patricia Lockwood, who would deliver a memorable speech, David Sedaris, who’d be an ideal neighbor to chat with, and George Saunders, who radiates genuine warmth. 

Isabela Reyes

Isabela Reyes

I write about books as quiet places where memory, imagination, and culture meet. At PLAI, I explore literature through reviews, author stories, reading reflections, and the small details that make a story stay with us long after the final page.