While Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly preparing to wed this weekend at Madison Square Garden, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were spotted nearly 300 miles away in Lake Placid, cheering their 6-year-old daughter Betty at a local horse show.
Madison Square Garden is in full-focus mode as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding weekend approaches, but Blake Lively is not in the middle of the New York City buzz.
On Thursday, July 2, photos published by TMZ showed Lively, 38, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 49, in Lake Placid, New York—nearly 300 miles from MSG. The images capture the couple in upstate New York as they cheered for their daughter Betty, 6, at a horse show at a local farm.
The outing comes with a family crowd: beyond Betty. Lively and Reynolds also share daughters James. 11. and Inez. 9. and son Olin. 3. While Swift and Kelce’s rehearsal dinner activity has drawn other famous faces into the city—including Selena Gomez and Lena Dunham—Lively’s day played out far from the spotlight. with the focus on her kids.
That contrast mirrors a separate, more complicated thread in the story of Swift and Lively’s relationship. Multiple sources confirmed to Us Weekly that Swift’s once-close friend Blake Lively did not receive an invitation to the pair’s nuptials. An insider tells Us Weekly that “Blake understands why she wouldn’t be invited and that it would be a media frenzy.” The insider adds that Lively “also understands […] she and Taylor don’t have the same level of friendship they once had.” The takeaway from the message is clear: “She isn’t upset about not being invited. but of course. she would love to be there to support her and Travis.”.
The report follows additional confirmations from last month that Lively still didn’t receive an invitation. despite her history with Swift. The narrative also points to a sharp shift in their bond—one tied directly to Lively’s legal battle between the actress and her It Ends With Us director and costar Justin Baldoni.
During the high-profile drama, personal texts between Swift and Lively were made public. Swift’s name surfaced in court documents when Baldoni claimed he was ambushed during a meeting at Lively and Reynolds’ NYC penthouse. with Swift in attendance. In subsequent text messages. Lively referred to herself as Khaleesi from Game of Thrones and called Swift one of her “dragons.”.
Lively and Baldoni, 42, later reached a settlement out of court last month after the contentious 18-month legal fight.
Before that strain, the relationship between Swift and Lively looked far different. The “Fate of Ophelia” singer had been given the honor of being godmother to three of Lively’s four children. And after Swift began dating Kelce in summer 2023. the two couples spent time together. including a double date at The Corner Store in NYC in October 2024.
Still, as wedding preparations reportedly ramp up at MSG—set for the July 4 holiday weekend, with celebrations said to stretch over multiple days—Lively’s weekend plans appear to move in another direction: away from the arena, out in Lake Placid, and focused on family.
Earlier this week, Us previously reached out to Lively and Swift’s representatives. And in the growing swirl of celebrity sightings across New York City—alongside the growing attention on who did or didn’t show up—Lively’s photo moment reads like its own answer: she’s not just skipping the buzz. She’s living her day somewhere else.
Blake Lively Ryan Reynolds Lake Placid Taylor Swift Travis Kelce Madison Square Garden wedding Betty Lively Selena Gomez Lena Dunham TMZ Us Weekly