Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco kick off wedding weekend with lavish rehearsal dinner as Taylor Swift arrives

Selena Gomez’s wedding weekend began in high style Friday night with a glamorously appointed rehearsal dinner at a country estate in Goleta, Calif. The event unfolded at Hope Ranch, a sprawling 1,863-acre gated enclave in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, where a white-washed, 10-bedroom home served as the backdrop for the evening. The setting, described in local records as a palatial residence perched on a seven-acre lot, was decked with marquees, tubs of floral arrangements and strings of fairy lights as crews prepared for the weekend’s main event. In the hours leading up to the ceremony, contractors worked to finalize the outdoor spaces overlooking the Pacific Ocean, signaling a refined, intimate locus for a ceremony Gomez, 33, is planned to share with Benny Blanco, 37, at the Sea Crest Nursery, a 70-acre private plantation nearby in Goleta.

Taylor Swift arrived on the scene in a convoy of three SUVs, a high-profile signal of the weekend’s star power. The pop icon, who has long been linked to Gomez’s circle, was photographed arriving in Goleta and was reported to be staying nearby in Montecito at the Rosewood Miramar Beach. Swift’s presence underscores the weekend’s blend of celebrity spectacle and private celebration, as the guest list — reportedly around 170 attendees — is being shepherded by a fleet of buses from nearby luxury hotels.

Most of the guests are being housed at Santa Barbara’s El Encanto, a luxury spa resort whose proximity to the coast makes it a logical staging ground for the festivities. The El Encanto, owned by tech-adjacent investors, is a familiar haunt for A-list travelers and remains a common touchpoint for those attending Gomez’s wedding weekend. The property’s proximity to both Montecito and Goleta makes the shuttle logistics feasible for guests as they move between venues.

Security was visibly heightened as Friday wore on, with the timeline suggesting an emphasis on safeguarding the weekend’s private moments. Local observers noted the wedding budget appeared to include a substantial security line item, with estimates around six figures cited in reporting on the event. Behind the scenes, Gomez and Blanco’s families and close friends prepared for a ceremony that, while intimate in feeling, sits at the intersection of showmanship and privacy.

The guest list features a blend of longtime collaborators and glamorous superstars. In addition to Swift, guests included Gomez’s co-stars from Only Murders in the Building — Martin Short and Steve Martin — along with Paul Rudd, who has appeared in recent seasons of the show. Onlookers described Short, 80, in a navy trousers-and-beige-jacket ensemble and Rudd, 56, in a purple suit, as well-dressed participants who mingled with guests at the El Encanto hotel before the rehearsal dinner. Short has co-created and starred in Only Murders in the Building with Gomez and Short’s longtime colleague Steve Martin, who has also shared screen time with the trio throughout the show’s acclaimed run. A blonde woman who appeared to be Short’s companion at the moment — various outlets referenced a rumored connection to Meryl Streep — guided Short away from the group for a moment as the evening stretched on.

Other notable attendees include Paris Hilton, who has long held a place among Gomez’s circle, and a number of Gomez’s entertainment-industry peers. The El Encanto property, which has been described as sold out for the weekend, hosted many of the guests before they were bused to the rehearsal dinner site. The weekend’s scheduling points toward a steady buildup: Gomez and Blanco’s ceremony is planned for the Sea Crest Nursery, a clifftop plantation noted for its palm trees and cycads, and the setting’s ocean-facing bluff provides a dramatic backdrop for the couple’s vows.

Gomez and Blanco’s romance has evolved in the public eye since they began collaborating in 2019, with the pair’s engagement publicly announced last December in an Instagram post. The couple shared a carousel of snaps, including a close-up of Gomez’s marquise-cut engagement ring, and noted that their engagement signaled a new chapter. The couple’s history includes a high-profile relationship for Gomez with Canadian singer Justin Bieber, a chapter that the star has described in candid moments as difficult and emotionally taxing. Blanco has spoken publicly about feeling grounded in the relationship, describing the period as a safe space for growth, and the two publicly confirmed their engagement late last year before the wedding weekend schedule was announced.

The rehearsal dinner serves as a preview of the main ceremony at Sea Crest Nursery, a 70-acre private plantation that sits on a clifftop above the Pacific and is framed by palm trees and cycads. Friday’s event was designed to accommodate a wide range of guests in a lush, garden-like setting, with marquees and soft lighting aimed at evoking romance while preserving the privacy of Gomez’s nuptials. The choice of venues underscores Gomez’s desire for an event that blends natural beauty with celebrity glamour, offering a fair balance between intimate moments and headline-worthy appearances.

As the weekend continues, the social calendar features a number of planned arrivals and a carefully choreographed flow of guests between Montecito, Goleta and Santa Barbara hotels. Swift’s presence kick-starts what industry observers describe as a high-profile, yet carefully curated celebration that aims to keep the focus on the couple’s vows while acknowledging the live-wire nature of Gomez’s circle. The weekend’s pacing — with a ceremony at Sea Crest Nursery and additional celebratory events across Santa Barbara — signals a broader trend in which culture and entertainment communities converge for deeply personal milestones that nonetheless attract global attention.

The couple’s Public Moments: what Gomez and Blanco share, what they reveal, and how their collective histories inform this weekend’s celebrations. While Gomez has spoken in the past about the complexities of certain relationships, the focus here remains on a personal milestone that marks a new chapter for both the star and her partner. The wedding ceremony itself promises to be a quiet act of commitment, framed by the dramatic natural beauty of Goleta’s coastline and the intimate, carefully curated guest experience that has defined the weekend so far.