EXCLUSIVE: Blake Lively Was Taylor Swift's 'First Choice' to Be Her Maid of Honor — Before Justin Baldoni Fallout

Alexandra Stone Mon, August 24, 2026 at 8:16 PM UTC

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Taylor Swift and Blake Lively allegedly had a falling out amid Justin Baldoni legal drama.MEGA

Taylor Swift had several famous gal pals to choose from when it came to finding her perfect Maid of Honor for her wedding to Travis Kelce – and according to a source, Blake Lively was once at the top of her list.

Ahead of Lively's 39th birthday, RadarOnline.com revisits her past friendship with Swift and the fallout that seemingly led to the end of their close bond.

Inside Blake Lively and Taylor Swift's Friendship

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively had been friends since 2015.MEGA

Swift and Lively's friendship began in 2015 during the pop star's1989 tour. One of their first public outings together was in Australia when they met up at Warner Bros. Movie World in Queensland.

Over the last decade, they appeared to be staples in each other's lives, whether they were documenting their friendship social media or spotted spending time together at parties, sporting events or get-togethers with family.

In 2017, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds' daughter James was even featured briefly in one of Swift's songs. Three years later, the singer referenced all three of their kids' names – James, Inez and Betty – in her Folklore album.

'It's an Awkward Situation'

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married on July 3.MEGA

Swift began dating her now-husband, Kelce, in 2023. As their relationship progressed, rumors swirled that the Gossip Girl alum was in the running to be Maid of Honor in their wedding.

"Her first choice is Blake, but it’s an awkward situation because she has so many close friends and doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings," an insider revealed to Radar in 2024.

Swift famously had a regular "squad" of pals, including Lively, Selena Gomez, Keleigh Teller, Sabrina Carpenter and Cara Delevingne.

"This is a tough situation," added the insider at the time. "She’s just so popular, and she doesn’t want anyone she cares about to feel left out!"

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Blake Lively and Taylor Swift's Alleged Falling Out Amid Justin Baldoni Drama

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively were caught up in a tense legal battle.MEGA

However, the choice appeared to be made easier for the Mine singer when she was nearly pulled into Lively's legal battle with actor-director Justin Baldoni.

In December 2024, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and running a smear campaign against her after they co-starred in It Ends With Us. He filed a $400million countersuit in January 2025.

One text message included in Baldoni's filing was Lively referencing HBO's Game of Thrones and the character Daenerys Targaryen.

"If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you’ll appreciate that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons," the text read, according to CNN. "For better or worse, but usually better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So really we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you."

It was later rumored that the "dragons" were a reference to her friendship with Swift.

Baldoni's team pushed to depose the billionaire artist, but a judge later rejected the request.

Blake Lively Does Not Attend Taylor Swift's Wedding

Blake Lively was 300 miles away from the venue on Taylor Swift's wedding day.MEGA

It's been reported that Swift and Kelce invited roughly 1,000 guests to their lavish wedding at Madison Square Garden, but Lively and Reynolds apparently did not make the cut.

On July 3, the happy couple said "I do," surrounded by their friends and family, but Lively and Reynolds were photographed 300 miles away from New York City attending a horse show for their daughter, Betty, now 6, in Lake Placid.

The singer also chose to forgo a Maid of Honor entirely, and instead, her brother, Austin, served as her Man of Honor.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”