Taylor Swift says yes to the dress? Students design her wedding gown

Third-grade students at St. Mary’s Episcopal School designed a wedding dress for Taylor Swift.
Students used their STEM skills to create the dress, veil, and cat-themed accessories.
The project aimed to engage female students in STEM by connecting it to their interests.

When third-grade students at St. Mary’s Episcopal School found out about the enchanted engagement of pop star Taylor Swift and her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce, they got to work.

The star-studded lovers announced their engagement on Aug. 26, and students at St. Mary’s Lower School were excited, to say the least. Second-grade teacher Kristen Hehn broke the news to students, who erupted into cheers of excitement in the cafeteria.

The excitement from students inspired St. Mary’s Lower School STEM Teacher Carrie Ruhland to create a curriculum around the news. St. Mary’s recently completed a renovation of Moss Hall, which included a new library, “Makerspace,” science classroom, outdoor classroom, nursery and upgraded faculty workspaces.

The renovation and addition of the Makerspace came just in time for sparks to fly for a special student project. Part of the curriculum this year for lower school students was focused on sewing, an area of interest requested by Ruhland’s students.

So, Ruhland devised a plan that would bring the wildest dreams of her students to life ― what if St. Mary’s students could design Swift’s wedding dress for her?

Now, the students have completed their project just in time for Swift’s 36th birthday, which was Saturday, Dec. 13.

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From Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement to a dress reveal

Ruhland, with a major pop culture moment in hand, devised a plan to bring Swift’s engagement excitement into the classroom.

She used the birds-and-mice dressmaking scene in “Cinderella” as inspiration, but with a focus on Swift. Ruhland revisited the 75-year-old Disney classic and had the idea that Swift’s three cats would invite the St. Mary’s students to design a wedding gown for their owner.

Swift, known for her chart-topping hits and ever-tightening grip on the music industry, also has three social media famous cats, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button.

“I have never seen anything like it in my entire life,” Ruhland said. “Once we began, the energy in the Makerspace was electric.”

Students began by brainstorming various elements for the dress, studying designers and styles. They discussed what colors in different cultures are considered beautiful and ceremonial, Ruhland said.

Ultimately, the students voted for the dress to be white.

Memphis students inspired by Victoria Beckham, Vera Wang for their Taylor Swift wedding dress visions

The first class created a dress with a sweetheart neckline bodice, modeled after a design by fashion designer and Spice Girls alumna, Victoria Beckham.

Another class created the tulle skirt, with a tulle peplum, inspired by a Vera Wang wedding gown.

The final class created the accessories. A veil with laser-cut cats made out of wallpaper, a laser-cut wedding ring, golden tinsel cat ears, and heels with embossed cat details were all made by the students. Additionally, a hand-sewn cat-carrying backpack modeled off a BabyBjörn was crafted so Swift’s cats could be a part of her special day.

“No one was worried about a different group picking up where they left off,” Ruhland said. “They embraced the opportunity to make a really great dress together, supporting and respecting one another’s ideas.”

How bringing a dress for Taylor Swift to life was a learning opportunity for students in STEM

While the project might draw eyerolls from non-Swifties, Ruhlan said approaching STEM learning in a way that brings female students in is incredibly important.

Research published in December 2024 from the American Institutes for Research shows that children, from an early age, develop gender stereotypes about computer science and engineering. According to the research, as girls age, their male-STEM bias increases. This increase, according to the study, could limit their future aspirations for fast-growing tech fields.

“The beauty of teaching at St. Mary’s is I can truly say this entire dress was created through the engineering design process,” Ruhland said. “This project allowed the girls to connect with new materials and methods, studying the engineering behind shoe and dress design while using tools they have become comfortable with in the Makerspace.”

“I hope they remember this for years to come and carry the skills they learned into new challenges with confidence,” she said.

Brooke Muckerman covers education and politics for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected].

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