With Taylor Swift’s renowned fame and success, Emily Harris did not think selling one of her most prized possessions – an autographed guitar- to help cover expenses for her upcoming wedding would be difficult.
Instead, Swifties insisted Harris not only keep the guitar but offered to donate funds for her special day.
Harris, 30, told USA TODAY that after trying everything she and her fiance could think of to cut down costs for their upcoming November wedding, she asked her father to help her sell the autographed guitar she got for her 16th birthday.
“I’ve had it for a little over 14 years now. It was a gift from my parents. I was having a bunch of friends over and they walked out with this cardboard box that I could tell kind of looked like the shape of a guitar because I played guitar growing up. I thought they just got me a new guitar… At first, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s so pretty. I love the design on it.’ Then my dad’s like ‘Look closer.’ And that’s when I saw the signature on it,” Harris recalled.
The guitar was the main piece of her bedroom growing up. But Harris said that what resonates is not merely the memories of the guitar but that the guitar has been present for so many of her unforgettable moments. The decision to part ways with it was a hard one but Harris and her fiancé were already looking through what they could sell so they could pay for the wedding.
“Yes, it’s something that means a lot to me, but with how big Taylor Swift is right now, I was like, I’m sure it would mean a lot to somebody else as well,” Harris said.
When she asked her dad to help her sell it, he agreed to help but wasn’t exactly convinced it was the right move. Reluctantly, he posted a message on Taylor Swift’s Vault fan page on Facebook.
“He’s like ‘Think about it, I don’t want you to sell it, and then 10 years down the line regret that you did.’ But he understood,” Harris said.
Harris said she expected to get offers or appraisals on how much the guitar could be worth. Instead, Swifties said she couldn’t sell it.
“Omg! Weddings/marriages come and go but Taylor Swift is forever,” one response said.
Another said: “Honestly drop a go fund me for the wedding! I’d be happy to chip in a little so she gets to have the wedding she wants while not having to sacrifice such a treasure!”
“Girl we will put up a go fund me before she does this ,” a third said.
Harris was hesitant to start a GoFundMe but after she realized the Swifties were not budging, her dad started one on her behalf. So far, more than 370 people have donated over $7,900 to help Harris with her wedding expenses.
The bride-to-be said she’s been blown away and “overwhelmed” at times by the response.
“I have definitely teared up a couple of times because, again, I was like ‘let’s look into selling it, how much we can get it for’ and the fact that it completely turned away from that has been a reminder that there are genuinely good, kind, generous people in this world who just wants to help others just for the sake of helping others,” Harris said.
Now, the guitar that has been there as she’s grown up will remain a part of her life as she enters another chapter.
“It was kind of that centerpiece of my room, a centerpiece of a lot of my memories growing up and now, it’s a huge part of our wedding planning story and our wedding story,” Harris said. “We’ve been talking about different ways of how to incorporate it at our wedding.”
