To manage the attention, wedding planner Nicole Simeral stood outside a nearby chapel and directed traffic to keep vehicles and buses moving. She also said she knew the wedding wasn’t Swift’s and described the setup as part of her work, noting she handles a different wedding every weekend in June at that spot. Meanwhile, Westerly Police Department community service officer Nick Quaratella has spent years answering questions from beachgoers and keeping traffic flowing to a public path by the beach.
The Watch Hill rumor also echoed separate online claims involving Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, tied to speculation about events in other places. Back on the beach and in local businesses, some residents said the frenzy has eased since Swift moved into the neighborhood in 2013, even as stores continue selling Swift-related items and visitors continue to ask whether a major celebration is coming.