American football player Travis Kelce has reflected on his wedding to Taylor Swift, telling US media that their New York nuptials were “the best night of my life”.

Kelce and Swift tied the knot on 3 July at New York’s Madison Square Garden in a star-studded event that was largely kept private.

Few details from the ceremony have been shared publicly and Kelce’s comments on Wednesday mark the first he’s shared since the couple were wed by comedic actor Adam Sandler.

“It was kind of cool to live out my childhood dream of being in that venue, the mecca of all sports venues, being able to get married there,” Kelce told reporters at the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp in Missouri.

Kelce called the wedding “the best night of my life”, thanking guests who attended and calling it “a crazy night”.

The NFL star and the award-winning singer have kept much of the details of the wedding private and there have been no official photos released of the ceremony held inside the stadium. A litany of Hollywood A-list stars, such as actors Hugh Grant and Jason Sudeikis, singer Benson Boone and model Gigi Hadid were in attendance.

Kelce said he had wanted to attend a game when the New York Knicks basketball team were having a good playoff run last year, had other commitments. The team ended up winning the NBA championships for the first time in nearly six decades.

“My wife went when I was stuck in a mini camp so I didn’t get my opportunity to go then,” he said referring to Swift as his wife publicly for the first time. She sat courtside at Game 4 of the NBA Finals, when the Knicks pulled off a stunning upset against the San Antonio Spurs in a 107-106 finish.

“I can’t thank the owners of MSG for allowing us to get the opportunity to do that, knowing that we wanted a private event and everything, and it was perfect,” he added.

Later, he joked that the “AC was cooking” inside the venue, an apparent reference to the heatwave that swept over the country over the Independence Day weekend.

The couple’s nuptials were shrouded in secrecy despite the event shutting down a part of New York City – the most populous city in the US. Much of the event still was wrapped in uncertainty as to whether the couple had already wed in days prior or whether the event might just be a party.

But hours after a lengthy list of celebrities were seen entering the venue in gowns and suits, large screens attached to the arena announced publicly that the famous couple were officially wed.

Kelce noted “it was a fun off-season” but said he was now excited to return to training and American football.

Kelce, who turns 37 in October, has won three Super Bowl championships with the Chiefs.

The team did not make the NFL playoffs last year for the first time in 10 season. Many believe the upcoming season, which begins next month, could be his last. But the tight end hasn’t said whether retirement could be next.

“I have still got a lot of love for this game,” he said. “I want to go out there and prove to myself that I can play at a better level than I did last year.”

“This is always going to be my sanctuary,” he said of being back on the field. “You need to have this time of grinding with the guys, being around them all day, starting to create that chemistry and standard for how we are going to do things. This year it’s ramped up even more.