It would've been fun, but for whatever reason, some invitees just couldn't make it to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.

Ryan Seacrest, for instance, had to work, the Wheel of Fortune host initially RSVP-ing yes but then having to cancel after Disney tasked him with emceeing a Fourth of July special. Still, when it came to America's 250th birthday vs. the wedding of the year, the semiquincentennial just edged out the July 3 nuptials at Madison Square Garden.

"I was kind of torn," he admitted July 6 during On Air With Ryan Seacrest. "I tried to do both. I tried to go to the wedding and to prepare for that show, but we started live on the 3rd."

And of the 1,000-plus people who were confidentially invited, he wasn't the only one who couldn't get out of a competing commitment, Robert Pattinson later sharing that he wasn't partner Suki Waterhouse's plus-one because his presence was required on the U.K. set of The Batman sequel.

So, while it may feel as if everyone else Swift and Kelce knew, or had pleasantly crossed paths with at least once, was there—minus certain glaring omissions—RSVP cards contain two options for a reason.

Including, incidentally, for requested attendees who choose not to go.

“I don’t go to weddings,” Charles Barkley said on the July 7 episode of Unfiltered with Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo, revealing he passes on all white veil occasions. “I don’t go to weddings or funerals, but I did get an invite, and I politely declined ‘cause I thought it was gonna be a crap show."

Because by all accounts the show was spectacular, featuring Adam Sandler officiating, epic vows, musical performances by the likes of Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney, hours of dancing and, when all was said, done and sung, bragging rights to last a lifetime.

Except for the relative few—like James Taylor and Jaime King—who couldn't make it, and these are their stories of why they had to decline an invitation to Swift and Kelce's fairy tale wedding:

The actor's longtime partner Suki Waterhouse signaled her intent to attend Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding back in May.

But when the big day rolled around, another signal called for Robert Pattinson.

“I was working,” he told Entertainment Tonight July 6. “I was shooting Batman this morning. Very busy.”

And, the long-awaited sequel to 2021's The Batman is filming in the U.K., while Swift and Kelce tied the knot in NYC.

Work always seems to be calling for the host of Wheel of Fortune, On Air With Ryan Seacrest, American Idol, etc.

And sure enough, it rang just when Ryan Seacrest thought he'd be free to attend the wedding of the year.

"I RSVPd to go, and then Disney hired me to do the Fourth of July 250 special," he said July 6 on his radio show. "And so, I had to cancel."

Swift had even told him when they ran into each other at a restaurant that it was going to be so much fun.

So, Seacrest was admittedly "kind of torn," he said. "I tried to do both. I tried to go to the wedding and to prepare for that show, but we started live on the 3rd."

In the meantime, he honored the vow of silence he took upon receipt of that hallowed invitation, explaining, "I had to keep it secret. It was a confidential invitation to everybody that was invited."

It's fun to play, play, play the game of guessing why so-and-so scored an invitation, but the Inside the NBA co-host shook off the idea of going right away.

“I don’t go to weddings,” Charles Barkley said July 7 on the Unfiltered with Ricky Bo & Bill Colarulo podcast. “I don’t go to weddings or funerals, but I did get an invite, and I politely declined ‘cause I thought it was gonna be a crap show.”

The retired athlete further explained, "I love Travis and [Jason Kelce], and I’ve only met Taylor one time. But, yeah, I did get an invite, but I said, ‘Hey, you know what, that’s just too much. I just want to hang out and play golf, but I don’t want to dress up and all that other stuff.’ But I appreciate the invitation, it was pretty special."

Swift is the godmother of King's younger son Leo Thames, who was born in 2015, so they go way back.

And after guest list enthusiasts noted a certain blank space at Swift's wedding, the Hart of Dixie alum explained her absence.

“Leo Thames is still too young for a large adult wedding celebration," King's rep told E! News in a July 9 statement, "but he and his mother were able to joyfully celebrate Taylor and Kelce’s marriage in his own very special, age-appropriate way during his summer break.”

Frequent Swift collaborator Jack Antonoff notably attended with his sister, designer Rachel Antonoff, rather than wife Margaret Qualley.

While invitations were sent out in March (at least that's when BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James got his), and Antonoff told Howard Stern in April that the first time he laid eyes on Qualley was "like a f--king Hallmark movie," news broke July 8 that he and The Substance actress have since separated.

Swift's namesake James Taylor has seen fire and rain, but he had to miss her tying the knot because he was busy performing a July 4-themed show with his All-Star Band in Lenox, Mass.

"You know, Kim and I were invited to a wedding at Madison Square Garden tonight,” Taylor told the audience, referring to his wife, Caroline “Kim” Smedvig. “I do want to wish the couple all happiness and smooth sailing and strength when it can’t be smooth."