A bride and groom were treated to their own kind of adventure when their Hobbiton wedding was “crashed” by a celebrity.
Sharik and Jessica Burgess-Stride, of Rotorua, were getting married at the tourist spot on Monday when suddenly, Hollywood actor Elijah Wood, aka Frodo the Hobbit, came to congratulate them.
Hobbiton Movie Set general manager tourism Shayne Forrest said it was the first time a Lord of the Rings cast member had called into a wedding at the set.
Sharik told the Waikato Herald it had been a very rainy day, but the rain stopped for about 30 minutes and they held the ceremony.
“We were just finishing the signing of the paperwork when all of a sudden Elijah Wood started to walk down the aisle.”
Sharik said he did a “double-take” as he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“At first I thought ‘nah that’s not him’ - then ‘oh sh**, it IS him!’.
“He shook our hands and said ‘congratulations’ and stuck around for a few photos before he left on a tour - he was there with a group of people.”
Sharik said for him and Jess, it had felt like “the perfect day”.
“You know the saying that when it rains on your wedding day, it’s a sign of good luck? After this ... we felt like it was definitely true.”
Sharik and Jessica are originally from Australia and have been together for seven years.
They met at the University of Newcastle, where they became friends and eventually started dating, before moving to New Zealand.
Sharik said he had been a Lord of The Rings and Hobbit fan since childhood.
“I watched the movies as a child and loved it. Then I started to collect memorabilia and watched the movies again and again.”
His favourite was The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, because of the “innocence of the Hobbits and the general warmth” of it.
“And every time you rewatch it, it always holds up.”
Sharik has visited Hobbiton five times and over the years has accumulated several pieces of memorabilia, including maps, props, cups, and even self-made carvings inspired by ones he has seen at Hobbiton.
His and Jessica’s engagement, however, had not been Lord of The Rings-themed, and was inspired by their love of puzzles and games instead.
“It was an escape room and I hid the engagement ring in the last puzzle box.”
When it came to planning the wedding, Sharik jokingly suggested Hobbiton as the venue, but to his surprise, Jess was on board - without ever having been to the Waikato movie set.
“We booked a tour before we got married, so she could see where we will get married.”
Their wedding ceremony and the vows included several references to The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit movies.
“And about 90% of our guests dressed up on theme and got right into it.”
Celebrant Terry Fergusson was among those dressed up.
Fergusson said he had been officiating weddings since 2021, but had never had a celebrity “wedding crasher” before.
“Being at Hobbiton, you are surrounded by everything LOTR and the theme was weaved through the ceremony, gestures and guest attire (and mine) but I never expected it to go that one step further with a real-life cast member.”
Fergusson said it had been a fantastic moment for everybody.
“Elijah was so caring and just wanted to offer his congratulations to the happy couple.”
On social media, photographer Cath Ullyett took credit for the moment.
“While [Sharik and Jessica] were signing their wedding documents, Elijah and his family were escorted past the ceremony garden, and had stopped to watch,” she wrote.
“After the couple had finished signing, I rushed around to meet him and asked him to come and have a few photos with the couple.
“Being the gentleman he is, he didn’t want to interfere, however, with some friendly encouragement he stepped in and was welcomed by all.”
Hobbiton Movie Set said Wood and a few of the other cast members from the trilogies were in New Zealand for the Armageddon Expo in Auckland over the weekend and Wood decided to re-visit the Hobbiton Movie Set.
“Elijah was back enjoying some time in Hobbiton but wasn’t aware there was a wedding happening until he saw it taking place in front of one of the bright yellow Hobbit Holes near Gandalf’s Cutting, the entry to Hobbiton Movie Set,” Forrest said.
“When he saw the couple and their guests dressed as Hobbits, he knew it was a celebration he couldn’t miss.”
He said Hobbiton Movie Set hosted weddings for about 100 couples every year.
“While we do occasionally have cast members from the films and other VIP guests visit Hobbiton Movie Set, joining in the festivities of a wedding was an absolute first and very special.
“Elijah, helping us create an extra magical moment for this special wedding couple, is something we are so thrilled to have shared in - there is no one more qualified to oversee the exchange of the One Ring to rule them all.”
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.