Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood shocked one lucky couple when he appeared at their nuptials held at the Hobbiton film set in Matamata, New Zealand.
The 44-year-old actor rose to fame in the early 2000s playing hobbit Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s films based on JRR Tolkien’s novels. He reprised his role in the subsequent The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014).
“We were just finishing the signing of the paperwork when all of a sudden Elijah Wood started to walk down the aisle,” Rotorua couple Sharik and Jessica Burgess-Stride told the Waikato Herald.
Sharik recalled that he did a “double-take” when he saw the actor because he didn’t believe Wood could actually be at his wedding. “At first I thought, nah that’s not him – then oh s***, it is him!” said Sharik.
Wood took the couple’s hands, congratulated them and posed for a few photos before rejoining the group of people he was attending the tourist attraction with.
The groom said it had been “the perfect day”, adding that he had considered the rainy weather to be a “sign of good luck” – a prediction that turned out to be true given Wood’s unexpected appearance.
The couple, who are originally from Australia, met at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales where they became best friends and dated for seven years before tying the knot.
Sharik shared that he has been an avid Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fan since childhood, revealing that their wedding ceremony and his vows included several references to the films.
Per the Waikato Herald, Wood and other Lord of the Rings cast members were in New Zealand for the Armageddon Expo in Auckland.
The star was reportedly encouraged to crash the wedding ceremony by the couple’s photographer Cath Ullyett after he had stopped to watch Sharik and Jessica sign their certificate.
“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,” she shared on social media.
“Being the gentleman he is, he didn’t want to interfere, however, with some friendly encouragement he stepped in and was welcomed by all.”
The photographer signed off: “Thank you Elijah for making their special day that much more memorable. We all loved it!”
