Elijah Wood Crashes Hobbit-Themed Wedding At New Zealand’s Iconic Hobbiton Set
By Erin Whitten
It was meant to be a stunning Hobbit-themed wedding in the lush, green hills of Waikato, New Zealand, but for Sharik and Jessica Burgess-Stride, their nuptials became a real-life Lord of the Rings moment. On Monday, the pair wed at the Hobbiton movie set with family, friends, and ample hobbit-inspired revelry. The celebrant, guests, and newlyweds were all hobbit-costumed and hobbit-happy, hobbit-friendly ale was served, and everyone shared in the joy of much merriment and second breakfasts.
Then, something happened that no one saw coming.
“We were in the process of signing the paperwork, when all of a sudden Elijah Wood started to walk down the aisle,” Sharik told the Waikato Herald. “At first I thought ‘Nah, that’s not him.’ Then, ‘Oh sh**, it is him!’”
The real Frodo Baggins, sporting blue jeans and a black jacket, strode into the ceremony as if he had just returned from Mount Doom and had forgotten to ring the doorbell. Guests gasped, Sharik exclaimed “Oh my God!” and the actor smiled, shook hands with the bewildered couple, and offered his congratulations. “This is amazing and everyone is dressed as hobbits!” Wood said, evidently happy to see an entire wedding party dressed for the Shire.
Cath Ullyett, the couple’s photographer, later told the Herald that Wood and his family had been touring the set and had stopped to watch the ceremony. She ran after the actor, caught up with him, and after a “nice little dash” and a “little pleading and begging” convinced him to surprise the couple. “Being the gentleman he is, he didn’t want to interfere,” she wrote in an Instagram post, “but with some friendly encouragement, he stepped in and everyone loved it!”
Wood, who had flown to New Zealand to join other cast members from The Lord of the Rings at the Armageddon Expo in Auckland, took photos with the couple before rejoining his group to an explosion of laughter, disbelief, and, most of all, very happy hobbits. For Sharik, a longtime Lord of the Rings and Hobbit enthusiast who has visited the Hobbiton set five times and collected items for as long as he can remember, the surprise appearance was a dream come true.
The couple met at the University of Newcastle in Australia, later moved to New Zealand, and could never have imagined that Frodo Baggins himself would make an appearance on their big day. If there is such a thing as wedding magic in Middle-earth, this is it… a real one ring to rule them all.
