A Rotorua couple got the surprise of a lifetime when their Lord of the Rings-themed wedding at Hobbiton was crashed by an unexpected guest - none other than Elijah Wood.
The actor, best known for playing Frodo Baggins, was visiting the Waikato movie set while in New Zealand for the Armageddon Expo and happened to be touring the grounds as Sharik and Jessica Burgess-Stride were tying the knot.
“I kind of looked up and did a double take,” Sharik told 1News.
"You see someone like that, a famous movie star in Hobbiton and think, ‘that's not really them,’ and then you realise, ‘Oh no, that definitely is them.'"
The couple were starstruck as Wood shook their hands, congratulated them both and posed for photos.
Moment Lord of the Rings star 'crashes' Hobbiton wedding - Watch on TVNZ+
Sharik said they had noticed the tour group standing there while they were signing wedding documents.
"We're thinking we hope they kind of move them on soon, because we don't want them intruding on our wedding," he said, joking that he was glad the group stayed.
"Apparently he wasn't going to come up the front, but he got very heavily encouraged, so we're very grateful that he did come up," Jessica said.
The wedding itself was a love letter to Middle-earth, with guests encouraged to dress up, vows including references to adventures and hobbits, and the ring bearer – Sharik's sister – arriving in full Gollum garb to deliver the rings.
"She had a dress on, and when they called for the ring, she transformed into Gollum and walked down the aisle," Sharik said.
Now, the newlyweds are off on a South Island honeymoon road trip, visiting locations that stood in for Middle-earth in the films.
Jessica had never been to the South Island before, so they've planned a highlights tour with the hopes of returning for anniversary trips to explore more.
"We’ve got a good excuse now," the groom said.
"One new filming location each year."
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