The official Hobbiton set in New Zealand offers loved-up couples the opportunity of a lifetime: to tie the knot within the scenic beauty of The Shire, as seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies.
Such a ceremony comes at a hefty price tag. That said, according to the official Hobbiton Tours website, the team pulls out every trick to make the occasion as special, authentic, and memorable as possible. This includes a celebration in the Green Dragon Inn (the most popular inn in Bywater!), themed bunting, costumes, and an abundance of cute Hobbit Holes. The list goes on and on. It doesn't really get much better than that, does it?
Well, think again. One couple, Sharik and Jessica Burgess-Stride, who recently celebrated their special day in The Shire, were stunned to find none other than Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins) in attendance. Take a look:
“We were just finishing the signing of the paperwork when all of a sudden Elijah Wood started to walk down the aisle,” the couple told the Waikato Herald.
“At first I thought, nah that’s not him – then oh s***, it is him!” Sharik recalled.
Wood didn't want to interfere in the wedding, but he was encouraged to get in on the action by photographer Cath Ullyett. "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 said. “Being the gentleman he is, he didn’t want to interfere, however, with some friendly encouragement he stepped in and was welcomed by all.”
"Thank you Elijah for making their special day that much more memorable. We all loved it!" she added.
Wood was quite literally just passing by, with the Herald reporting that he was in New Zealand for the Armageddon Expo in Auckland. Before the rumor mill spins, Wood being around was absolutely nothing to do with him having a potential cameo in The Hunt for Gollum.
Upcoming movie The Hunt for Gollum has attracted a lot of attention from the original cast, including Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), and Orlando Bloom (Legolas). Right now, however, there's been no official casting announced beyond director Andy Serkis reprising his iconic role of Gollum. If one thing is for sure, a lot of the original cast are very much interested in returning. And in the meantime, there are always more Hobbiton weddings to crash in New Zealand.