“Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood surprised a bride and groom when he crashed their wedding in Matamata, New Zealand otherwise known as Hobbiton.
“We were just finishing the signing of the paperwork when all of a sudden Elijah Wood started to walk down the aisle,” Sharik and Jessica Burgess-Stride told the Waikato Herald in an interview. Their wedding was held at the Hobbiton film set on Monday.
“At first I thought, ‘Nah that’s not him.’ Then, ‘Oh s—t, it is him!’” Sharik Burgess-Stride said, who added that he initially had to do a “double-take” when he first saw the actor, who’s most famous for playing Frodo Baggins in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.
At the time, Wood was visiting the set as part of the tourist attraction. The Waikato Herald reported that he and some of his other “Lord of the Rings” cast members were attending the Armageddon Expo in Auckland, New Zealand.
After crashing the wedding, the actor took some photos with the couple and then went back to the group he was with. Per The Independent, the couple’s photographer, Cath Ullyett, encouraged Wood to jump in and surprise the now-newlyweds.
Ullyett explained the entire moment in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“Jess and Sharik had the most welcome surprise guest at their Hobbiton wedding yesterday,” Ullyett wrote. “While they were signing their wedding documents, Elijah and his family were escorted past the ceremony garden, and had stopped to watch. 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.”
The message concluded: “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!”
