It was their precious moment.
“Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood surprised and delighted a pair of fans tying the knot on the Shire set in New Zealand.
“We were just finishing the signing of the paperwork when all of a sudden Elijah Wood started to walk down the aisle,” newlyweds Sharik and Jessica Burgess-Stride told the Waikato Herald.
“At first I thought, nah, that’s not him — then, oh sh–t, it is him!” said Sharik.
Elijah Wood crashes a wedding on the Shire set
Wood, 44, who famously portrayed Frodo Baggins in all three beloved “Lord of the Rings” films released between 2001 and 2003, gave a pair of fans the ultimate Middle-earth surprise.
The actor posed for photos with the stunned newlyweds and offered his congratulations.
In an Instagram post, wedding photographer Cath Ullyett recounted the magical encounter:
“Jess and Sharik had the most welcome surprise guest at their Hobbiton wedding yesterday. While they were signing their wedding documents, Elijah and his family were escorted past the ceremony garden and stopped to watch,” they wrote.
Elijah Wood Crashes Hobbiton Wedding in True Shire Style
Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”
The wedding photographer recalled, “I rushed around to meet him and asked him to come and have a few photos with the couple. 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 groom told the Waikato Herald that he’s been a fan of “The Lord of the Rings” since childhood and even worked references to the beloved fantasy series into his wedding vows.
The couple, Sharik and Jess Burgess-Stride, are from Rotorua, New Zealand, where Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy was filmed.
The Hobbiton set in Matamata, New Zealand, now a popular tourist destination, also serves as a dream wedding venue for die-hard fans like the Burgess-Strides.
Wood, who is American, happened to be back in Middle-earth with his former castmates for the Armageddon Expo in Auckland — making his surprise appearance at the Shire wedding all the more serendipitous.
Elijah Wood Crashes a Wedding in New Zealand
“Thank you, Elijah, for making their special day that much more memorable. We all loved it,” said photographer Cath Ullyett.
In 2022, Dominic Monaghan — who played Frodo’s loyal friend and fellow Hobbit, Merry — told The Post that fans often “lose their marbles” whenever he, Wood, Sean Astin, and Billy Boyd reunite at conventions.
“I would be the same,” Monaghan admitted. “If I saw Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, C-3PO, and Chewbacca having dinner, I would be geeking out, too.”
He added, “I think those movies are kind of timeless. Multiple times a day, people tell me they’ve just rewatched the films and how much they moved them, or how important they were to their families. So, I don’t think the interest has ever truly waned.”
