Shock as film star gatecrashes Hobbiton wedding

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood casually walked in and surprised a Rotorua-based couple at their Hobbit themed wedding.

The 44-year-old actor, who played Frodo in the trilogy, was in the country for the Armageddon Expo over the weekend alongside co-star Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, when he made a stop at the Hobbiton movie set in Waikato.

A longtime fan of Sir Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's books, Sharik Burgess-Stride told the Waikato Herald he couldn't believe his eyes when Wood appeared after he said his vows to wife Jessica (which also included references to The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit movies).

In a video shared by Hobbiton Tours on TikTok, wedding guests appeared amused and Sharik exclaimed “oh my God!” as Wood appeared casually dressed.

The couple had a quick chat with the star who was amazed everyone was dressed in character - the groomsmen were sporting suspenders and short-length trousers while guests wore elf ears.

Before making a swift exit, Wood took a few selfies with the celebrant and photographer.

Photographer Cath Ullyett told RNZ she was so excited when she caught a glimpse of the actor, she almost forgot how to use her camera.

While the couple were signing their wedding documents, Wood was escorted past the ceremony garden and stopped to watch, she said.

“I instantly recognised Elijah Wood was amongst them and completely started freaking out, which is understandable,” Ullyett, who is also a long-time fan of the books and movies, said.

After taking a few snaps of the couple signing their wedding registry, she rushed to greet him and prodded him to come over.

“He didn't want to interrupt, but I just said to him, you know they'd love it, come and take some photos. He was very kind and gracious and stepped in for a few, and it was absolutely brilliant.

“I think once everyone realised what was happening, there was so much cheering and everyone was just like bewildered by it all.

“I mean, if you're going to have a wedding crasher at a Hobbiton wedding, who better than Elijah Wood? I mean, Frodo's at your wedding. That's just crazy.”

Sharik told the Waikato Herald he jokingly suggested Hobbiton as a wedding venue, but to his surprise, fiancé Jess was on board - without ever having been to the Waikato movie set herself. He had been five times and collected memorabilia.

The 12-acre Waikato farm forms the backdrop of both trilogies' Hobbiton and The Shire locations.