A couple spending £9.6k on a Hobbit-themed wedding to tie the knot on the set of the movie say they live each day as a "main character".
Monique Bryson, 24, and her fiancé, Charles, 29, are both obsessed with The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and jumped at the chance to get married at Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand - where the films were made.
The couple wanted something "enchanted" and Monique is having a bespoke "Elven gown" made.
Charles, a psychologist, is having a wedding band crafted by the same jeweller who made the rings for the film series – complete with Elvish script.
To finish off the day, they have an evening banquet planned for their guests – a "rustic" and healthy meal fit for a Hobbit.
The Hobbiton movie set was built to be used for scenes filmed in the Shire in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies, and is on a family-run farm about five miles west of Hinuera in New Zealand.
Monique, a director and camera operator, from Sydney, Australia, said: "We always wanted something enchanted and magical.
"We're getting married on a movie set.
"This is just a dream."
The couple - who have been together for more than four years - knew they wanted something "magical" for their big day when Charles proposed in October 2021.
They are both big Lord of the Rings fans and love to dress up and have fantasy inspired adventures.
Monique said: "He's [Charles] a huge Lord of the Rings fan - we bonded over it.
"We love dressing up and playing the part."
The pair had found a fantasy- style venue in Australia but realised they could tie the knot at the Hobbiton movie set when they visited Charles' family in New Zealand.
Monique said: "We said 'why don't we get married in Hobbiton?'
"Our family thought we were joking."
The couple's wedding in November 2024 but they already have everything planned - and say they venue and food is only costing £9.6k.
Monique said: "I'm getting a custom-made Elven gown and we're having Bilbo's ginormous birthday cake made.
"We're getting a Keltic folk band and organising a magician.
"Charles has a wedding band replica made from the jeweller who made them for the movies."
Monique says the couple are not forcing their guests to dress up - but encourage guests to dress "inspired" by the films if they wish.
She said: "It would be nice if they watched The Lord of the Rings before they come, so the experience means more."
The couple have fantasy featured in other aspects of their lives.
Monique said: "We live each day as if you're a main character in a story.
"We can always say we've lived an adventure.
"When we go out sometimes we go out as characters.
"We romanticise our lives."
Monique says when the couple go for a picnic they'll dress up like they are in 'Pride and Prejudice'.
They even made a casual dinner at home into a meal inspired by a fantasy tavern - cooking a ploughman's lunch fit for a Hobbit.
Monique's love of fantasy grew from her grandfather, David, 87, reading her The Hobbit as a young girl.
Now her love of it has even become her job - and Monique takes and edits fantasy style photos.
She said: "Everyone can be their own hero. It's so much fun."
Monique Bryson, 24, and her fiancé, Charles, 29, are both obsessed with The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and jumped at the chance to get married at Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand - where the films were made.
The couple wanted something "enchanted" and Monique is having a bespoke "Elven gown" made.
Charles, a psychologist, is having a wedding band crafted by the same jeweller who made the rings for the film series – complete with Elvish script.
To finish off the day, they have an evening banquet planned for their guests – a "rustic" and healthy meal fit for a Hobbit.
The Hobbiton movie set was built to be used for scenes filmed in the Shire in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies, and is on a family-run farm about five miles west of Hinuera in New Zealand.
Monique, a director and camera operator, from Sydney, Australia, said: "We always wanted something enchanted and magical.
"We're getting married on a movie set.
"This is just a dream."
The couple - who have been together for more than four years - knew they wanted something "magical" for their big day when Charles proposed in October 2021.
They are both big Lord of the Rings fans and love to dress up and have fantasy inspired adventures.
Monique said: "He's [Charles] a huge Lord of the Rings fan - we bonded over it.
"We love dressing up and playing the part."
The pair had found a fantasy- style venue in Australia but realised they could tie the knot at the Hobbiton movie set when they visited Charles' family in New Zealand.
Monique said: "We said 'why don't we get married in Hobbiton?'
"Our family thought we were joking."
The couple's wedding in November 2024 but they already have everything planned - and say they venue and food is only costing £9.6k.
Monique said: "I'm getting a custom-made Elven gown and we're having Bilbo's ginormous birthday cake made.
"We're getting a Keltic folk band and organising a magician.
"Charles has a wedding band replica made from the jeweller who made them for the movies."
Monique says the couple are not forcing their guests to dress up - but encourage guests to dress "inspired" by the films if they wish.
She said: "It would be nice if they watched The Lord of the Rings before they come, so the experience means more."
The couple have fantasy featured in other aspects of their lives.
Monique said: "We live each day as if you're a main character in a story.
"We can always say we've lived an adventure.
"When we go out sometimes we go out as characters.
"We romanticise our lives."
Monique says when the couple go for a picnic they'll dress up like they are in 'Pride and Prejudice'.
They even made a casual dinner at home into a meal inspired by a fantasy tavern - cooking a ploughman's lunch fit for a Hobbit.
Monique's love of fantasy grew from her grandfather, David, 87, reading her The Hobbit as a young girl.
Now her love of it has even become her job - and Monique takes and edits fantasy style photos.
She said: "Everyone can be their own hero. It's so much fun."
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FunTranscript
00:00 Prepping for my Hobbiton wedding part one.
00:02 So my partner Charles and I are having our wedding at the Hobbiton movie set in New Zealand
00:05 and we couldn't be more excited.
00:06 But you can't get married without...
00:08 Invitations!
00:09 The funny thing about these invitations is I've had them screenshotted on my phone since 2015.
00:14 We bought them from this amazing designer called Paper Truly that specialises in pop culture invitations.
00:19 There's even a Marauders map theme.
00:21 When our Lord of the Rings invites arrived, I wasn't disappointed.
00:23 The parchment was so thick and soft and I was dying.
00:26 My favourite part is the inner envelope.
00:27 It's the leaf they use to wrap Lemba's bread in.
00:29 The actual invitation itself feels super expensive because it is
00:32 and it's got this gorgeous gold ink all over it.
00:34 They've even got a map to the venue.
00:36 We got a guest card made with information about our day and have kindly requested that in lieu of gifts
00:41 our guests simply watch the Lord of the Rings before arriving.
00:44 The RSVP cards are so cute and we've loved getting a whole stack of them back in the mail.
00:48 Stay tuned for part two!
00:49 It's actually not as expensive as you might think.
00:51 I'm in the middle of doing a really detailed cost breakdown video
00:54 so I can be super transparent about it all with you.
00:57 I'm a fantasy filmmaker and photographer.
00:59 I've been working in the Australian film and TV industry for maybe seven years now
01:04 and I finally started my own production company with two of my colleagues.
01:07 We create these really beautiful fairy tale experiences for clients.
01:12 We also create paranormal and fantasy based narratives for film, TV and digital.
01:17 There's not a lot of money in film and TV unless you're really, really high up in the industry
01:22 so that's why it was really important for us to make sure that the budget for the wedding
01:26 really didn't put any financial strain on us.
01:28 So honestly, I'm really surprised to tell you that Hobbiton was actually the more economic option.
01:33 We booked Hobbiton about two and a half years in advance.
01:36 We paid the deposit March 2022 and the wedding is at the end of this year.
01:41 We only bought 30 invitations but it ended up costing a lot more than I'd originally budgeted for
01:46 because I'm a big dum-dum and I forgot to convert US dollars into Australian dollars.
01:51 So I think they ended up costing like $700, $800 which is an egregious amount of money for invitations
02:00 but at the end of the day when they arrived they were just so perfect and I guess found them so special.
02:05 So I don't regret it but would I spend that amount on invitations again?
02:10 Absolutely not.
02:10 Pardon the hair and makeup, I'm on my way to an event but no, we're not paying for our family and friends' flights.
02:17 Two things, one we live in Australia so the flights aren't too expensive.
02:21 Usually you can get a return flight for about $400, sometimes cheaper if it's on special but also it's very expensive.
02:29 We're having about 60 guests and paying for flights for all those people.
02:32 Whilst I would love to do that, it would just be astronomical.
02:35 That being said, we are very aware of the cost that this is to guests.
02:40 So we're asking that no one brings any gifts because already our family and friends' attendance is huge
02:45 and we know how much it costs.
02:47 So my partner Charles and I are getting married at Hobbiton which is amazing
02:50 and the main question that I've been getting is of course about the costs involved because it's like the movie said, right?
02:56 Now I really want to be super transparent about it all so that people that also would love to get married at Hobbiton
03:01 know what's involved and how to start the process.
03:03 I'm going to make a complete cost breakdown video talking about every step and how we're managing to afford it.
03:10 It's not as expensive as you might think but at the end of the day any wedding is expensive in this economy.
03:17 A loaf of sourdough bread is $8.
03:18 I cannot live under these conditions but what I want to know is
03:21 is there anything that you want to know from a logistical side of things about how to get married at Hobbiton?
03:27 No gatekeeping over here.
03:28 Come to Hobbiton with me part 2, the evening banquet tour.
03:31 After we had a first look at the newly opened Hobbit holes in Bagshot Row,
03:35 it was time to head to the Green Dragon for the evening banquet tour.
03:38 By this time, the whole of Hobbiton is completely empty and you're the only group there.
03:43 The evening banquet tour is notoriously hard to get into and books out over six months in advance.
03:48 So we were going to make the most of it.
03:49 Your guide invites you to have a drink of the finest ale in the South Farthing
03:53 then wander around the grounds before it's finally time for the big reveal.
03:56 You pull aside these heavy velvet curtains and before you is a banquet fit for a hobbit.
04:00 There are tables laden with roast meats, smoked fillets of salmon, stews, salads and the tastiest bread rolls you've ever had.
04:07 I was honestly trying to eat fast so my body didn't recognise it was full.
04:11 After the main meal was served, it was time for some tea and dessert.
04:14 There even may be my own special gluten-free butterscotch pudding.
04:18 When the meal was over, we were escorted back to our bus via lamplight.
04:21 That's right, you had your very own lamps.
04:24 If you want to see what the rest of the tour looked like, follow for part 3.