‘It was magical’: Couple hosts Lord of the Rings-themed wedding during Edmonton Expo weekend

Actors Dom Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Sean Astin and Elijah Wood were decked out in customized Oilers jerseys to close out the Edmonton Fan Expo on Sunday.

An Edmonton couple who exchanged vows on Friday in a Lord of the Rings-themed wedding say it “just made sense.”

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“We’re both sci-fi, fantasy nerds, we play Dungeons and Dragons all the time and it just fit,” said groom Joshua Haldane at Edmonton Expo on Sunday.

The pair got married at the Feature Pyramid at the Muttart Conservatory, which ran until Sept. 21. It had fairies, a magical hobbit house, bright summer flowers and more — a similar look-alike to the Shire, a fictional region in The Lord of the Rings film series.

“It was magical, it was absolutely magical,” said bride Michelle Haldane.

The newlyweds wore their wedding attire to the Edmonton Expo, finishing off their wedding weekend in a way that fit them best, sitting front row during The Lord of the Rings panel with all four hobbit actors: Dom Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Sean Astin and Elijah Wood.

Joshua says initially they were going to miss Edmonton Expo because of the wedding, but their best man pulled through with surprise tickets.

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Michelle says the movies have brought the couple closer together.

“It opened up my imagination more, so I was able to get more into Dungeons and Dragons and the fantasy world,” she said.

While Michelle’s wedding ring may not be the “one to rule them all,” it features a diamond-shaped moonstone with a silver tree branch as the band.

“It’s a little poetic for us because I’m always saying, ‘I’d take you to the moon and back if I could,’” Joshua said.

During the panel, the couple even got a shoutout from the actors. They offered some advice for the newlyweds and the long journey ahead, including: “Don’t lose the ring.”

“For the long journey ahead, I think you should try to imagine that it’s not Mount Doom that you’re heading towards,” Astin joked.

Wood said to enjoy the adventures along the way.

A faithful journey

Twin sisters from Saskatoon made the journey to Middle-earth (Edmonton) to see the four hobbit actors in person.

“We have watched these movies every year together since they came out when we were kids and so, when we saw that the four actors who were the hobbits were coming, we thought it was the perfect opportunity for a sister trip,” Angelica Fehr told CTV News Edmonton.

The twins say it’s their first time attending a fan event like Edmonton Expo, so they wanted to embrace dressing up as their favourite characters — elves.

Fehr says she used army blankets to create the green cloaks while her sister, Jennifer Drennan, took care of the pointy ears and leaf brooch.

The pair paid for a photo op with all four actors and said the time and effort that went into getting to the expo and making the costumes they wore in the picture was “totally worth it.”

“It was quick, it was overwhelming, really fun and they were kind and sweet as you’d hope that they’d be,” said Fehr.

When it comes to their love of the movies, Fehr says the movies remind them about courage and kindness.

“A quote that I always come back to is when Sam says to Frodo, ‘There’s still some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for,’ and I think we need that more now than ever.”