Bindi Irwin is keeping her dad Steve Irwin's memory alive in her heart! When she married her longtime boyfriend Chandler Powell on March 25th, Bindi wanted to make sure that Steve would be part of the ceremony in a big way.
As Bindi shared in an exclusive interview for People, the choice of venue itself— the garden at the Australia Zoo— was one of the ways her wedding was connected to her late dad. "Where we got married was such a special place to dad," she said. "It’s a beautiful little area where he had filmed for many years. It felt really wonderful and just meant to be".
Bindi says it felt like her dad "was there with us" at her wedding
Bindi also shared the details of the ceremony that brought her dad to mind. "We had dad’s picture with his dog Sui blown up on an easel," she told People. "So mom and Robert were standing right next to dad as we exchanged vows. We had a candle-lighting ceremony for him, and it really felt like he was there with us. It was a lovely moment of peace and happiness".
While she and Powell had originally planned for there to be 200 guests at the wedding, they were forced to alter their plans because of the coronavirus. Bindi says that instead, there were "lots of animals" present at the zoo wedding, and only three guests— her mom Terri, brother Robert, and Steve's best friend, Wes Mannion.
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Bindi pays tribute to her dad with a special bouquet ribbon
Steve's influence on Bindi's wedding even extended to a simple detail... the ribbon in her flower bouquet. That's because instead of a traditional ribbon, Bindi's bouquet was tied with a khaki ribbon in honour of her dad! "Most brides have something blue; I had my khaki," she shared.
There will be a televised special about Bindi's wedding, which is set to air later this month on Animal Planet. Crikey! It’s the Irwins: Bindi’s Wedding premieres April 18 at 8 p.m. ET.