On Wednesday, the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter star, Bindi Irwin and longtime Chandler Powell tied the knot at the Australia Zoo in Queensland, and the 21-year-old made sure to pay tribute to her father, Steve Irwin, during the intimate ceremony. In an Instagram post announcing her nuptials, Irwin shared that she, her brother Robert Irwin and mom Terri Irwin lit a candle to honor Steve, and both Irwin’s brother and her mom played an important part in her special day.
“Today we celebrated life and revelled in every beautiful moment we shared together in our Australia Zoo gardens,” Irwin captioned a photo from her wedding of herself and Powell kissing in front of a wall of flowers. “Mum helped me get ready, Robert walked me down the aisle, Chandler became my husband and together we lit a candle in Dad’s memory. We shared tears and smiles and love.”
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Irwin and Powell were unable to have guests at their wedding due to the coronavirus, and the ceremony took place just before Australia enacted strict guidelines on social gatherings slow the spread of the virus. In her Instagram post, Irwin wrote that she and Powell had to “change everything” about their wedding and while it was “a very difficult decision,” it was “important to keep everyone safe.”
“We wish all of our friends and family could have been there with us, however it’s lovely that we will be able to share photos and videos,” she wrote. “Right now we’re encouraging the world to hold onto hope and love, which will carry us forward during this profound time in history.”
“Thankfully, since we all live at Australia Zoo as a family, we could be there for each other,” her message concluded. “To everyone reading this – stay safe, social distance and remember LOVE WINS!”
Irwin and Powell became engaged on July 24, 2019 — Bindi’s 21st birthday — after six years of dating.
“On my birthday I said ‘yes’ and ‘forever’ to the love of my life,” Irwin wrote on Instagram at the time. “Chandler, close to 6 years ago I fell in love with you and every day since has been a whirlwind of adventure and true happiness. I’m so looking forward to spending our forever together as your wife. Here’s to a lifetime of friendship, purpose and unconditional love. — Now let’s get married already!”
The couple had been planning a large wedding for April but ultimately changed their plans due to the coronavirus. Australia currently has over 2,400 confirmed cases of the disease and eight recorded deaths.
Photo Credit: Getty / Bradley Kanaris
