Bindi Irwin paid tribute to her late father, Steve ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ Irwin, at her wedding to Chandler Powell on Wednesday with a simple yet touching gesture.
The newlyweds lit a single candle at the altar in Steve’s memory after making their union official in a private ceremony at Australia Zoo.
Steve died in September 2006 at the age of 44 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland.
Gone, but not forgotten: Bindi Irwin paid tribute to her late father, Steve ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ Irwin, at her wedding to Chandler Powell on Wednesday with a simple yet touching gesture.
‘Today we celebrated life and revelled in every beautiful moment we shared together in our Australia Zoo gardens,’ Bindi wrote on Instagram after her nuptials.
She explained that her mother, Terri Irwin, had helped her get ready and her younger brother, Robert, 16, had walked her down the aisle.
‘Chandler became my husband, and together we lit a candle in dad’s memory. We shared tears and smiles and love,’ she added.
Robert wrote on his own Instagram page: ‘I was beyond honoured to get to walk Bindi down the aisle today… I know that dad was with us, and we are all so delighted for your future as husband and wife. I love you both.’
The family had planned the wedding for nearly a year but decided at the last minute to hold a ‘small ceremony’ without guests due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heartwarming: The newlyweds lit a single candle at the altar in Steve’s memory after making their union official in a private ceremony at Australia Zoo. Pictured: Bindi aged five with her family at Australia Zoo in Queensland on April 8, 2004
Bindi, 21, and her professional wakeboarder husband, 23, tied the knot at Australia Zoo, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, on Wednesday evening (AEST).
They made the ‘difficult decision’ to have no guests present to keep the community safe as the number of coronavirus cases in Australia continues to rise.
Their nuptials came just hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison enforced new restrictions on weddings, with only five people allowed to attend including the couple, the celebrant and witnesses.
Tragedy: Steve died in September 2006 at the age of 44 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland. Pictured with Terri and Bindi in Sydney on July 7, 2002
Terri’s close confidant, U.S.-based author Steve Maraboli, is believed to have officiated the big day.
Bindi said after tying the knot: ‘We held a small ceremony and I married my best friend. There are no words to describe the amount of love and light in my heart right now.
‘We’ve planned this beautiful day for nearly a year and had to change everything, as we didn’t have guests at our wedding. This was a very difficult decision but important to keep everyone safe.
Last-minute ceremony: Bindi, 21, and her professional wakeboarder husband, 23, tied the knot at Australia Zoo, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, on Wednesday evening (AEST)
Change of plans: Bindi wrote on Instagram after tying the knot: ‘We’ve planned this beautiful day for nearly a year and had to change everything, as we didn’t have guests at our wedding. This was a very difficult decision but 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. Right now we’re encouraging the world to hold onto hope and love, which will carry us forward during this profound time in history.’
On Tuesday night, Mr Morrison enforced tough conditions on weddings amid the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Large gatherings for weddings, sadly, won’t be possible under these new arrangements,’ he said.
‘Sadly, also, and I know this will be very difficult, funerals to no more than 10 persons observing the rules around the four-square-metre rule and the social distancing practices.
‘This is not an easy decision. Where we have already found, and Dr Murphy [Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy] can speak to this, some of the events that have been some of the major transmitting events, it has been exactly these types of events, particularly weddings.
‘And that is why, regretfully, we have to be able to put these arrangements in place.’
New rules: They made the ‘difficult decision’ to have no guests present to keep the community safe as the number of coronavirus cases in Australia continues to rise. Their nuptials came just hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) enforced new restrictions on weddings, with only five people allowed to attend including the couple, the celebrant and witnesses
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness characterised by fever, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. It can cause pneumonia.
The spread of the disease, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December, has resulted in over 460,000 cases worldwide and more than 20,800 fatalities.
As of Thursday morning, there are 2,431 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including nine deaths.
Pandemic: As of Thursday morning, there are 2,431 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including nine deaths