Terri Irwin has a lot to be happy right now. Her daughter, Bindi, recently married her longtime boyfriend, Chandler Powell, in a private ceremony at the Australia Zoo, and it seems like Terri couldn't be more thrilled. Bindi and Chandler had dated for years before the wedding.
On Twitter, Terri shared that Bindi has always had a thing for weddings, which makes her own so much more special. "My beautiful Bindi has loved everything about weddings since she was a little girl. It seems like I just blinked my eyes and she was celebrating her own wedding with her soulmate, Chandler. I love you so much. Treasure each day of your happily ever after."
Bindi and Chandler decided to not have guests at their wedding, but her brother Robert did walk her down the aisle. He said, "It was truly an incredible day and one of the most special moments of my life walking you down the aisle and watching you start your married life together."
Terri also reminisced about what she called "Robert's first wedding."
Terri wrote, "Remembering @RobertIrwin’s first wedding. I love that Steve and Robert both wore khaki. I know Steve would have worn khaki to Bindi & Chandler’s wedding, too. I wish he could have been there to see the most special day in his daughter’s life. We miss him so much."
The photo she shared of her daughter is equally sweet. It looks like Bindi served as someone's flower girl, and she seems pretty happy about having been given the role. Bindi was touched by her mom's tributes, and she wrote on Instagram that "Mum and Robert’s support has meant the world to me and Chandler during this special time in our lives. I had to share with you some of their kind words. I have happy tears. ❤️ This is the true meaning of family and love."
Robert also made his own celebratory post in honor of his sister and new brother-in-law: "25/03/2020. This is a day that we will never forget. Bindi and Chandler, words cannot describe how happy and proud I am that today you started your married life and celebrated love during a difficult time for our world."
Terri met Steve when she was 27 and on vacation with a friend in Australia. Terri, who is from Oregon, recalls that she and a friend drove past what she described as a "tiny park" when her friend asked if she wanted to go inside. Terri wasn't sure, but she opted to just go see what it was all about.
She said it was fate: "It was small but everything was immaculately clean. And everything was free-ranging, like the kangaroos are just hopping around and it was beautiful! They were doing a crocodile show and this guy was in with these crocodiles and he was talking about them in ways that I never really thought of crocodiles."
It turns out the guy in question was none other than her future husband, Steve Irwin. She was attracted to him right away: "The fact that he was so humble and loving towards these animals was so attractive to me and he looked like a rock in those shorts, too… so I may have noticed that."
Terri ended up talking to Steve after the show, and they immediately had a connection. Unfortunately, Steve was already in a relationship. "All afternoon we just talked! I was trying to figure out how to say 'do you have a girlfriend?' And then all of a sudden like he'd read my mind, he said, 'Would you like to meet my girlfriend?'"
Or so she thought! It turns out the "girlfriend" in question was Steve's dog, Suey. They got married eight months later, after Steve proposed while they were working. "I was sweaty and dirty and covered with leaves and bark … I was sitting there having a cool drink and Steve turned to me and said 'What do you reckon? Do you want to get married?'"
As a couple, they decided to start filming their animal rescues. Soon, they had a television deal that led to the creation of The Crocodile Hunter. She said international fame did little to change who Steve was. "He always drove an old ute, he always loved going bush, I loved that about him. He was never pretentious, never big-noted himself and we did put everything we made for wildlife back into conservation, and still do."
The two decided to have kids after Steve realized they just had to. "One day he ran in and he went: 'We have to have children! Who are we going to leave this all to?' And I go: 'You do know that just because you have children doesn't mean they'll like or do what you do?"
"[And Steve replies] 'Nope! We have to have children and they will love wildlife and so this.'"
Their daughter, Bindi, was born in 1998, and Robert was born in 2003. Both of the kids are grown now, and they have definitely made names for themselves in the world of wildlife care. When Steve died unexpectedly in 2006, Terri realized she had to bear the full weight of raising her family. "I just remember this incredible sense of responsibility, this feeling of overwhelming grief but it was like what do I do next? I collected my thoughts, then I went to the car to tell Bindi and Robert which was really hard."
The family has truly grown together. Robert and Bindi speak of their dad publicly via social media often, and see really proud of his legacy. It also seems like they love carrying on the work he was doing. Both of them work in the Australia Zoo. Robert is a photographer, and Bindi works as a wildlife conservationist.
