Bindi Irwin Faced Plenty Of Obstacles In The Lead-Up To Her Chandler Powell Wedding

Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell were determined to make it down the aisle despite a series of challenges that forced them to scale back their big day. The Australia Zoo CEO married Powell in an intimate ceremony in the Africa Savannah area of the zoo in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. With strict gathering limits in place, only Bindi's mom Terri, brother Robert, and Wes Mannion, the best friend of her late father, Steve Irwin, attended the wedding. Thankfully, Animal Planet captured the big day in the "Crikey! It's the Irwins: Bindi's Wedding" special.

On top of the global pandemic upending their nuptials, paparazzi caught wind of the wedding and showed up unannounced and uninvited, forcing Bindi to make last-minute changes to the way she envisioned her big day. "Somehow the media has gotten the news that we are getting married. Now, the problem is that they're scaring all of our animals," Bindi said in the special (via ABC News). "Thanks to our friends in the paparazzi business, our entire outdoor wedding venue is ruined."

With a life dedicated to wildlife conservation, Bindi wanted her animal friends included in the ceremony. But paparazzi and a circling helicopter forced her to change those plans. "Now we can't get married outside with all of our animals, for their health and safety, like we had planned for so many months," Bindi shared. However, despite the uncontrollable setbacks, Bindi made it down the aisle in a stunning white lace gown. "Paparazzi wasn't going to stop us now. World crisis, paparazzi, change of date, but it's happening. We are getting married, people," she exclaimed. The wedding day challenges might be why Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell want to renew their vows someday.

Bindi Irwin is all about family, and she found special ways to honor each of her parents on her wedding day. The famed wildlife conservationist honored her late father, Steve Irwin, by hosting the wedding in the Africa Savannah section of the Australia Zoo, a construction he'd envisioned. She also held a candle lighting ceremony in his honor. In her Instagram wedding recap, Bindi shared a touching photo of her dad peacefully sitting alongside the family dog, Sui.

When it came to honoring her mom, Terri Irwin was the inspiration for Bindi Irwin's wedding dress. The Australia Zoo CEO wore a stunning lace gown similar to the one her mom wore when she married Steve in 1992. "Ever since I was a little girl I've known that I wanted a wedding dress similar to my mum's gorgeous gown," Bindi told Hello!. "Her dress has been in the family for almost 60 years." 

Bindi's A-line gown from Paddington Weddings featured stunning sunflower lace sleeves, a sentimental nod to cherished memories with her late father and family. "When we would go on projects and drives together, we'd often drive through these huge sunflower fields in the middle of nowhere and we always stopped to take them in," she shared with People. "[The dress] was really special and beautiful." For her glam, Bindi kept things simple and true to her casual-chic style, keeping her hair swept to the side with an embellished comb. She completed the look with soft natural makeup that perfectly reflected Bindi Irwin's beauty evolution through the years.