One of our favorite celebrities is Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin who has become a star conservationist and animal advocate.
The whole Irwin family has worked to keep Steve’s mission alive, running the Australia Zoo and saving the lives of countless animals in need.
We were so happy for Bindi earlier this spring when she got married in a private ceremony. But recently Bindi revealed how she made a last-minute wedding day change of plans, sacrificing her dream venue to help out her animal friends.
Bindi got engaged to her boyfriend Chandler Powell last July, after he proposed on her 21st birthday.
After months of planning, everything was changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many couples during this time, they had to adjust their wedding plans to a small family-only ceremony at the Australia Zoo to comply with crowd size regulations.
“We changed our wedding date the night before we got married but we were determined to let love win,” Bindi wrote on Instagram. “Everything from the cake to the flowers were different.”
But that didn’t stop some unwanted guests from crashing the party: paparazzi flew overhead in helicopters looking for a shot.
Even worse, the sound of the helicopters above the zoo was scaring the animals. Bindi realized this, and made another sacrifice on her big day for their wellbeing: she moved the ceremony indoors.
“We had to leave our stunning wedding venue on the African Savannah for their safety,” Bindi wrote. “I said goodbye to the place I had dreamed of getting married for so many years.”
While it wasn’t the wedding day she always dreamed of, things worked out in the end.
Searching for another venue on the grounds, Bindi remembered a filming barn where she had shot episodes of The Crocodile Hunter and Bindi the Jungle Girl with her family as a child.
She realized it would be a perfect place to hold the ceremony. Bindi, her fiancee, and the zoo staff hurried to move the wedding inside.
No one’s wedding goes 100% according to plan, and Bindi took all these last-minute changes in stride, just happy to be getting married to the man she loves.
“I watched love win,” Bindi wrote. “I was there in my wedding dress, husband-to-be by my side, moving tables and flowers and trying to make our day finally become a reality.”
“Despite everything, we got married and I’ll forever be grateful. Sure, things weren’t perfect but that’s life. Life is messy and beautiful and meant to be felt. We were overcoming great obstacles to prove that unconditional love is the most important foundation.”
Bindi Irwin is such an inspiration: even on her wedding day, she was still putting animals first.
We’re glad everything worked out in the end. Congrats again to the happy couple! Share this story!
