Chandler Powell’s Family Couldn’t Attend His Wedding to Bindi Irwin

On March 25, 2020, Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell had an intimate wedding in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic. The wedding took place at the Australia Zoo, and it was attended by just three guests: Bindi’s mom Terri, Bindi’s younger brother Robert and their late father Steve Irwin’s best friend Wes Mannion. Powell’s family was not in attendance.

Bindi and Powell got engaged last July, and they had been planning to have their dream wedding take place at the Australia Zoo on April 4, 2020. Because of the pandemic, however, they started looking at different options a month before their wedding date.

“We had been planning for almost a year,” Bindi told People, “but as soon as this all started happening, we had to look at different options to make sure everyone was safe.”

The Wedding Was Not What They Had Planned

Though they originally wanted to be able to share their day with all the people close to them, Bindi said she knew they just wanted to be husband and wife.

“We thought about postponing, because you want to share this day with everyone, but when it boiled down to it, we both just said, ‘Look, we desperately want to get married, and no matter what the future holds, at least we’ll be husband and wife. We can take on the world together,’ ” Bindi said.

As for the actual day, the two didn’t have a concrete plan in place. Instead, they took the day to get ready when they wanted and then get married when they were ready.

“We didn’t really have a schedule, so we were like, ‘Well, let’s just have breakfast then get ready whenever we feel like it,’” Bindi told People. “It was almost like we were eloping. Kind of crazy and certainly not what we had planned, but I think that made it even more special. Even if it wasn’t by-the-book perfect, it was our perfect.”

The same day they got married, Australia put new social distancing guidelines in place. The guidelines say that there should be no gatherings of over 5 people.

Powell’s Family Only Requested a Video Call on the Special Day

When Powell told his family their new plans, they cheered the couple on from afar and said they fully support their decision and to “just get married.” Powell shared that his dad wanted to see every detail of the wedding and get a play-by-play of the day.

Powell also shared that he teared up when he saw Bindi in her wedding dress for the first time.

“The first time I saw Bindi in that dress was the most beautiful sight in the world,” he said. “I immediately teared up. Nothing has ever felt more right than that moment in time.”

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