Bindi Irwin has revealed the special touches she will include during her wedding to Chandler Powell to honour her late dad Steve Irwin, who died after being attacked by a sting ray in 2006. The wildlife expert spoke to HELLO! ahead of her upcoming wedding and admitted she is finding "some special way" to include him in the ceremony and reception. "I was thinking some koalas, maybe a wombat would remind me of him! We are going to sit down and find little ways to be able to include him. Things he liked to eat - and what's so special for us is getting married in Australia zoo, it's dad favourite place on the planet, he built the place with his bare hands so it will be really nice I think to celebrate the day surrounded by love and light."
WATCH: Bindi Irwin and her fiancé Chandler Powell
Bindi added: "You know most of the people who work at Australia zoo I have known my whole life – Chandler's known them for years now, so it's going to be a big family occasion. So we can get to celebrate our love and get to celebrate everyone who's helped us get to this point in our lives now which will be so nice.
Bindi also spoke of the "bittersweet feeling" she has surrounding her wedding day, knowing that her father won't be there to walk her down the aisle – that honour now falls on her younger brother Robert, 15. The 21-year-old added: "It is a bittersweet feeling but I think what's important to me is that we include him on the day in some special way. I'm going to make sure that he's included with the ceremony and the reception and just in little ways to be able to honour him and I really believe that the people that we love the most are always with us and that they live on in everything that we do. They are a part of you, their heart and soul is a part of you and I take great strength in that and I know that Dad would be so proud that Robert is going to walk me down the aisle.
Bindi is finding special ways to honour her late father
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"It's really special because when you lose someone you are faced with these crossroads and you can either be incredibly sad and be like, 'I don't want to remember anything' or you can stand up and say 'well, I'm going to make sure everything this person lived for and worked so hard for carries on into the future'. And that's what we're trying to do. If it was role reversal I would want everyone to be carrying on with happiness and that's what dad would have wanted too, he would have wanted us to celebrate his life and the time we got to spend together because gosh he lived ten lives in one lifetime - surely more than anyone on the planet. So I think it's going to be challenging and I'm definitely going to wear some waterproof mascara on the day but it's gonna be really special and I think he will be part of the day."
Bindi and Chandler became engaged on her 21st birthday
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The conservationist's long-term boyfriend got down on one knee at Australia Zoo, where they first met in November 2013, and where Bindi's family lives and works, on Bindi's 21st birthday. "July 24th 2019. On my birthday I said 'yes' and 'forever' to the love of my life. Chandler, close to 6 years ago I fell in love with you and every day since has been a whirlwind of adventure and true happiness," Bindi wrote in an Instagram post announcing their engagement. "I'm so looking forward to spending our forever together as your wife. Here's to a lifetime of friendship, purpose and unconditional love. – Now let's get married already!" Crikey! It’s The Irwins season 2 starts on Sunday 17th November at 8pm on Animal Planet.
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