July 24 was Bindi Irwin’s 21st birthday, and her boyfriend Chandler Powell surprised her with quite the gift…a new diamond ring!
After six years together, Chandler got down on one knee at Bindi’s favorite spot in the Australia Zoo and asked her to marry him. Of course, she said yes!
Bindi’s younger brother Robert was on hand to photograph the happy occasion. Her mother, Terri, was also there, and celebrated her daughter’s engagement with a sweet post on Twitter.
In the post, Terri shared how she thinks her late husband, Steve, would have felt about their daughter’s engagement, saying he would have been “so very happy.” Steve passed away in 2006 when Bindi was only eight years old.
Best day ever! Chandler asked and beautiful @BindiIrwin said yes. I am so very happy, and I know Steve would be too. Congratulations!! pic.twitter.com/sN5sFnxZhI
— Terri Irwin (@TerriIrwin) July 24, 2019
Speaking to ET a couple of days after her engagement, Bindi shared she already has plans in place to honor her father at her wedding, which will occur some time next year.
For starters, she says she wants Robert to be the one to walk her down the aisle in their father’s place. She believes that’s exactly what Steve would have wanted:
“I’m always so grateful that Robert is there, and he has been such a big part of my life and he’s always stepped up and been the one to give me a hug when I need it and encourage me forward in life,” Bindi said. “So he will definitely be the one to walk me down the aisle when the time comes, and I think that will make it really special.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwHK_8UhFup/
As for the traditional father-daughter dance, Bindi doesn’t plan to just skip over it. But she also doesn’t plan to dance with Robert.
Instead, she said she would like to share that special dance with her mom:
“I think, if I was going to do a dance, it would be with my mom,” Bindi said. “My mom and I are so close. She’s my pillar of strength in life and I love her beyond description.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0HM1hfBHrk/
We definitely teared up while reading everything Bindi had to say!
It’s clear that Bindi is super close to her family, as you can see in the video below. She’s finding such special ways to honor her mother, brother, and father on her wedding day.
Steve will surely be smiling down on all of them when that day comes.