Bindi Irwin shared an updated wedding image that included her late father, Steve Irwin, with Instagram. The former Dancing with the Stars mirrorball winner posted a painting created by The Monkey Brush artist Debb Oliver, who took an image snapped on the day Bindi married Chandler Powell and added in Steve Irwin. Speaking about the artwork in the caption, the young woman noted, “this gave me happy tears.”
The original photo was taken on March 25, 2020, when the young woman and her fiance tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at the Australia Zoo with only Bindi’s mother Terri, brother Bob, Chandler, and her late father’s best friend, Wes Mannion, in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic. Her new husband held the couple’s dog Piggy in the image.
The artist added an image of the late Crocodile Hunter star dressed in his uniform of khaki shirt and pants so he stood in between his daughter and wife. The painting showed the wildlife conservationist smiling brightly, and in this manner, gave Bindi the chance to include her father as part of her special day.
This allowed the wildlife conservationist yet another way to include her dad in one of the most important moments of her life. Prior to receiving the stunning representation of her clan, Bindi said in an interview with People Magazine that she tried to find a way to include Steve in as many ways as she could within the ceremony.
“We had Dad’s picture with his dog Sui blown up on an easel,” said Bindi. “So Mom and Robert were standing right next to Dad as we exchanged vows. We had a candle-lighting ceremony for him, and it really felt like he was there with us. It was a lovely moment of peace and happiness.”
Also in a slideshow of images that accompanied the People story, the original photo that the artwork was based on was seen. It depicted Chandler, Bindi, Terri, and Bob standing alongside one another. In the pic, Bob held a large blue-and-yellow bird with its wings extended in his left hand. This was cut out of the painting.
Celebrities, including All My Children star Cameron Matheson, celebrity chef Paula Deen, Dancing with the Stars pro Hayley Erbert, and actress Millie Bobby Brown, shared how much they loved the Instagram upload.
Fans of the young woman were emotional after seeing the artwork.
“He would be so proud,” said one follower.
“I’m not going to cry, I’m not,” stated a second fan.
“I love that he’s in his khakis! Beautiful,” remarked a third social media user.