Bindi Irwin's brother Robert will walk her down the aisle

"I think that's what dad would have wanted as well," she said.

ByGood Morning America via logo
July 26, 2019, 6:41 PM

Newly-engaged Bindi Irwin, the daughter of late "Crocodile Hunter" star Steve Irwin, is thinking about her nuptials, and one thing that's important to her is the inclusion of family.

Noting that the absence of her father made her engagement "bittersweet," she told Entertainment Tonight that at her wedding, she wants her 15-year-old brother, Robert, to walk her down the aisle, and that she'd like to share a dance with her mother, Terri.

The Irwins are a famously tight-knit family who have worked together over the years to preserve the legacy of conservationist Steve Irwin, who died in a 2006 accident.

"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," she 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."

"I think that's what dad would have wanted as well," she added.

Irwin, 21, announced her engagement to Powell, 22, earlier this week. On Thursday, the "Dancing With the Stars" champion wrote on Instagram that Powell popped the question during a visit to the Australia Zoo, while her brother secretly took photos.

"The most beautiful surprise," she wrote. "I’ll always be grateful to have these special memories of the most amazing day of my life."

The couple, who dated for six years before deciding to wed, have relied on Irwin's mother for advice, Irwin added in her interview with ET. Calling Terri "my pillar of strength in life," Irwin added, "I love her beyond description."

"She said to me a few months ago, she said, 'Your dad and I used to always talk about what makes a perfect marriage, or a really wonderful marriage, and what's interesting is that for us, it was kind of that feeling of comfort.' So you know, your relationship can be this wonderful, exciting adventure, but you want to find someone who, at the end of the day, you're really comfortable with," she said. "Her marriage advice is so wonderful, because I feel like that's what we have."