When her wedding photos featured in a national magazine 12 months after she said her simple yet stylish I-dos, Newcastle mum Ally Kennedy was spurred into action.
The intimate event, at The Owens Collective in Islington and captured by House of Lucie photographer Khara, was exactly as she’d dreamt it.
The fact that her flowers had been one of the most favoured elements at the March 2021 nuptials was both humbling and motivating.
That’s because Ally (Alexandra) had created the stunning bouquet herself.
She’d constructed the red, pink, mauve, white and peach arrangement after a 4am trip to Sydney the day prior with her bridesmaids.
It was, she says, both tiring yet rewarding.
“It meant I felt like a piece of me was in the wedding,” she says.
The talented, self-taught florist will soon be launching her creations in Newcastle through her brand Flwrandwater.
Following her website launch this weekend (16 April), Ally will officially become the small business owner of a studio-based floral creation and delivery service in the Newcastle LGA.
FLWR + WATER will open Thursdays to Saturdays, to allow Ally to continue to juggle her Monday to Wednesday corporate job, as well as caring for her two sons, aged three-and-a-half and 15 months.
“Yes, I could possibly have my hands full,” she says enthusiastically.
“There might be some late nights ahead and my kitchen dining table has already been taken over by paints and flowers and ribbons and paper.
“But, I think that’s all just part of being a creative person.”
Ally, who stems from a family of hobby painters and drawers, thrives on pushing boundaries when it comes to her designs.
If you look closely at her creations, you will see they are mixed media, often blending paint, pearls and stickers, within bouquets.
“If you’re looking for greenery, or the standard white wedding I’m probably not the floral designer for you,” she told the Newcastle Weekly.
“I love lots of colour and bold design, I use fun names and unique art techniques.”
Some of her chosen bouquet names include ‘Milk Chaser’, ‘Margarita’, ‘Hot N Saucey’, ‘Call Me Phally’ and ‘Our Secret Recipe’.
Flwrandwater, Ally hopes, will eventually brighten up events with its quirky creations.
“Weddings, corporate events, parties, …that’s the ultimate dream,” she says.
“Let’s just see how it all goes.”
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