Blue Wedding Flowers NZ: The Best Blue Flowers for Your Wedding

Blue wedding flowers can be absolutely beautiful, from soft sky blue belladonna and tweedia to deeper royal blue flowers that make a real statement. But there is one thing to know before you fall in love with a particular blue flower: blue is one of the trickier wedding flower colours to source naturally in New Zealand.

Unlike white, pink and peach, there simply aren’t that many naturally blue flowers available to florists, and many of the best options are highly seasonal.

If you’re planning a blue wedding, your wedding date will have a big influence on which flowers we can use. Summer is the easiest season for naturally blue flowers, while winter can be much more challenging.

The good news? You don’t have to give up on your dream blue wedding if your favourite flower isn’t in season. There are some clever florist tricks that can help us create the look you want.

Emily has tweedia & belladonna as blue accents in her bouquets

Sky Blue or Royal Blue?

Before choosing your flowers, it helps to think about the shade of blue you actually want.

I tend to divide blue wedding flowers into two broad categories: soft sky blue and deeper royal blue. Some flowers can fall into either category depending on the variety.

Sky blue is soft, romantic and easy to work into a wedding colour palette. Things like pale blue hydrangea, delphinium and tweedia.

Royal blue is bolder and more dramatic. It can look incredible, but because it is such a strong colour, I would usually use it more sparingly.

For most weddings, I love combining several shades of blue rather than trying to find one exact blue flower.

The Best Blue Flowers for Weddings

Here are some of the blue flowers I would actually consider for wedding flowers in New Zealand.

Blue flower	Shade	Typical NZ season	Best use	My florist take
Hydrangea	Sky blue & royal blue	Summer, roughly Dec–Mar	Bouquets, centrepieces, installations	Great for creating lots of blue at once
Delphinium & Belladonna	Sky blue & royal blue	Spring–autumn, roughly Oct–Apr	Bouquets, installations, statement flowers	One of my favourites for height and movement
Tweedia	Sky blue	Spring–autumn, roughly late Sep–May	Bouquets, buttonholes, delicate details	Gorgeous true sky blue and beautifully delicate
Bluebells	Mid blue	Spring, roughly Sep–Nov	Bouquets, smaller bud vases	Sweet, delicate and very seasonal
Eryngium / Sea Holly	Mid blue and green	Late spring–summer, roughly Nov–Feb	Bouquets, buttonholes, installations	Textural, architectural and slightly wild
Cornflower	Royal blue	Late spring–summer, roughly Nov–Jan	Bouquets and smaller details	A lovely cottage-garden blue
Hyacinth	Royal blue	Spring	Bouquets and intimate arrangements	Small and incredibly fragrant
Agapanthus	Mid blue	Spring–summer	Bouquets and installations	Great for a relaxed, garden-style look
Gentian	Royal blue	Summer, roughly Jan–Mar	Smaller floral details	Deep, intense blue, but more delicate
Anemone	Royal / dark blue	Autumn–winter–early spring, roughly May–Sep	Bouquets and arrangements	Funky black centres make them really special
Dyed Peony Chrys	Royal blue, sky blue, Tiffany blue	Year-round	Ceremonial & statement arrangements	Super funky and fun

These are general commercial seasons rather than guarantees. Flower availability can change with growing conditions, weather and what is coming through the flower markets at the time of your wedding.

Royal blue belladonna with white double tulips

Hydrangea

If you want to make a real impact with blue, hydrangea is hard to beat. A single stem can give you a huge amount of colour, making it particularly useful for bouquets, centrepieces and larger floral installations.

Blue hydrangeas are generally a summer flower in New Zealand, with commercial availability commonly around December to March.

One thing to remember is that hydrangea colour isn’t something a florist can always control. The exact shade available depends on the variety, growing conditions and what the grower has produced that season.

Delphinium

Delphinium is one of my favourite blue wedding flowers. Its tall stems and delicate flowers give arrangements height, movement and that gorgeous garden-grown feeling.

Depending on the variety and grower, delphinium can be available from around October through to April, making it one of the more useful naturally blue flowers for spring, summer and early autumn weddings.

It can also range from pale blue through to a much deeper blue, so it works beautifully when you’re creating a tonal blue palette.

Tweedia

If you’re after a beautiful true sky blue, Tweedia is hard to beat.

It has tiny star-shaped flowers in a soft, almost powder-blue shade and is particularly lovely for bridal bouquets, buttonholes and delicate floral details.

A New Zealand grower in Auckland lists its peak season from late September through to late May, with growing conditions allowing the season to be extended at times.

Tweedia isn’t a flower I’d use to create huge amounts of blue on its own. It’s much more beautiful sprinkled through an arrangement as a delicate detail.

Bluebells

Bluebells are one of those flowers that are just ridiculously cute. They’re delicate, seasonal and have a lovely informal, garden-style quality.

In New Zealand, commercially available bluebells are generally a spring flower, around September to November.

They’re not the flower I’d choose if you want a huge amount of blue in your wedding, but they’re gorgeous when you’re after something whimsical and seasonal.

Eryngium or Sea Holly

Sea holly has a completely different look from soft blue flowers like tweedia and hydrangea. Its spiky shape and silvery-blue colouring give arrangements texture and a slightly wild, architectural feel.

It is generally a late spring and summer flower in New Zealand, with availability commonly around November to February.

I particularly like it when the overall wedding isn’t too traditionally romantic and you want something a little more interesting.

Cornflower

Cornflower is another beautiful blue for a relaxed, garden-inspired wedding. It has a lighter, slightly informal appearance and works particularly well alongside other seasonal flowers.

Commercial availability is generally concentrated around late spring and early summer, approximately November to January.

Hyacinth

Hyacinth is one of those flowers you notice with your nose before your eyes.

The flowers themselves are relatively small, but the fragrance is incredible. Blue hyacinth is a beautiful option for a spring wedding when you want something intimate, romantic and a little bit unexpected.

Hyacinth has a short spring season, which makes it one of those flowers that is particularly special when you can use it.

Agapanthus

Agapanthus is a classic New Zealand summer flower and can be a beautiful way to bring blue into a relaxed, garden-inspired wedding.

Commercial availability varies, but it is generally associated with the warmer months, with some Auckland availability extending from spring through summer.

Gentian

Gentian is one of the deepest, most intense naturally blue flowers. It is quite different from the soft, airy look of tweedia or bluebells.

It has a relatively short summer season, generally around January to March, so it is one to think about if you’re planning a mid-to-late summer wedding.

Anemones

Anemones aren’t what I would call a classic blue wedding flower, but some varieties come in gorgeous blue tones. And honestly, I love them for their slightly funky personality.

That black centre gives them a really distinctive look and stops a blue arrangement from becoming too sweet.

Anemones have a cooler-season availability in New Zealand, generally around May to September.

Tweedia

When Are Blue Wedding Flowers in Season in New Zealand?

This is the really important part if you’re planning a blue wedding.

Spring: September to November

Spring gives you some lovely delicate blue options, including bluebells, tweedia, hyacinth and the beginning of the delphinium season.

This is a beautiful time for soft, romantic blue wedding flowers, particularly if you’re happy with a lighter colour palette.

Summer: December to February

Summer is the best season for naturally blue wedding flowers.

This is when you have access to some of the strongest options, including blue hydrangea, delphinium, tweedia, sea holly, cornflower, agapanthus and gentian.

If you’re dreaming of a wedding filled with naturally blue flowers, I’d be very happy to see you getting married in summer.

Autumn: March to May

Autumn becomes more limited, but there are still options. Delphinium, tweedia and hydrangea may extend into the early part of autumn, depending on the season and supply.

As autumn progresses, the naturally blue options become much more restricted.

Winter: June to August

This is where things get tricky.

There are beautiful flowers available in winter, but a large selection of naturally blue flowers isn’t one of them. Anemones can give you some blue options during the cooler months, but if you have your heart set on an entire wedding filled with blue flowers, I’d be looking at alternatives.

And that’s absolutely fine. It just means we need to be a little more creative.

What If Your Favourite Blue Flower Isn’t in Season?

This is where working with an experienced florist makes a huge difference.

If you’ve fallen in love with a particular shade of blue on Pinterest but your wedding isn’t during that flower’s season, we don’t necessarily have to abandon the idea.

We can look for another flower with a similar colour and shape, or use flowers that have been dyed, preserved or even carefully coloured to achieve the look.

And yes, sometimes florists cheat a little.

I’ve been known to use a little spray paint when the right flower simply doesn’t exist in the colour we need. Done properly, the result can be incredibly convincing. You’d be surprised.

There are also some fantastic dyed and preserved flowers available, as well as artificial flowers that can give you a much wider choice of colour at any time of year.

I’ve even created a blue wedding using only artificial flowers, and the result was incredible.

So if you are getting married in winter and have your heart set on an entirely blue wedding, don’t assume it can’t be done. We just need to choose the right materials for the look.

An artificial blue flower arrangement

How to Combine Blue Wedding Flowers

My favourite blue wedding colour palette is actually quite simple:

Blue + white + ivory.

It gives you plenty of room to play with different shades of blue without the colour palette becoming too busy.

I also love sky blue with soft peach or blush pink. The warmth of the peach or pink works beautifully against a cool blue and creates a softer, more romantic combination.

I’d be a little more careful with bright primary colours. Blue, red and yellow can look fantastic when the colour balance is very deliberate, but they can also clash surprisingly easily. It’s a difficult combination to get looking harmonious rather than chaotic.

If you’re working with blue, I’d generally recommend keeping the palette tonal and letting different shades of blue do the work.

Should Blue Be the Main Colour in Your Wedding Flowers?

It absolutely can be. But because naturally blue flowers are relatively uncommon, I usually prefer using blue as an accent rather than trying to make every flower in an arrangement blue.

A mostly white and ivory bouquet with touches of sky blue can feel incredibly elegant. Blue delphinium moving through a white installation can be much more interesting than an arrangement made entirely from blue flowers.

If you really want 100% blue flowers, that’s possible too. I’d just want to know your wedding date before promising exactly how we’re going to achieve it.

If you’re getting married in peak summer, we have the greatest choice of naturally blue flowers. If you’re getting married outside that window, I’d probably be having a conversation with you about incorporating dyed, preserved or artificial flowers.

Can You Have Blue Wedding Flowers All Year Round?

Yes, but not necessarily using fresh, naturally blue flowers.

Natural blue flowers are highly seasonal in New Zealand, with the greatest choice generally available through spring and summer. If you’re getting married in winter or you want a very specific shade of blue, dyed, preserved or artificial flowers can give you much more flexibility.

The key is to choose your colour palette first and your exact flowers second.

Your florist can then work with what’s available for your wedding date to create the overall look you’re after.

Planning Your Wedding Flowers?

Not sure which flowers will be available for your wedding month? Take a look at our NZ Flowers in Season guide for a month-by-month look at seasonal flower availability in New Zealand.

And if you’re planning a blue wedding and want help working out what will actually be possible for your date, we’d love to help.

Avant Garden is an Auckland wedding florist creating bespoke wedding flowers across Auckland, with seasonal flowers and plenty of creative solutions when your dream flower isn’t quite in season.