Orange wedding flowers aren’t just orange. There’s soft peach, warm apricot, juicy coral, bright tangerine, burnt orange and deep rust. Each shade creates a completely different look, which is exactly why orange is such a fun colour family to work with.
You can go soft and romantic with peach and apricot, bold and playful with bright orange, or rich and moody with burnt orange and rust. And you don’t have to stick to one shade. Some of the most beautiful orange wedding flower palettes mix several tones together.
As an Auckland wedding florist, I love orange because it has so much personality. It’s warm, colourful and a little unexpected, and there are so many gorgeous orange flowers available in New Zealand.
The trick is choosing the right shades and the right flowers for your wedding date.
The different shades of orange wedding flowers
When a bride tells me she wants orange wedding flowers, the first thing I’d want to know is which orange?
Peach & apricot
Soft peach and apricot are the romantic end of the orange spectrum. They’re warm without being loud and look beautiful with ivory, cream, soft pink and champagne tones.
Think peach ranunculus, peach roses, dahlias and soft apricot garden roses.
Bright orange
Bright orange is energetic, colourful and impossible to ignore. It’s fantastic if you want your wedding flowers to feel fun rather than overly traditional.
Think vibrant dahlias, Free Spirit roses, gerberas, marigolds, zinnias and orange orchids.
Burnt orange & rust
Burnt orange and rust are deeper, earthier versions of orange. They’re particularly beautiful for autumn weddings, especially when combined with burgundy, berry tones, coppery foliage and other warm colours.
And yes, burnt orange Calla Lilies are ridiculously good.
Coral & salmon
Coral and salmon sit somewhere between orange and pink. I think they’re worth including in the orange conversation because they work so beautifully alongside peach and bright orange.
They’re also a brilliant way to soften a stronger orange palette without taking away the colour.
Orange wedding flowers by season
Here’s the useful bit: what orange flowers can you actually get for your wedding in New Zealand?
Availability varies from year to year and individual varieties can come and go, particularly with imported flowers. Your wedding florist can work with what’s available at the time and suggest alternatives if you’ve fallen in love with a very specific shade.
| Flower | Shade | Typical NZ season | Florist notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dahlia | Bright orange, peach, coral | Dec–Mar | One of my favourite summer wedding flowers. Huge range of shades and shapes |
| Snapdragon | Peach, orange | Almost year-round | Tall, elegant and fantastic for adding movement |
| Ranunculus | Peach, orange | Spring | Romantic, ruffled and gorgeous in bouquets |
| Rose ‘Peach Avalanche’ | Peach | Year-round, subject to supply | A beautiful soft peach |
| Rose ‘Tiffany’ | Peach/apricot | Imported, subject to supply | Speciality rose with a gorgeous warm tone |
| David Austin ‘Juliet’ | Apricot | Subject to supply | The classic soft apricot garden rose |
| Rose ‘Coral Reef’ | Peach/coral | Imported, subject to supply | A stunning true peach colour |
| Rose ‘Shimmer’ | Peach/orange | Imported, subject to supply | Warm and glowing |
| Rose ‘Free Spirit’ | Bright orange | Imported, subject to supply | Ruffled, vibrant and seriously colourful |
| Rose ‘Louie’ | Orange/apricot | Year-round, Subject to supply | Warm, romantic tone |
| Rose ‘Kingsday’ | Bright orange | Year-round, Subject to supply | Strong, saturated orange |
| Rose ‘Milva’ | Orange | Year-round, Subject to supply | Beautiful warm orange |
| Rose ‘Bonfire’ | Orange | Year-round, Subject to supply | Rich, fiery colour |
| Spray roses | Peach, orange | Year-round, subject to supply | Great for adding smaller flowers and texture |
| Marigolds | Bright orange | Summer | Cheerful, colourful and slightly wild |
| Zinnias | Orange, peach | Summer | Perfect for relaxed garden-style weddings |
| Asiatic lilies | Bright orange | Year-round, subject to supply | Bold, graphic and dramatic |
| Calla lily | Burnt orange | Summer | Sleek, sculptural and incredible for modern or autumn weddings |
| Tulips | Orange, peach | May-Oct | Elegant, simple and beautifully modern |
| Sandersonia | Bright orange | Seasonal | Tiny hanging orange lanterns. What’s not to love? |
| Birds of paradise | Bright orange | July-Oct | Tropical, architectural and dramatic |
| Poppies | Orange | July-Sept | Gorgeous, but supplied to florists in assorted bunches |
| Gerbera | Orange, peach | Year-round | Bright, cheerful and wonderfully graphic |
| Chrysanthemum | Orange, burnt orange, peach | Year-round | Available in lots of different shapes and sizes |
| Leucospermum | Orange | Winter | Textural, spiky and architectural |
| Mokara orchid | Orange | Imported, subject to supply | Bright, tropical and fabulous |
| Cymbidium orchid | Burnt orange, rust | Winter-spring | Luxe, sculptural and one of my favourite darker options |
| Freesia | Peach, orange | April-Oct | Delicate and beautifully scented |
| Strawflower | Orange, peach | Seasonal | Lovely texture and can be dried |
| Alstroemeria | Orange, peach | Year-round, subject to supply | Hardwearing and excellent for adding colour |
Want to know what’s in season for your particular wedding month? Check out our NZ Flowers in Season Calendar or our Wedding Flowers by Month category for a month-by-month look at what’s typically available from New Zealand flower growers.
My favourite orange flowers for weddings
There are so many options, but a few deserve special attention.
Dahlias
If you’re getting married in summer, orange dahlias are hard to beat. They come in everything from soft peach and apricot through to vivid tangerine and deep burnt orange.
They’re also incredibly versatile. A peach dahlia can look romantic and gardeny, while a huge bright orange dinnerplate dahlia can completely take over a bouquet in the best possible way.
Dahlias are generally available from around December to March in New Zealand, although the season can vary with growing conditions.
Read our complete guide to dahlias for wedding flowers →
Ranunculus
Peach and orange ranunculus are gorgeous little things. Their layers of petals give you that romantic, ruffled look without needing a huge flower.
They’re particularly useful when you want orange to feel soft rather than loud.
Roses
Orange roses cover a surprisingly huge range of colours.
You can go soft with Peach Avalanche or Juliet, bright with Free Spirit or Kingsday, or choose a more unusual imported variety if you’re after something very specific.
One thing to know about wedding flowers: the exact rose variety you see in a Pinterest bouquet isn’t necessarily available from New Zealand growers all year round. Some speciality roses are imported, so availability needs to be checked against your wedding date.
Burnt orange Calla Lilies
Okay, these deserve their own section.
Burnt orange Calla Lilies are incredible.
They’re sleek, sculptural and much more unusual than the classic white Calla. They look fantastic with other warm colours, but they can also carry a bouquet almost entirely on their own.
If you like your wedding flowers a little less traditional, definitely put these on your list.
I’ve written a whole guide to Calla Lily wedding flowers if you want to see just how many different directions they can go.
Colour combinations that look amazing with orange
Orange is surprisingly easy to work with once you stop thinking of it as one single colour.
Orange + coral or salmon
This is one of my favourites.
Imagine soft coral or salmon peonies with bright orange dahlias, roses or ranunculus. The pink undertones stop the orange from feeling too harsh, while the orange gives the palette plenty of energy.
It’s colourful, romantic and very summery.
Peach + lemon + soft pink
Sorbet wedding flowers.
Peach, lemon yellow and soft pink together are fresh, happy and incredibly pretty without feeling childish.
This is a beautiful option for a spring or summer wedding when you want lots of colour but don’t want the palette to feel heavy.
Burnt orange + burgundy + berry
Now we’re talking. Burnt orange, rust, burgundy, berry and deep wine tones create that rich, autumnal look that makes you want to get married surrounded by candlelight.
If you’re drawn to this combination, check out our guide to burgundy wedding flowers too. There are loads of flowers in those deep berry and wine tones that work beautifully alongside burnt orange.
Bright orange + fuchsia or magenta
If you’re going to do colour, do colour. Bright orange with fuchsia or magenta is bold, energetic and ridiculously fun. This is not the palette for someone wanting quiet neutrals, but if you’re a colour person, it can be spectacular.
Orange + white or ivory
Want the orange to be the star? Keep everything else simple.
Bright orange flowers against white or ivory create a really clean, modern look. You don’t need loads of other colours when the flowers themselves are doing all the work.
Peach + cream + champagne
For something softer, peach with cream, ivory and champagne gives you a warm, sophisticated palette that still feels romantic.
This is a good option if you love orange but don’t want your wedding to feel particularly colourful.
Is orange only for autumn weddings?
Absolutely not.
Burnt orange and rust are naturally gorgeous for autumn, but peach, apricot and bright orange can work beautifully for spring and summer weddings too.
It’s the combination of colours and flowers that changes the feeling.
Peach + soft pink + lemon feels fresh and summery.
Peach + coral + orange feels warm and playful.
Bright orange + fuchsia feels bold and energetic.
Burnt orange + burgundy + rust feels rich and autumnal.
So if you’re getting married in January and you’ve fallen in love with orange wedding flowers, go for it. You don’t have to wait until autumn.
What if I want brown or chocolate tones?
I love orange and browns as a combo. They harmonise and sit so beautifully together. It’s an autumnal mood but looks amazing year-round.
If you’re looking for chocolate, caramel, latte, toffee or other brown and earthy wedding flower colours, check out our guide to neutral wedding colours. That’s where you’ll find more info on the deeper brown tones.
How to use orange wedding flowers without going overboard
You don’t need every flower in your wedding to be orange.
In fact, I often think a mix of different shades looks much more interesting than trying to match everything exactly.
You could have:
- A mostly peach bridal bouquet with pops of bright orange
- Burnt orange Calla Lilies with chocolate brown and burgundy
- Bright orange dahlias mixed with coral and salmon flowers
- Peach roses with soft pink and lemon
- A handful of vibrant orange flowers against lots of green
- Orange ceremony flowers that transition into deeper rust and burgundy for an autumn reception
And don’t be afraid to use different textures as well as different colours. A smooth Calla Lily, ruffled ranunculus, spiky pincushion, fluffy chrysanthemum and delicate freesia might all be orange, but they won’t look remotely the same.
That’s where things start getting interesting.
Orange wedding flowers: my florist take
I’ll say it: orange is seriously underrated for weddings.
I think some people hear “orange wedding flowers” and immediately picture a Halloween pumpkin or a bunch of bright gerberas. But peach, apricot, coral, rust and burnt orange can be incredibly sophisticated.
And orange has something that some of the more traditional wedding colours don’t: personality.
You can make it soft. You can make it romantic. You can make it tropical. You can make it moody. You can make it completely bonkers and colourful. That’s the fun of it!
Don’t get too hung up on finding one exact shade and making every flower match. Let the palette move through peach, apricot, coral, orange and rust. That’s often what makes a wedding flower colour palette feel considered rather than colour-by-numbers.
Planning orange wedding flowers in Auckland?
At Avant Garden, I create wedding flowers for couples across Auckland using seasonal New Zealand flowers alongside carefully sourced specialty and imported flowers when needed.
You don’t need to arrive knowing the names of 15 different orange roses. Tell me the colours you’re drawn to, show me the flowers you’ve saved, and we’ll work out what will actually be available for your wedding date.
See our Auckland wedding florist services →
Or if you’re working with a tighter budget, check out our affordable wedding flowers guide → for ideas on getting maximum impact from seasonal flowers.
Continue Planning Your Wedding:
Explore More of Our Wedding Guides
- Wedding Flowers in Season – See what’s in season in NZ throughout the year.
- Wedding Flowers by Month – See what our top flower picks are for the month you’re getting married
- Wedding Flowers by Type – Get to know different flowers and when they’re available.
- Wedding Flower Colours – Check out our guides to different wedding flower colour palettes.
- Wedding Flower Planning – Get practical advice on budgets, costs and choosing your florist.
- Auckland Wedding Venues – Check out our florist’s take on some of Auckland’s wedding venues.
View the Avant Garden wedding flower portfolio for more wedding flower inspiration.