Purple wedding flowers can be incredibly romantic, from soft lavender and lilac through to pretty mauve and richer violet shades. And unlike blue, there are quite a few naturally purple flowers available to florists in New Zealand, so you have plenty of options to play with.
But “purple” covers a surprisingly wide range of colours. If you’ve got your heart set on a soft lavender wedding, you probably don’t want a flower that’s a deep violet. And if you’re after a stronger, more vibrant purple, a pale lilac flower might not give you the look you’re after.
The good news is that there are lots of beautiful purple flowers to choose from. Roses, sweet peas, hydrangeas, iris, stock, delphinium, gladioli, tulips, freesia, lisianthus, statice and lavender can all bring purple into your wedding flowers, depending on the variety and season.
So let’s get into the different shades and which purple flowers are actually available in New Zealand.
What Shades of Purple Are Available for Wedding Flowers?
When someone tells me they want purple wedding flowers, the first thing I’d ask is: what kind of purple?
I tend to think about purple wedding flowers in a few different groups:
Lilac or Lavender is soft, pale and cool toned. It’s romantic and delicate and works beautifully with white, ivory and soft pink.
Mauve sits somewhere between lavender, pink and purple. It’s more muted and sophisticated, and I love it with dusty pink, peach and neutral tones.
Violet is stronger and more obviously purple. It has much more presence in an arrangement and can look amazing when used alongside softer shades.
And then there are the really strong, true purple flowers. These can be gorgeous, but I usually like to balance them with lighter flowers rather than filling an entire arrangement with one intense shade.
The nice thing about purple is that you don’t necessarily have to choose just one.
A combination of lavender, mauve and violet can give a wedding much more depth than trying to match everything to exactly the same shade of purple.
The Best Purple Flowers for Weddings
Here are some of the purple flowers I’d actually consider for wedding flowers in New Zealand.
| Purple flower | Shade | Typical NZ season | Best use | My florist take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rose | Lavender, lilac, mauve | Year-round, depending on variety | Bouquets, centrepieces, installations | One of the easiest ways to get a very specific shade of purple |
| Sweet pea | Lilac, lavender, mauve, violet | Spring, roughly Sep–Dec | Bouquets, buttonholes, arrangements | Frilly, romantic and one of my favourite spring flowers |
| Hydrangea | Lilac, lavender, purple | Summer–autumn, roughly Dec-April | Bouquets, centrepieces, installations | Fantastic when you want lots of colour and volume |
| Iris | Violet, deep purple | Autumn–spring, roughly Mar–Oct | Bouquets and arrangements | Sculptural, elegant and a little unexpected |
| Stock | Lavender, purple | Autumn–summer, roughly May-Nov | Bouquets, centrepieces, installations | Great vertical shape and gorgeous fragrance |
| Delphinium | Lavender, violet, deep purple | Spring–autumn, roughly Oct–Apr | Bouquets, installations, statement flowers | One of my favourites for height and movement |
| Gladioli | Lavender, lilac, violet | Summer, roughly Dec–Mar | Installations and larger arrangements | Dramatic and architectural |
| Tulip | Lavender, deep purple | Autumn–spring, roughly May–Nov | Bouquets and centrepieces | Elegant, simple and available in some gorgeous purples |
| Freesia | Lavender, lilac, purple | Autumn–spring, roughly Mar–Nov | Bouquets and smaller arrangements | Beautifully scented and lovely for spring weddings |
| Lisianthus | Lavender, mauve, purple | Summer–autumn, roughly Dec–May | Bouquets, centrepieces, installations | Soft and romantic, with a rose-like shape |
| Statice / Limonium | Lavender, lilac, purple | Long season / often year-round commercially | Bouquets, installations and filler | Great for adding lots of little purple details |
| Lavender | Lavender, violet-purple | Summer, roughly Nov–Feb | Bouquets, buttonholes and details | Fragrant, textured and perfect for relaxed weddings |
| Lilac | Lilac, violet | Oct-Nov | Bouquets and vase arrangements | Fragrant, sophisticated and super chic. |
These are general commercial seasons rather than guarantees. Flower availability can change with weather, growing conditions, local supply and what is coming through the flower markets at the time of your wedding.
Purple Roses
If you want a very particular shade of purple, roses are one of the best places to start.
There are some gorgeous florist rose varieties in the lavender and lilac family, including Bluebird, Moody Blues, Ocean Song and Lullaby.
Ocean Song is one of the palest, softest options, with a beautiful cool lavender colour. It’s lovely if you’re after that almost silvery lavender look.
Moody Blues is more of a mauve-purple, with darker outer petals and a slightly stronger colour.
Lullaby is a pretty lilac with a deeper mauve edge to the petals. It’s a really lovely choice if you want something soft but still clearly purple.
And then there are other purple and lavender rose varieties available depending on what’s being grown and supplied at the time.
This is one reason I always recommend choosing your colour palette before getting too attached to a specific flower variety. If you tell me, “I want this exact lavender”, I can look at which varieties will give us the closest match for your wedding date.
Read more about rose varieties and seasonality with our roses for weddings guide here.
Sweet Peas
Sweet peas are basically made for romantic spring weddings.
They come in beautiful soft shades of lilac, lavender, mauve and purple, and their ruffled petals give bouquets that gorgeous loose, garden-grown feeling.
They’re also wonderfully delicate, so I love using them where you can actually see their individual flowers rather than burying them in a huge arrangement.
The downside is that sweet peas have a relatively short season. In New Zealand, you’re generally looking at spring, roughly September through December.
If you’re getting married during sweet pea season and love a soft purple palette, I’d absolutely take advantage of them.
Purple Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are one of the best flowers if you want a lot of purple at once.
A single hydrangea head can give you a huge amount of colour, which makes them particularly useful for bouquets, centrepieces and larger installations.
Purple hydrangeas can range from soft lavender and lilac through to stronger purple tones, and the exact colour depends on the variety and growing conditions.
In New Zealand, hydrangeas are primarily a summer flower, with purple varieties often continuing into autumn. They’re generally available from around December through to May, although the exact timing varies.
I love purple hydrangea with white and ivory flowers because it gives you a really clean, elegant palette without feeling too sugary.
We’ve got more info on hydrangea season and varieties with our hydrangea wedding guide here.
Iris
Iris has a completely different personality from something soft like sweet pea or lisianthus.
The flowers have a beautiful sculptural shape and strong violet or purple colouring, so even a relatively small number of stems can make an impact.
They’re particularly lovely for a wedding where you want something a little more lighthearted or unexpected.
Iris is also a useful cooler-season purple flower, with commercial availability generally running from around March through October.
Stock
Stock is one of those flowers that doesn’t always get enough credit.
It has tall stems covered in little flowers, so it’s fantastic for adding height and movement while still giving you plenty of colour.
Purple stock comes in shades from soft lavender and lilac through to stronger purple tones, and it has that gorgeous spicy, clove-like fragrance that makes it especially lovely in bouquets.
It’s also a useful seasonal flower because its New Zealand availability can stretch from autumn through to early summer.
If you’re creating a purple wedding palette, stock is a great way to add colour without everything being a big, round focal flower.
Delphinium
Delphinium is one of my favourites for adding height to wedding flowers.
Its tall stems are covered in delicate flowers, creating movement and that slightly wild, garden-grown look I love.
While we often think of delphinium as blue, there are also beautiful lavender, violet and purple varieties.
The season generally runs from around October through April in New Zealand, making it useful across spring, summer and early autumn.
Purple delphinium looks particularly beautiful moving through a mostly white or ivory arrangement. You don’t need loads of it to make an impact.
Gladioli
Gladioli are definitely a more dramatic choice.
Their tall stems and architectural shape make them fantastic for larger arrangements, installations and statement pieces. Purple gladioli can come in soft lavender through to stronger violet and purple shades.
They’re generally a summer flower in New Zealand, roughly December through March.
If you’re after a relaxed garden wedding, I might use them a little more sparingly. But for something bold, modern or slightly unexpected, I think gladioli can be fantastic.
Tulips
Purple tulips are another beautiful option for a cooler-season wedding.
They come in shades ranging from soft lilac and lavender through to richer violet and deep purple.
Tulips have a very different shape from most of the other flowers on this list, which makes them useful for adding movement and structure to a purple bouquet.
They’re generally available from around May through November in New Zealand, making them particularly useful for autumn, winter and spring weddings.
And if you love that slightly wonky, naturally moving tulip shape, don’t be alarmed when they continue growing after they’re arranged. That’s part of the charm.
Freesia
If fragrance is important to you, don’t overlook freesia.
Purple and lavender freesias are delicate, elegant and beautifully scented. They work particularly well in bouquets, buttonholes and smaller arrangements where you can appreciate their individual flowers.
Freesia has a long cool-season window in New Zealand, generally around March through November.
They’re especially lovely for spring weddings when paired with sweet peas, tulips and other seasonal flowers.
Lisianthus
Lisianthus is one of those incredibly useful wedding flowers.
It has a soft, romantic shape that can look a little like a rose, but it also has a lighter, more delicate quality.
Purple lisianthus comes in lavender, mauve and stronger purple shades, so it’s another flower where the exact variety matters.
Its commercial season in New Zealand is generally around late November through May, making it particularly useful for summer and autumn weddings.
I love it in bouquets because it adds softness without making everything feel too traditional.
Statice and Limonium
Statice, or limonium, is a brilliant little flower if you want to add lots of tiny purple details throughout an arrangement.
It’s available in lavender, lilac and purple shades and has a slightly papery texture, which gives it a lovely contrast against softer flowers.
It’s also one of those flowers that can have a much longer commercial window than some of the more seasonal purple flowers.
I particularly like using it when the brief is a little more relaxed, wildflower-inspired or textural.
And yes, it can be dried, so it’s one of the purple flowers that can keep going long after the wedding day.
Lavender
And obviously, we can’t talk about purple wedding flowers without lavender.
Lavender has that unmistakable soft purple colour and beautiful fragrance, and it’s perfect if you’re going for a relaxed, garden-inspired or slightly rustic look.
It’s generally a summer flower in New Zealand, with availability around November through February.
I wouldn’t necessarily build an entire wedding bouquet out of lavender, but a few stems tucked through a bouquet or used in buttonholes can be gorgeous.
When Are Purple Wedding Flowers in Season in New Zealand?
The great thing about purple flowers is that you have options across quite a large part of the year.
Spring: September to November
Spring is fantastic for soft purple flowers.
This is when you’ll find flowers like sweet peas, iris, tulips, freesia, stock and the beginning of the delphinium season.
If you love a soft lavender and lilac palette, spring gives you some really beautiful options.
Summer: December to February
Summer is probably the easiest season for creating a big purple wedding flower palette.
This is when hydrangeas, delphinium, gladioli, lisianthus and lavender are all available, alongside roses and other year-round options.
If you’re dreaming of lots of fluffy, colourful flowers, summer gives you plenty to work with.
Autumn: March to May
Autumn is actually a really good time for purple flowers, particularly if you want something slightly more sophisticated.
Iris, stock, freesia, tulips, lisianthus and roses can all give you purple options, while hydrangeas may continue into the earlier part of autumn.
I love purple for autumn weddings because it can feel romantic and elegant without needing to go into the darker plum and berry colour palette.
Winter: June to August
Winter is more limited, but you definitely don’t have to give up on purple.
Roses, tulips, iris, freesia, stock and limonium can all give you purple options, depending on availability.
This is where roses are particularly useful because they give you much more control over the exact shade you’re trying to achieve.
What If Your Favourite Purple Flower Isn’t in Season?
This is where choosing your colour palette first really helps.
If you’ve fallen in love with a photo of purple sweet peas but you’re getting married in July, we don’t necessarily have to abandon the idea of a purple wedding.
Instead, we can look for another flower that gives us a similar colour or shape.
For example, if you love the soft, ruffled look of purple sweet peas, we might use lavender lisianthus, stock or a beautiful purple rose instead.
This is one of the advantages of working with a florist rather than choosing every flower individually from Pinterest. You can tell me what you want the flowers to feel like, and I can work out what is actually available for your wedding date.
How to Combine Different Shades of Purple
This is where I think purple gets really interesting.
You don’t have to choose one exact shade.
In fact, I usually prefer a tonal purple palette with several shades working together.
Something like: Lavender + lilac + mauve + ivory
This is soft, romantic and really easy to live with. Or you could go:
Lilac + violet + white
A little stronger and more contemporary. You can also add a touch of pale pink or peach if you want to warm things up. Mauve and peach can be particularly beautiful together.
And if you want something really simple, purple + white + lots of greenery is always going to work.
One thing I would avoid is trying to make every flower exactly the same purple. Flowers naturally have slightly different tones, and I think that variation is what makes an arrangement look interesting rather than flat.
Should Purple Be the Main Colour in Your Wedding Flowers?
It sure can be. Unlike blue, purple is a much easier colour to build an entire wedding flower palette around because there are more naturally purple flowers available.
That doesn’t mean every flower needs to be purple, though.
A bouquet of lavender roses, purple lisianthus, mauve stock and white flowers can feel much more sophisticated than one made entirely from a single shade of purple.
I also love using purple as an accent through an otherwise neutral wedding. A few stems of violet iris or purple delphinium can completely change the feel of a white and green arrangement.
The key is to think about tone, texture and proportion, not just colour.
Can You Have Purple Wedding Flowers All Year Round?
Yes, although the exact flowers available will change with the seasons.
Roses give you a reliable year-round option, while flowers like tulips, iris, freesia, stock, sweet peas, hydrangeas, delphinium, gladioli, lisianthus and lavender each have their own seasonal windows.
If you’re planning a purple wedding, I’d recommend choosing the shade of purple you love first, then looking at which flowers can give you that colour during your wedding month.
You don’t need to find one flower that does everything.
A combination of seasonal flowers in slightly different shades can actually create a much more beautiful and natural result.
Planning Your Wedding Flowers?
Not sure which purple flowers will be available for your wedding month? Check out 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 purple wedding and want help working out which flowers will actually be available for your date, I’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.
Continue Planning Your Wedding
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Continue Exploring Our Wedding Guides
- Wedding Flowers in Season – See what’s in season in NZ throughout the year.
- 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.
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