Roses more costly this year

Rachel Barber from Flowers on Franklin in Ponsonby, Auckland, is ready for the Valentine's Day rush. Photo / Doug Sherring

Lovers will have to dig deeper into their wallets this year if they want to say it with flowers. This year, February 14 falls on a Saturday - a day when scores of couples tie the knot, pushing prices higher than usual.

"Everyone needs to keep in mind when Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday it's going to be haemorrhaging with weddings," said Flowers on Franklin owner Susan Christensen.

She said single red stems in her Ponsonby store would likely sell for their current cost of $10 and pastel colours would fetch $9, up from this week's $7 price tag. A specially wrapped bunch of a dozen red roses started at $138, though slightly cheaper options were available, including a $99 red rose vase option.

Best Blooms owner Jo-Ann Moss said many customers were getting in a day early to get their weekend off on the right note.

"We find people like to get flowers delivered to work to kickstart a whole weekend of romance," said Moss. Those who left it to the last minute might have to hunt around to find the perfect bloom. Best Blooms gift packages included a delivered boxed long-stem New Zealand red rose for $44. A dozen roses cost $149.

Moss said her team of 12 would be working through the night to get orders out on time.

Christensen was concentrating purely on the Valentine's Day market. "We're choosing not to take any wedding customers." Delivery vans would leave her shop from 7.30am on the busiest day of the year.

Thoughts count more than money in love stakes

You don't have to break the bank to win your lover's heart on Valentine's Day.

It is the thought that counts for many, rather then the size of a partner's wallet.

Here are five tasteful ways to celebrate on a budget.

• Recite a poem: Jump online and learn a few romantic lines. Favourite verses include A Red Red Rose by Robert Burns, Longing by Matthew Arnold and Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love by W.H. Auden.

• Fish and chips on the beach: For about $7 a head, you can't go wrong with a traditional Kiwi favourite washed down with a nice bottle of bubbly.

• Put together a photo album: Compile a series of photos highlighting the events of the past year, or all the years of your relationship, and that capture favourite memories.

• Watch a concert on DVD: If music be the food of love, put your partner in the mood with a night in front of the telly with his or her favourite band or singer. Anything by old-school masters of lurve Marvin Gaye or Barry White should do the trick.

• Breakfast in bed: Fresh fruit juice and croissants with bacon or smoked salmon should get your day off to the perfect start. And, blokes, fresh flowers on the breakfast tray is a winning touch.