Love is in the air and with Valentine's Day just one day away, we're taking a look at everything that makes up the special day, including the economics of it all.
Between flowers, cards and candy, there are a lot of special moments, but there is also money being made during the holiday.
According to the National Retail Federation, Valentine's Day spending is expected to reach $25.9 billion in 2013, which would be one of the highest spending years on record.
On average, for candy, cards, flowers and other gifts for friends and loved ones, Americans will shell out $192.80. That's up from $175.41 in 2022.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Continuing Coverage
At Mill in the River in South Windsor, employees said adjustments have to be made as the volume of customers kick up during this time of year.
"It is really a busy time, which is good for us, and it's competitive," said Mill on the River manager Alexis Wolf.
"Because just the nature of the reservations, it's a lot of two tops versus, you know, other holidays. And on the weekends, it could be larger groups so you kind of have to reinvent the wheel and change the dining room set up downstairs and here with all smaller tables to accommodate the nature of you know, a romantic dinner out," Wolf added.
Due to high volume, the restaurant does require reservations on any major holiday including Valentine's Day, but since it is a week night, if you miss out on Tuesday, you have other days to celebrate.
Employees at Nyren's of New England Flower Shop in Southington expect to have to put in extra hours around the holiday.
"It's a lot of hours. We'll do 80 to 100 this week," said shop owner Paul Lumia.
Lumia said this week, he'll have anywhere from 130 to 170 flower orders. Valentine's Day is the second most popular day for his business behind Mother's Day.
"It probably goes up 10 times. I'll have probably six to eight drivers on the road for the holiday. A normal day is one," he said.
At Thompson Chocolate in Meriden, production has been ramped up for the holiday.
With just chocolate hearts alone this season, they'll produce 24,000 pounds of chocolate, which is 55 hearts per pound. That leads to a grand total of 1,320,000 hearts.
"Actually Valentine's Day will be very busy right up to the minute we close," Thompson Chocolate manager Jacqueline Nardi said.
If you're trying to save money, here are some ways you might be able to celebrate.
- Do a Do It Yourself date night.
- Skip the expensive dinner out and make a special meal at home.
- Postpone your celebration.
- Starting on February 15, everything related to Valentine's Day will be significantly marked down so consider celebrating the following weekend.
- Create your own gift package.
- Pair a stuffed animal with a Spotify playlist just for them. This is a good way to show your feelings without going over the top.
Some people also celebrated this past weekend while others are waiting to celebrate on the actual day or later this week so expect crowds.
