Courtesy of Fresno State Floral Lab

Love is in the air, or at least in every store window, magazine, commercial on television and Web site. Whether you have a significant other this Valentine̢۪s Day or not, it is hard to ignore.

Most often when this day comes to mind, so do flowers, diamonds, fancy dinners and a reason to flaunt your love all over town. What probably does not come to mind is the price of one extravagant day.

“[Flower] whole sellers mark up their prices at Valentine’s Day,â€Â said Elisa Castro, manager at Fresno State Floral and a business major.

Fresno State Floral has been around since the 1970s and provides students, as well as faculty and staff, with an array of roses and carnations in vases or cellophane. Their most popular sale is the mixed bouquet, which goes for $45. Two-dozen roses in a red vase is also another option available for $130.

“We have premium long stem roses that are shipped from different countries,â€Â Castro said. “They have a longer stem, bigger buds and more petals.â€Â

Not everyone wants roses for Valentine̢۪s Day, however.

Heidi Honeycutt, a nursing major, who has a fiancé in New York, plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day in March, the next time they will see each other. They use the holiday for an excuse to buy each other gifts they have been wanting.

“He got me pink lilies last year, but I usually don’t like roses for Valentine’s Day,â€Â Honeycutt said.

There are other options, more creative and less expensive alternatives to a bouquet of roses. Chaffee Zoo is offering the Adopt-A-Coati for Your Cutie promotion this year. The cozy coati stuffed animal comes with a gift from See̢۪s Candy, a certificate of adoption and an animal fact sheet.

“Your name will be on the adoption board for a year,â€Â said Christy Harvey, membership manager at the Chaffee Zoo.

Freshman Andre Martinez said she has no plans for Valentines Day this year, but her boyfriend usually surprises her. She doesn̢۪t expect him to spend a lot of money, especially on roses.

“A day at the spa would be around the same price,â€Â said Martinez, who prefers a nice dinner and a movie on Valentine’s Day.