Couples have embraced "micro weddings" at the Sydney Opera house, with 33 couple tying the knot at the iconic location on Valentine's Day.
The weddings came courtesy of the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages as an affordable alternative to a traditional ceremony that is still held at a memorable spot.
James Fan and Amy Liang were among the happy couples.
Together for four years, they had their hearts set on getting married on Valentine's Day.
"It went really smoothly, really brisk and efficient," Mr Fan said.
The couple are planning to honeymoon in Yunnan in Ms Liang's native China.
"We're going out to lunch at Shangri-La (restaurant), but we're going to visit the real Shangri-La in Yunnan," Ms Liang said.
The series of ceremonies was attended by Customer Service and Digital Government Minister Jihad Dib who addressed the steep cost of weddings, which average about $36,000 in Australia.
"The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry is doing everything they can to help them for a really cost effective wedding in a iconic place, you can't get better than this," he told reporters.
Cost of living pressures have been affecting multiple other industries this Valentine's Day.
Research from the Australian Retailers Association estimates 700,000 fewer Australians gave gifts this year than in 2023, and overall spending is down 4.1 per cent.
However, while the overall spend and number of Valentine’s Day shoppers fell, gift givers splashed $135 per head, up from $118 in 2023, the association said.
Flower growers and florists sent a quarter of a million roses into Australian hearts and homes this Valentine's Day, and that's just in the nation's most populous state.
Growers and wholesalers take months to prepare for the Valentine's Day rush, sending an estimated 250,000 roses through the Sydney Flower Market.
The market accounts for about 75 per cent of the wholesale cut flower trade in NSW.
Florists and wholesalers hit the market as early as 3am to find the freshest flowers.
Vanessa Pringle, chief executive of a floral designs business at Bathurst, said it's tough to prepare for February 14.
Her small business has been running for 13 years and has three staff members.
''We are three hours away from Sydney markets, our staff are working overtime, it is massive labour,'' Ms Pringle told AAP.
Over the years customers' have changed their approach to the day once known solely for gifts to lovers.
''I've gotten through a lot of Valentine's Day now, but I definitely see customers coming in to buy roses for their female friends or men buying roses for their daughters," she said.
''It comes down to no one wanting to feel left out."
Suburban Sydney small business owner Maria Voudouris said Valentine's Day is by far the biggest day of the year for florists.
''As a florist, it is really important to maintain your relationships with the locals, I see many of the same faces each year," she told AAP.
''There is definitely a trend where people are buying fresh flowers for their mothers and other loved ones aside from their partners."
Ms Voudouris said the trend for 2024 was a move toward pink from the traditional red.
One local florist said people are spending about $200 on bunches for their loved ones.
