With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many of us are scrambling to find the right presents to showcase our love, appreciation and affection for our friends, partners, or sweethearts. Often, we give in and go with the tried-and-true choice: a bouquet of flowers.
A bouquet is a beautiful way to make someone feel special – but flowers aren’t for everyone. They can’t be cherished for years to come, and they have an incredibly short lifespan for their high price. Worse, if you’ve been giving your loved ones flowers year after year, your Valentine’s Day gift is just plain boring.
This year, you can make yourself and your gift stand out by giving your loved one a different type of bouquet. Put a spin on the traditional and give a bouquet that’s filled with something special that’s designed to last. Here are a few nontraditional choices that’ll make your Valentine happy.
1. Candy Bouquet
Who doesn’t have a sweet tooth? A candy bouquet is as easy as giving flowers – and it’s less expensive. Starting at around $20, you can design a one-of-a-kind candy bouquet out of your loved ones’ favorite treats. From chocolate roses to your beloved’s favorite childhood sweets, online retailers offer a huge selection of options.
Want an even more personal touch? You can build a candy bouquet of your own with a simple DIY. Just tape candy bars to wooden skewers and assemble them in a vase you already own.
2. Plush Toy Bouquet
Stuffed animals aren’t just for kids. This Valentine’s Day, send your toy-loving partner a bouquet made entirely out of plush characters. Shaped like a traditional Valentine’s arrangement, these soft, fuzzy, and fun bouquets feature different stuffed toys instead of freshly cut flowers.
Check out ThinkGeek’s selection and you’ll find a huge selection. From stuffed kittens to Star Wars characters to dragons to plus chemistry sets, this unique store has a bouquet for every interest. Prices start at $40.
3. Donut Bouquet
Give your Valentine what they really want: donuts! Swap out a dozen roses for a baker’s dozen of donuts for an entirely innovative and fun bouquet. First created by Dessert Boxes in Australia, the donut bouquet has started appearing everywhere from holidays to weddings. If your loved one adores donuts, it’s the perfect gift (and it’ll certainly make him or her smile!).
If your local donut shop won’t create this delicious bouquet for you, it’s easy to design on your own. Buy a mix of different-sized donuts, stick them atop wooden skewers, and arrange them in a traditional flower vase – or, tie a bow around this tasty arrangement to keep it simple.
4. Salami Bouquet
Flowers might be pleasing to the eye, but a bouquet filled with meat is sure to satisfy the hungriest Valentines. The Salami Bouquet swaps out blooms for pounds of meat wrapped in decorative brown paper. Featuring 5 different types and flavors of salami, you can gift your favorite carnivore with their favorite snack.
Designed and packaged by Mancrate, the Salami Bouquet starts at $50 and can be customized to include your partner’s favorite meats.
5. Breadstick Bouquet
Is your partner a carb lover who can’t resist a delicious piece of bread? Don’t give them a dull selection of flowers; give them what they really want. A bouquet of nothing but breadsticks.
Olive Garden offers a breadstick bouquet kit that you can pick up at your local restaurant and put together at home. Need another option? You can build a breadstick bouquet of your own – all you need is a selection of breadsticks from your local grocery store and decorative paper to wrap them in.
Make Valentine’s Day Even More Memorable
Flowers may be a tradition – and the most popular Valentine’s Day gift of all – but they certainly don’t stand out. Celebrate your friendship, your love, and your relationship with something truly special and entirely unique by picking a different kind of bouquet this year.
Break away from the traditional and opt for something that really reflects your other half. Whether breadsticks or donuts, stuffed toys or candy bars, there are so many different options! And you may never buy a Valentine’s bouquet of flowers again.
Like anything, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the latest research. We recommend comparing at least 3 or 4 options before making a final decision. Doing a search online is typically the quickest, most thorough way to discover all the pros and cons you need to keep in mind.