Valentine's Day 2012 is well underway, from wedding ceremonies in India to the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton's solo visit to The Brink in Liverpool.
Back in the US, folks are expected to spend an estimated $17.6 billion on Valentine's Day gifts this year, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF).
That works out to be $126.03 per person, an 8.5 percent increase from last year and the highest in a decade.
Whether it's roses, chocolates or balloons for your sweetheart, or an exotic trip to the movies, love is definitely in the air for couples around the world.
Here's how some of us are spending Valentine's Day 2012.
A boy prepares bouquets of flowers for sale on Valentine's Day while waiting for customers along a roadside stall in Faisalabad February 14, 2012. REUTERSA man shows a tablet computer, with its screen displaying "I love you" in Chinese, to his girlfriend on a heart-shaped sculpture made of six by seven metres of sand and stone, during low tide at a beach in Hong Kong on Valentine's Day February 14, 2012. REUTERSA couple looks at Valentine's Day gifts in downtown Tripoli February 13, 2012. REUTERSGroom Jakkapong Sangchavang (L) and his bride Phapisa Aumpornvach, both 27, pose with a gold marriage certificate during a Valentine's Day celebration in Bangkok February 14, 2012. The certificate, made with 7.6 grams (0.27 ounces) of gold, is a gift to the couple from the Director of the Bangrak district for the being the first couple to be married in this year's Valentine's Day. REUTERSMembers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) kiss their brides during a Valentine's Day mass wedding ceremony inside Saint Joseph church at the police headquarters of Camp Crame, Quezon city, metro Manila February 14, 2012. REUTERSEroll Escobar kisses his partner Princess Madrolejo as they pose for photographers while carrying a 16-feet and 200 kg Albino Burmese Python during a Valentine's Day presentation inside a Malabon zoo, north of Manila February 14, 2012. A survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) from December 3 to December 7 last year shows that only three out of 10 Filipinos would change their religion in the name of love. The SWS noted that the unwillingness to change their religion for their loved ones is strong in all religions, a local media reported. REUTERSA woman looks at roses for Valentine's Day at a flower shop in Bangkok February 14, 2012. REUTERSChangmao, the ram and Chunzi, the doe pass through an arched door written with the Chinese characters "I do", during a cross-species wedding ceremony at Yunnan Wild Animal Park on Valentine's Day in Kunming, Yunnan province, February 14, 2012.REUTERSA parent looks at posters with personal information displayed during a Valentine's Day event at the People's Park in Shanghai, February 14, 2012. The event is organized by the local government to help parents look for dating opportunities for their children. REUTERSWords of love are displayed on the landmark Taipei 101 building on Valentine's Day in Taiwan February 14, 2012. A total of 101 people, who paid TWD$52000 ($1758), declared their love for their valentines with LED displays on the walls of the Taipei 101 building on Tuesday, according to local media.REUTERSGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a bouquet of flowers that she received from the Central Gardening Association on the occasion of Valentine's Day, at the Chancellery in Berlin February 14, 2012. REUTERSA man holds Valentine's Day balloons for sale while waiting for customers along the roadside in Karachi February 14, 2012. REUTERSHearts are shaped in snow on Valentine's Day at the frozen lake Bled, northwestern Slovenia February 14, 2012.REUTERSStudents make a formation in the shape of a heart and a red ribbon during a HIV/AIDS awareness campaign on Valentine's Day in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh February 14, 2012. REUTERSA florist prepares a bouquet on Valentine's Day at a flower shop in Baghdad February 14, 2012. REUTERSA vendor holds up a heart-shaped box with pralines near a chocolate high heel shoe for Valentine's Day at a Wittamer chocolate boutique in Brussels February 14, 2012. REUTERSAn employee (L) looks at a stopwatch as a couple kisses to attempt a 60-second kissing challenge at a restaurant on Valentine's Day in Shanghai, February 14, 2012. A total of 100 couples took part in the challenge in which the successful couple will be offered a ticket for a free meal within a month. REUTERSBritain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is presented with a bouquet of roses, a card and a cake by Jaqson Johnston-Lynch, age eight, after a visit to The Brink, an alcohol-free bar in Liverpool, northern England, February 14, 2012. Catherine's husband Prince William is currently posted overseas, as a Royal Air Force helicopter search-and-rescue pilot stationed in the Falkland Islands. REUTERSA participant of the "Network of supporters of Vladimir Putin" project takes part in a flash mob near the Russian White House, headquarters of the federal government, on Valentine's Day in Moscow February 14, 2012. Members of the community gathered 10 thousand valentines cards and cast them into special heart-shaped boxes to present them to Prime Minister Putin and express their love and best wishes to him, according to organizers. REUTERSA couple embrace as they watch the sunset from a promenade along the Arabian Sea on Valentine's Day, in Mumbai February 14, 2012. REUTERSBrides attend a mass marriage ceremony in Kolkata February 14, 2012. A total of 60 Muslim and Hindu couples from various villages across the state took their wedding vows during the day-long ceremony organised by a non-governmental organization on the occasion of Valentine's Day, the organisers said.REUTERSYouths clap their hands during a hip hop concert to celebrate Valentine's Day in Tower Island, Yangon February 14, 2012. REUTERSA man sells Valentine's Day balloons under a heavy snowfall in central Kiev February 14, 2012. REUTERS
