In spite of the extreme cold, hearts were warm on Valentine’s Day. A fresh cover of snow blanketed the city and made for a beautiful night.

As popular destinations for traditional Valentine’s Day gifts, local shops Choles Floral and Kilwins put in an immense amount of preparation to ensure a successful holiday weekend.

The staff at Choles Floral work tediously in the back of store.

Designing each bouquet takes time, patience and creativity which is impressively executed by the staff members.

Adding colorful accents are part of the final touches of bringing a piece together.

Once the bouquets are complete, they are stored in the cooler to remain fresh and lively for customers.

Meanwhile on State Street at Kilwins, employees worked steadily to hand-craft hundreds of chocolates, gift baskets and other sweet treats.

Elaborate love-themed displays filled the shop, boxes all tied up with bright red bows. “Truffle box pairs perfectly with any wine,” read one display.

The old-fashioned confectionary made hundreds of chocolate covered strawberries for the weekend, carefully dipping berries into a variety of chocolates. A small kitchen at the front of the store allowed customers to watch the action, leaving no doubt in their minds that their treats had been freshly made.

On Valentine’s Day, State Street was lined with students and couples out celebrating. The Badger Herald and Humans of UW-Madison chatted with a few.

Humans of UW-Madison: “What’re your plans for the night?”

“We were supposed to do our homework, but we’ll probably just do nothing. We’re very single.”

HOUWM: “What was your first date?”

Guy: “We saw American Sniper.”

HOUWM: “What prompted that decision?”

HOUWM: “How do you all feel about Valentine’s Day?”

“Don’t like it, we’re all single.”

HOUWM: “How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?”

Guy: “I’ll let you answer that.”

Girl: ” I don’t know, you should take time out of every day to appreciate the people you love but it’s nice having that one special day too.”