My love is like...a paper rose? Filipinos look to save on Valentine's Day

A bouquet of origami roses to be sold ahead of Valentines Day is pictured in Quezon City, Philippines, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

MANILA (Reuters) - Two Philippine entrepreneurs have been using origami skills to woo cost-conscious lovers ahead of Valentine's Day, offering bouquets of roses, sunflowers and lilies made of paper at a fraction of the price of real flowers.

Savers seeking a novel way to impress that special someone see the origami flowers as a statement of undying love, at half the cost of the real thing.

"I see that it's really well made and that its craftsmanship is so complicated," said college student Byron Bueno, as he picked up a bouquet.

Filipino lawyer and entrepreneur Alex Castro delivers a bouquet of origami flowers to a customer in Quezon City, Philippines, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Half-a-dozen paper roses fetch 450 pesos ($8.64) through online purchases, compared to about 800 pesos for fresh flowers at the main market in the Philippine capital, a price sellers expect to climb still higher on the big day.

Ann Rodrigues, a doctor, and partner Alex Castro, a lawyer, have been flooded with orders since they decided to turn their hobby into a small business on Facebook.

The couple spend three hours folding and arranging each bouquet, and have stopped taking orders for Valentine's Day because they can't meet the demand.

Origami sunflowers to be sold ahead of Valentines Day are pictured in Quezon City, Philippines, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

"The thing about origami flowers is that it never wilts so once you give it to a person, they can keep it forever," said Castro.

(Reporting by Ronn Bautista; Additional reporting by Eloisa Lopez; Writing by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty)

A Filipino entrepreneur makes an origami flower to be sold ahead of Valentines Day, in Quezon City, Philippines, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Filipino entrepreneurs Ann Rodrigues and Alex Castro make origami flowers to be sold ahead of Valentines Day, in Quezon City, Philippines, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Filipino lawyer and entrepreneur Alex Castro holds bouquets of origami flowers to delivered to clients in Quezon City, Philippines, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Filipino lawyer and entrepreneur Alex Castro makes origami flowers to be sold ahead of Valentines Day, in Quezon City, Philippines, February 12, 2019. Picture taken February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Filipino entrepreneurs Ann Rodrigues and Alex Castro make origami flowers to be sold ahead of Valentines Day, in Quezon City, Philippines, February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez