Dried flowers aren't just for great grandma

Dried roses
I've always felt bittersweet about receiving a gift of flowers. On one hand the gift represents the loving thoughtfulness of someone who cares about me, and yet this sweet fragrant gift will soon shrivel up and die. In an attempt to honor the short life that such flowers lived in order to become a bouquet in my home, I often hang them to dry and then display them somewhere as an offering and preservation of nature. The flowers that don't dry in full-flower shapely condition become a pile of petals used for potpourri. Their fragrance lasts for many months beyond being dried.

Symbolism
The tradition of giving flowers to loved ones became a very important gift long ago because a suitor or lover could secretly (or not so secretly) express important symbolic messages depending on the type of flower given.

White roses, like most white flowers, often represent purity and innocence. When used at weddings, the white rose represents the virtue of a new vow of love.