When a family member, friend, or loved one passes away, selecting a headstone monument for the grave can be a big decision. Many companies produce custom grave markers, and finding the right one often comes down to personal taste and how you want to represent the deceased.
Standard Headstones
For years, a headstone consisted of a marker with the deceased's name, their birthdate, and the date they passed. In some cases, people that could afford to have ornate headstone monuments could get them, but they were typically hand-carved and took some time to create.
While some people still choose to go with a simple stone to mark the gravesite of a loved one, there are more options than you can add, and creating a headstone that fits the personality or interests of the person buried there is possible. Whether you choose a standard marker or a custom headstone, there are some steps involved in the process when ordering a headstone monument.
Material Selection
Headstone monuments are made from many different materials, but polished marble and stone with a lot of color and texture are becoming more popular. The standard light-colored stone with simple engraving is still available for people to choose from, but there is also a large selection of other materials that you may prefer.
A visit to the headstone maker's shop allows you to pick out the stone and discuss what you want to put on it. Most headstone makers offer laser engraving on the headstone, so you can add pictures or designs to the stone that represent your loved one and preserve some memories of them that people visiting the grave might enjoy.
If your loved one was an avid hunter, a large buck deer on the stone might be nice, or if you have a picture of them, you could have it engraved directly into the headstone. The options are growing, so if you have questions, ask the headstone maker what they can add to the stone when you order it.
Placing The Headstone
When the headstone monument is ready, you will need to let the cemetery manager know so they can arrange to have the stone placed on the grave. If there was a temporary marker on the site, it needs to be removed and the ground prepared for the new headstone. The soil will need to be level and well compacted so that the headstone monument does not shift or move over time.
A crane will often be required to lift the new stone off the truck and position it on the grave site. The weight of the headstone makes it impossible to move by hand, so once the stone is in place, it will stay there for years to come.
Share27 July 2022
When I started my first business, I had taken a few business classes in college, but I still had a lot to learn. I had a good product to sell, but at first, sales were very slow. I wasn't sure just how to drum up business, and I didn't have money left in my budget to invest in a big marketing campaign. I was very lucky that local marketing professional stopped into my business, and although I couldn't afford to hire him, he did give me one free important tip: invest in better signage! Since signs are relatively affordable, I took his advice and traded in my old banner for a quality professionally designed sign. Foot traffic and sales increased rapidly. I learned a lot during the sign design process that I want to share on my new blog to help other small business owners out there who are struggling!
