One of the main decisions is whether your loved one will be cremated or buried. Perhaps, they have already decided this in a statement or will. Some religions require specific types of services (see: Religion & Cultural FAQs).
Deciding between traditional earth burial or entombment in a mausoleum versus cremation is a matter of final disposition, not memorialization. Once the decision about the final disposition of the physical remains is made, the decision on how to memorialize the life of the person may be easier to make.
If you decided on burial, you will need to make some decisions in purchasing a monument/ tombstone/ memorial/ headstone/ footstone. There are several factors to consider:
Cemetery regulations:
- Do they require the grave have a permanent marker within a specific time period?
- Do they require a cement border at the base of your marker?
- Do they require you to purchase your marker through them?
- Do they require an installation fee for some other vendor to come into their cemetery to install your marker?
Burial
- flat or grass level
- bevel
- slant
- wing (two uprights connected by a common base)
- upright
- composites
- statuary
How many persons will the stone be for?
- one person
- two persons (or more?)
- a family
A headstone in the center of the plot with footstones‚ for the individual grave spaces with the individual's personal data on it.
Design and Materials
So many different options - you can design what you want as long as you can afford it!
- Metal
- Bronze
- Stone, brick or terra cotta
- Marble
- Granite
Note: some of these stones may have to be special ordered, because some come from other countries, and that will take as much as nine months to receive locally; then your design may be carved and the stone installed. How much of the stone you want polished will also need to be decided.
Size of monument:
Measure the die (upright part of the stone)
- from top of base to highest point for height
- from front to back for thickness
- from side to side for width
- [the base will be cut in proportion to the die]
Cost factors
- Materials used
- Type of style
- Amount of detail in the design
- Customization or a stock design
- Size of monument and amount of polishing
- Extra Lettering (usually charged per letter, however, the surname, given names of the deceased, their dates of birth and known dates of death are included in the original cost )
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