After my father passed away suddenly, my mother, siblings and I all struggled with planning his funeral. We were already in a state of shock and sorrow, and then we were overwhelmed with the options and decisions we had to make in regards to the funeral. Luckily for us, we worked with an amazing funeral home and funeral director who helped guide us through the process. I know how hard it is to plan a funeral and how many decisions need to be made. This website was created in order to give families preparing to lay a loved one to rest a guide of sorts that will help them determine what decisions will need to be made and information about those decisions. I extend my sympathies to you if you are in this position and hope my website helps to make things a little bit easier for you.
If someone close to you has died recently, one of the last things you need to do to complete their end-of-life arrangements is to choose a headstone or grave marker. These stones can vary from elaborate memorials to simple, small stones with the birth and death dates. You can even have pictures etched into the stone. However, before you contact a company that makes headstones, it's important to consider a few critical elements.
1. Don't have the headstone set too early. It's generally a good idea to let the ground settle around the gravesite before you have the headstone put in. This time can vary from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the season, the weather, and the type of soil in the cemetery. Waiting helps to make sure that the stone has a solid base and isn't likely to lean or tip as it ages.
2. Check the cemetery rules. Like homeowners' and condo associations, most cemeteries have a set of rules about what you can and cannot place on a gravesite. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with these rules before you risk purchasing a stone that the cemetery won't allow you to install.
3. Shop around. Many cemeteries have a preferred relationship with a stone company in their area. This may translate into a discount for cemetery plot owners, or it may not. Keep in mind that you are free to choose the company you want to work with. It is illegal for a cemetery to require you to use a particular stone company.
4. Have a family meeting before you visit the stone company. If there is more than one family member involved in the decision of what type of headstone to erect, it's wise to make sure that everyone has a similar preference for designs before you meet with the stone company. It's more efficient to get all of the compromising done in advance.
5. Check the proof carefully. The stone company will give you a computer-generated proof of what the finished stone will look like. Make sure that you check and double-check the dates and all of the spelling before you approve the proof.
Choosing a headstone, in most cases, completes a person's end-of-life arrangements. Make sure that you don't have the stone set too soon after the funeral, that you choose a stone that is acceptable to the cemetery bylaws and goes well with the other markers in the cemetery, and that all of the family members agree on the basic design of the headstone.
For more information about choosing a headstone, visit with a professional such as Maurice Moore Memorials.
Share1 July 2016
