You're not alone! Check out this "How To" article published in the Daily Interlake to start the process of memorializing the life of your loved one.
Here are a few important considerations:
Grave Location: Your Most Important Decision
At-need vs. Pre-need
Cremation vs. Full Casket Burial
Where to Buy the Headstone – Warranties
Selecting the Headstone, Personalization and Price
The high-tech, fast paced world we live in has conditioned us to make quick, impulsive decisions that may possibly harm us. Choosing a headstone as a Best-Last-Gift for yourself or a loved one should not be rushed or taken lightly. Taking the time to seriously consider this decision will eliminate future emotional pain and regrets for you and your family. This permanent tribute will be there for many future generations to experience, connect with and learn from. A permanent Family memorial monument headstone will give you peace of mind and long lasting emotional rewards to your family.
7 Comments
I do like that you recommend actually visiting a headstone business that has some headstones on display. After all, you will want to make sure that you are choosing the one that you feel best represents your departed loved one’s life. If you are going to do this then you will want to see the available headstones in person so that you can look them over and inspect them before deciding which one is the right fit.
Thanks for pointing out that before choosing a headstone you should check the reputation and integrity of the business you will be purchasing from. My sisters and I are trying to choose the right headstone for our dad to help capture how special he was in life. I think that researching the businesses we are considering getting a headstone from ahead of time would help make sure that we could choose a trustworthy one so that we could get my dad the headstone he deserves and maybe even get some help designing it too.
My grandmother asked me to help her choose the headstone for her funeral if ever she might not make it out of the operation alive. Thanks for mentioning that customizing the design of your headstone is important. I’ll make sure to tell my grandmother about this so that we can start reaching out to headstone suppliers for a quotation.
Thanks for pointing out that before you design a memorial it’s smart to know where your final resting place is going to be. My dad is getting older and he is starting to try and plan his funeral and burial so that we can have less to worry about when he passes away. I will have to remind him to design his memorial based on where he is going to be buried so that it can fit in the space and so that it can look good.
Thanks for suggesting visiting a qualified headstone business that will offer a photographic rendering of the headstone. My dad wants to buy a memorial for my grandmom since her stone is falling apart. I will strongly recommend him getting granite since it lasts longer.
I did not know that if the plot where the grave of your loved one is located isn’t yours, you must get approved before to be able to install a grave marker. My mom lost a friend that had no family and she used to take care of her so, she wants to make sure that she honors her. I will help her look for a custom grave marker company so she can design her one that she likes what it says.
Hi Derek, we have run into issues where someone gets verbal permission to use a grave plot that they did not personally purchase for their own or another family member’s memorial. Upon placing a memorial there, the person who owns the plot, family or otherwise has complained about size, placement, etc and since they are the legal owners they get to decide what goes there. We recommend having something down in writing if you plan to use someone else’s grave site or get them to sign off on what is going there. Sounds like in your mom’s case that it is your mom’s plot and she wants to put her friends marker there and that is great! If your mom owns a plot or several and wants to put a marker there for her friend, as long as the cemetery regulations allow it there shouldn’t be any issues.