Your memorial marker is a deeply personal choice, which is why it makes sense to make it personalized to who you are. Memorial markers, which may be called a variety of names, such as gravestones, headstones, or monuments, allow others to identify your final resting place. A memorial marker creates a symbol of your presence, reminding your loved ones that they can always come and find you here.
Memorial markers come in a variety of designs and feature an abundance of customization options. Though each cemetery has specific guidelines on what is allowed on a memorial marker, here are some steps to take to personalize your monument.
How to Personalize Your Memorial Marker Keeping in mind to contact the cemetery to get the guidelines on what is permitted.
1. Contact your Family Service Advisor to make an appointment to go over all of your options and guidelines. Head to ccacem.org to get contact information.
2. Decide on who the memorial marker honors.
If you’re designing a memorial marker for yourself, this step is simple. You just need to think about what you want and what would symbolize you best. However, memorial markers can be used to identify a variety of burial places. If you’re being buried in a family plot or with a spouse, you may want to choose a memorial marker that’s big enough to honor multiple people.
3. Choose a shape, material, and color.
Monuments come in a variety of shapes, materials, and colors. You may want to start by choosing a shape and how you want your monument to sit. Do you want it to be upright, slanted, or flat on the earth? An upright headstone will provide you with several shape options, allowing it to rise from the ground in dramatic, beautiful ways.
Most monuments are available in a variety of materials, though granite, marble, and bronze are the most common options. You can also choose from various colors for each type of material, though it’s worth noting that a bronze monument will develop a patina and change color over time, which may be an effect you would want.
4. Write an epitaph and decide on your lettering.
Most memorial markers say the name, date of birth, and death date of the person buried there. But you can also add an epitaph, which is a short message on the monument that has some sort of significance to the decedent and those who love them.
Some examples of an epitaph include:
- A message about family, like “Beloved father, brother, and son”
- A religious quote or verse
- A feeling that your family will always have about your loved one, like “In God’s care, forever in our hearts”
Once you decide on the words, you can choose the font choice. Be sure to choose one that is easy to read on the shape, material, and color of your monument.
5. Add images, etchings, or engravings.
Some memorial markers can also include additional images, as well as etchings or engravings that can be carved into your memorial marker. These extra symbols and images let you add more personality to your monument. These pictures can be as detailed as a reproduction of a piece of your artwork or a family photo to more simplistic symbols, like a cross or a flower.