How To Buy A Headstone
All cemeteries have their own specific rules and regulations or what they will allow to be installed into their cemetery. This means that it is extremely important for you the customer to understand and have a copy in writing of these rules and regulations. If the cemeteries rules and regulations are not followed the cemetery has the right to refuse the delivery of your marker. Here is a simple and effective checklist for you the consumer to follow to help you shop with confidence. For more information on purchasing a headstone or memorial, contact American Headstones at (949) 228-7055.
how to buy a headstone
Why choose to buy a headstone online compared to an in-person supplier? There are likely many places in your town that supply headstones and might even create them on property. In addition, your cemetery usually partners with a local headstone maker to ensure you find what you need.
With a lifetime satisfaction guarantee, they customize each of their headstones to ensure each individual receives the memorial they deserve. Their easy-to-use online designer makes it simple to personalize your selection.
Post-planning tip: If you are the executor for a deceased loved one, you have more than just the type of headstone to think about. Handling their unfinished business can be overwhelming without a way to organize your process. We have a post-loss checklist that will help you ensure that your loved one's family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.
The cemetery is where the memorial will be placed, but you can purchase headstones from cemeteries, funeral homes or memorial providers. Memorial providers are especially experienced with grave markers of all styles, materials, shapes and sizes.
This is a common misconception. Though the memorial is placed in a given cemetery, that cemetery often outsources the headstone creation. Working with a reputable memorial provider actually cuts out the middleman so that you can work directly with the designer and creator.
Each cemetery has its own requirements for the memorial types permitted on its grounds. A third-party memorial provider will not only be able to walk you through these options for your preferred cemetery, but if you have a specific headstone design in mind, they can help you find a cemetery in your area that will allow it.
A National Guard member or Reservist may be eligible for a headstone, marker, or medallion if they meet any of the requirements specific to their type of service. We may provide these types of medallions:
A spouse or dependent child buried in a national cemetery, state or tribal Veterans cemetery, military post cemetery, or military base cemetery may be eligible for a headstone or marker. They may still be eligible even if they die before the Veteran.
In most cases, we provide one gravesite and a single headstone for all eligible family members. But if 2 Veterans are married and we receive a request for separate gravesites and headstones, we can provide side-by-side gravesites with separate headstones.
It is Jewish custom to have a headstone unveiling ceremony after the Kaddish period (30 days for close relatives or 11 months for the parents of the departed) but no later than one year after death. Most families follow the custom of waiting for almost, if not an entire, year after passing to hold an unveiling ceremony.
There are several factors to consider when purchasing a headstone. The most common places to purchase them are from a cemetery, a funeral home, or directly from a monument artisan or retailer. Most monument retailers will be familiar with the regulations given by local cemeteries so they may be able to provide a larger selection of appropriate tombstones than funeral homes or the cemeteries themselves. If these options are unable to provide the perfect headstone for a loved one, there are reputable online monument retailers available to purchase from as well. If a purchase is being made online, ask for an image or computer rendering of the marker to get an idea of the final product after customization. At Titan Casket, we offer a wide variety of headstones available for online purchase here.
If you are arranging a burial for someone who has died, one of the things you might be considering is a headstone for their grave. This traditional tribute is not always a feature of modern memorials, but is still very common.
The person that has died might have already chosen, or even purchased a headstone, but if you have to do it yourself, the decision can be challenging. The range of models, designs, sizes and prices can seem endless, and a headstone can emphasise the reality of their death before you have started the healing process. However, once it is installed, it can be a helpful focal point to reflect on their life.
Grave-markers are an ancient tradition, but technology is now available that enhances traditional graves even further. Some masons can now install a weather-proof QR code, as a real sign of the future of funerals, on the headstone that links to an online obituary.
The death of a child is perhaps the most difficult bereavement to cope with, but many masons provide specific headstones to commemorate their personality and interests. The design of these memorials range from teddy bears to trains and spaceships. Bespoke memorials can also be carved for you.
There are several different types of headstone and cremation memorials that you can choose from. If you know that your loved one did not desire anything ostentatious then a simple lawn memorial, or memorial vase, rather than a kerb set, might be better for them.
A traditional kerbed set is the largest and most elaborate design for headstones commonly installed in cemeteries.The front of the memorial includes a stone kerb that outlines a rectangle above the grave that can be filled with natural or coloured chippings, or soil for a flowerbed. Brass flower-holders can also feature in it. The additional area allows for the incorporation of more extensive carvings in the design.
A memorial ledger is a stone slab that lies flat on top of the grave. The surface area of the stone is much larger than either a lawn memorial or kerb set and can feature a longer inscription. An upright headstone can also be incorporated at the top end of it, to highlight the words, with the ledger slab featuring a horizontal carved design.
Ledger memorials are probably the least common type of headstone, and might not be permitted in some cemeteries, but this type of memorial can be a good choice if you cannot visit it often; covering the grave with the slab means that the area does not have to be regularly maintained.
Headstones are normally carved from granite or marble, which is available in a variety of colours. Some natural burial grounds that do permit markers only allow headstones carved from stone that is not quarried overseas. Granite and marble can be sourced in the UK, but York and Portland are popular native stones. Slate can also be used for lawn memorials.Granite is the most hardwearing of these materials, but is therefore the most difficult to carve, which reduces the scope for designs, and increases the price. Marble is very attractive, but dirt and wear can become quite noticeable.
The range of materials and finishes you can choose from depends on the type and model of the headstone. Many designs are only available in specific materials, but most masons will be happy to discuss this with you.
Inscriptions can be carved or painted onto the headstone and the mason who provides the memorial should have a catalogue of typefaces and colours that they can use. The number of characters that can be included in the inscription depends on the type and size of the memorial.
An important thing to remember when planning a funeral is that the headstone cannot be installed immediately after the burial. It is common for burial authorities to forbid it until several months after the interment to let the ground settle and reduce the risk of subsidence. Cremation memorials can usually be installed immediately.
When someone who was bereaved of their spouse or partner dies themselves, they often want to be interred in the same plot. After they die you can have the headstone removed and updated with an additional inscription. If you need more information the it's worth checking out our extensive guide to buying a burial plot.
Headstones survive for centuries, but if they become dirty, damaged or worn memorial masons can repair or restore them. The headstone will also have to be temporarily removed for this work. If necessary, the grave-owner can also decide to have a headstone totally replaced.
Choosing a headstone for a loved one can be an emotional experience, but hopefully this guide will make it less daunting. If you need advice on anything else related to arranging a funeral and bereavement support we have much more information in Help and Resources.
Learn what the PACT Act means for your VA benefits "; $("body").append(alertMsg); }); VA National Cemetery Administration Headstones, Markers, and Medallions National Cemetery Administration Headstones, Markers, and MedallionsGeneral InformationThe Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a Government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased eligible Veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of their date of death.
A Government-furnished headstone or marker may be provided for eligible Veterans who died on or after Nov. 1, 1990 and whose grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone. A Government-furnished medallion may be provided for eligible Veterans who served on or after Apr. 6, 1917 and whose grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker.
Flat markers in granite, marble, and bronze and upright headstones in granite and marble are available. Bronze niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for inurnment of cremated remains. The style chosen must be permitted by the officials in charge of the private cemetery where it will be placed. 041b061a72