Do You Need To Choose A Headstone?
Planning a funeral can be an emotionally draining experience. At what is perhaps, the most difficult time of your life, you must make numerous decisions, many of which could form lasting memories for you and your family and affect how you recall the funeral service in the years that follow. Working with a friendly funeral home can help to alleviate some of the burdens and allow you to shift your focus to other areas. Sadly, once the funeral is over, there will often still be details to be worked through. You might have to think about legal and financial considerations to ensure that you don't suffer financial hardship, or there might be a property that must be cleared by a fixed date so that a new tenant can move into the building. However, there is one detail that almost everyone who arranges a burial must face eventually — choosing a headstone. Headstones are an unmissable feature of most cemeteries, and ensuring that the grave of your loved one has a suitable headstone is essential.
How to choose a headstone
The two most fundamental elements of any headstone are the dimensions of the headstone and the material from which it is made.
Dimensions - You should work with a monumental mason to decide on the right size and positioning of the headstone. It is also worth talking to your chosen cemetery to see what rules they have relating to headstones and memorials. There are several types of headstones. The most common headstones are upright headstones that are placed at the head of the grave, but other options exist. A flat headstone can be laid down to cover the grave, while a kerbed option could raise a flat headstone above ground level. If you prefer, an upright headstone and a kerbed stone can be used in combination.
Material - Before choosing the material for a headstone, it is advisable to walk around the cemetery for a while and see how the different stones have weathered over the years. Some headstone materials may seem like a great idea, but they might wear quickly and need to be reworked or replaced. Material choices might be granite, limestone, marble, or perhaps bronze. Some materials can be polished or have another finish applied to protect the stone from the elements. Alternatively, you might prefer the natural effect of an unpolished stone that will wear slowly away over time, slowly returning to nature.