How to Create an Everlasting Memorial
By Phil T Byrne
Your loved one is now at rest, you have said goodbye and
now is the time to create an everlasting tribute to your
loved one. But how do you decide which memorial stone,
what colour lettering and which inscription?
Memorials and headstones come in many different
materials, colours and sizes. Choosing between them can
be confusing and tiring. Start with the colour. What was
your loved one's favourite colour? Granite headstones
come in nearly every colour available, Yorkstone
headstones are traditional and marble gives you a bright
white finish. Most cemeteries allow various colours of
headstones and memorial plaques, unfortunately
churchyards are stricter. Your cemetery or churchyard
should be able to provide you with a copy of the rules
and regulations.
Once you have chosen your colour, think about what you
want the headstone or memorial to say. The inscription
should give the name, date of birth and date of death of
the deceased, but the rest of the epitaph is free for
you to add your messages of love or favourite sayings.
Personalise the memorial with a design or engraving.
Many different designs are available to be sandblasted
or laser etched on to the headstone. These can range
from simple flower headers and crosses to pictures of
your loved one, or engravings of their favourite pastime
or Memorial.
The size of your headstone will depend on the size of
the engraving and length of the inscription you have
chosen. Most headstones come in an overall height of
2'6" or 2'10". Churchyards will only allow headstones up
to a maximum overall height of 2'6", whereas most
cemeteries will allow any size memorial.
You are now ready to take your memorial design to a
memorial mason.
At Granite Memorials we have experienced master
stonemasons, who will talk you through every aspect of
designing your memorial. They will offer advice on the
types of headstones and memorials available, talk you
though the fonts and type of letterings and then design
a bespoke memorial to your requirements. We always
provide proofs of your design with our quotation and are
happy to provide examples of more than one inscription
so you can be assured that you are buying the perfect
tribute for your loved one. At Granite Memorials we
pride ourselves in providing stunning timeless memorials
that our clients are delighted with. |