5 Important Questions To Ask When Choosing a Memorial

Selecting a memorial for your departed loved one can be an emotionally taxing event. You want to create a beautiful stone to mark your loved one’s resting place, but with so many options, how do you choose? Let us help guide you in your process.

Here are 5 important questions to ask when choosing a memorial:

What Are the Rules of the Cemetery?

Most cemeteries have rules and regulations that guide the type and style of memorials that can be placed. Some cemeteries, for example, don’t allow above-ground stones or statuary. Other locations don’t allow flowers or anything left at the gravesites, so including a vase on a headstone would be pointless. It’s better to learn these guidelines before you go through the design process and potentially pay a large sum of money only to find out the memorial you’ve chosen is unacceptable.

What Is My Budget?

Before you begin designing a memorial, figure out how much you can realistically spend. Some materials will be more expensive than others, as will extra features and more intricate designs. Deciding on your budget at the beginning will help you figure out how you can work important elements into the amount you want to pay instead of figuring out how to pay for everything you’ve chosen. This will help you save some time and frustration down the road if you have a number you can give to your memorial company up front.

Is This Memorial for One Person, Or Part of a Family Plot?

If you are designing a memorial for a single plot, you have far more freedom than if you are choosing a memorial that must fit into a family plot. When you are looking to make an addition to a family plot, you must keep in mind the look and feel of all the other memorials in the plot. If you have a plot full of simple gray stones with basic engraving, adding in a rose-colored, elaborately carved stone with statuary will look out of place.

What Design Elements Do I Want?

There are two major categories you’ll need to make decisions regarding: engraving and add-on elements. When it comes to choosing an engraving, do you just want your loved one’s name and birth and death dates? Do you want a little extra personalization such as an epitaph or cross engraving? Or do you imagine a cameo (photo) of your loved one featured prominently on the stone? There are many options for add-on elements, too, such as crosses, angel statuary, or vases. Your memorial salesperson can show you the various options if you aren’t sure what you want or need to know how your vision will look in reality.

What Material Do I Want?

Finally, you need to choose the material you want for the memorial. Your choice of material will determine not only the look of the memorial and its price, but also how long it will take for the final product to be installed. More common stones such as markers are often kept in stock and can usually be completed and installed sooner than the normal 90 to 120 days. For a less commonly chosen stone or a unique color, it will need to be specially ordered and can cause the time to final installation to climb into four to six months.

Quality Memorials for Your Loved One’s Final Resting Place

At Merkle Monuments, we have been providing personalized memorials and headstones to families all across Maryland since 1933. We offer Rock of Ages memorials in a variety of sizes, colors, and styles. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you create a fitting memorial for your loved ones.