The final goodbye

Two Headstone Design Tips

5 March 2021 by Monica Ruiz

If you're having a headstone designed for the first time, you should find the tips below useful.

Don't order an exact duplicate of any highly-distinctive headstones you're shown

When you first tell the funeral home staff that you're interested in having a headstone designed, they will probably show you a catalogue featuring the most popular designs as well as the customised, unusual headstones previous clients have ordered. If one of the latter catches your attention, it is important not to order an exact duplicate of it, even if you think it is beautiful and would be a perfect tribute for the deceased person's grave.

If the family who ordered that original headstone live locally (which is likely, if they used this funeral home's headstone services) or if their deceased loved one is in the same cemetery that yours will be in, then they may come across this distinctive duplicate. Because of the effort that has to go into designing a highly distinctive, customised headstone, they may take offence to you copying it and find it disrespectful or distasteful. Whilst it's unlikely to result in them tracking you down and complaining, it may cause these people unnecessary distress.

As such, if you see a unique headstone whose design you find beautiful, you should simply pick a feature of it that you really love and use this as a starting point for the headstone you're having made. This will enable you to replicate the aspect of it that you love the most, without copying the entire thing.

Look through the deceased's possessions for inspiration

If viewing the catalogue of headstones provided by the funeral home does not provide you with any inspiration and you don't want to opt for a generic design, you should try looking through the deceased's possessions. When designing headstones for the ones they love, most people's biggest concern is ensuring that the headstone not only looks lovely but that it is something that is a fitting representation of the deceased.

If this is your main concern, then having a look through their things is probably the best way to determine what headstone design would be the best choice. If for example, their decor and clothing were all very understated, then a large, ostentatious headstone would probably be the wrong choice. Looking through their things might also result in you discovering an interest of theirs that you were unaware of and which you could use as the basis for the design. For instance, if you come across a large collection of bird photos, you could have an engraved flock of birds used as the main image on the headstone or you could have a small bird sculpture attached to the headstone.

For more information, contact a headstone design service.

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