Choosing a memorial

Choosing a Memorial

A memorial is a heartfelt and everlasting tribute to your loved one.  Choosing the perfect memorial takes time and consideration, but at Granite Memorials we can help you with every step of the way.

Regulations on the type of memorial you can choose

As a general rule cemeteries will allow any shape and colour of headstone and plaques, but may have restrictions on the height and wording permitted.  Churchyards are more restrictive and regulations will vary depending on the area that the churchyard is in, but a general rule is only grey granite or natural stone headstones under 2’6” in overall height are allowed, with silver letters and a small motif that reflects the deceased’s hobbies or life style.  At Granite Memorials, our National Associations of Memorial Masons (NAMM) approved memorial masons will talk you through the regulations for your cemetery or churchyard, helping you to choose a memorial that suits the environment as well as your requirements.

Obtaining Permission

Before any memorial may be installed in a churchyard or cemetery, permission must be obtained from its management.  An application form must be completed with the type of headstone, material, font, inscription, number of vases, size of the memorial; and a sketch of the memorial must be attached.  Most churchyards and cemeteries will charge an application for approval fee, which varies from place to place.  Our qualified staff will be able to take this hassle out of your hands and complete the application process on your behalf.

Choosing the shape

These days headstone and memorial plaques come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from the traditional to the modern and everything in between.  Visit our website and browse our brochure to see the huge range we have available, or call in to our showroom to walk around our display.

Choosing the inscription

Choosing the wording to go on the headstone is the hardest part of the process.  It needs to be formal, giving the important details of the deceased, but it also needs to be a goodbye, a remembrance of who the person was and what you loved most about them.  The wording can be broken down in to three parts:

• The initial inscription.  This is the wording at the top of the headstone, the lead in to the person’s name.  In Loving Memory or Treasured Memories are the most popular, but there are a number of verses you can choose from.
• The personal details.  These are the deceased’s full name, date of death, date of birth and/or age.  Some people also like to add here if they were a loving grandmother/father, mother/father, sister/brother and or a nick name that the deceased may have been better known as.
• The verse.  Lines from poems, prayers to god for safe keeping or verses from their favourite songs can all be seen on headstones throughout the UK.  The verse is your chance to say something personal about the deceased, to pray for God to look after them, or to thank them and say good bye.  Whatever you want to say, there will be a song or poem that says it for you.

We have a range of suggested inscriptions available to download from our website for inspiration.

Choosing the motif

Some people like to decorate their loved ones’ headstone with a small motif that depicts a hobby or reflects the life style of the deceased.  This is not a pre-requisite and there are many who let the inscription talk for itself.  But if you do want to add a picture, or engraving to the memorial there are a huge range to choose from.  Bibles and crosses, to dogs and footballs, whatever you want to put on the headstone we have the design to match.

Choosing the font and style of the lettering

The lettering on a headstone can be done in 3 ways:

• Handcut.  Our memorial masons are highly skilled in hand cutting the granite and natural stone to create bespoke, unique letters and numbers to suit your requirements.
• Sandblasted.  Sandblasted letters can be done in nearly any font that you would find on a word processor and provide a smooth, even finish.  Our experienced designers will look at the kind of lettering you are looking for and offer and number of choices.  Whether you want it all in capitals, or flowing and scripted we have the font to suit you.
• Machine Cut.  Machine cut letters come in between the handcut and sandblasted letters.  Cut into the stone using tools, machine cut letters can look like handcut letters, but with more uniformity and choice over the fonts available.

Choosing the colour

Whichever method you chose for the cutting of the letters, you will have a choice over the colour of the letters:

• Gold Leaf.  The gold leaf is hand crafted on to the already cut letters and wears extremely well.
• Leaded Letters.  Lead is beaten into the handcut letters and when finished sits proud of the headstone.  Leaded letters are hand crafted.
• Painted Letters.  Our painted letters come in a range of colours including, gold, silver, grey and bronze.  The letters are painted over a number of days leaving the paint to completely dry between coats. 

Choosing Granite Memorials

At Granite Memorials we appreciate how important it is to choose the ideal memorial and our expert staff and memorial masons will be there to guide you through every step of the memorial process, offering advice and support.  Our skilled designers will listen to your ideas and design a memorial that suits your loved one, providing you will a proof of the design before any work is undertaken.  Our skills and expertise have been recognised by the National Association of Memorial Masons and the Guild of Master Craftsmen and all our work is guaranteed.  Visit our website at www.granite-memorials.co.uk or come and see our experts in person at our showroom in Wheldrake, near York.