Memorial Styles
Memorial styles for headstones range from traditional upright monuments to flat or beveled markers, offering families various ways to honor their loved ones. Each style can be customized with personalized engravings, materials, and designs to reflect the individual’s legacy and spirit.
Bronze Markers
Bronze markers, typically measuring 24 inches by 12 inches, are composed of bronze rather than granite but are most often mounted on a granite base. These bases may take the form of a flat marker, pillow-style, slant, or even an upright monument, depending on the family's preference. This method of presentation offers a dignified and lasting tribute, particularly when displaying a complimentary Veteran’s marker. In many cases, we also design a matching companion marker for the spouse, allowing both to be installed side by side on a single granite foundation for a cohesive and respectful memorial.
Cremation Memorials
Cremation memorials offer a meaningful way to preserve and honor a loved one’s ashes within a granite monument. There are several options available, including custom-designed personal columbariums or integrating a secure space within a flat marker or upright monument by coring a cavity for the remains. Each approach provides a respectful and lasting tribute tailored to your family’s wishes.
Flat Markers
Flat markers provide a clean, understated option for memorialization. Crafted from any color of granite and placed flush with the ground, they require polishing only on the top surface since the rest remains below the soil. Some cemeteries prefer or require flat markers to simplify maintenance and upkeep. While modest in design, these markers can still be customized in many meaningful ways to reflect a loved one’s personality and legacy.
Lawn Level Sizing:
For single lawn-level memorials, a typical and widely used size is 24 inches long by 12 inches wide and 4 inches high, though dimensions can be adjusted to suit specific preferences.
Companion lawn-level memorials are most commonly 36 inches in length, 12 inches in width, and 4 inches in height. These dual memorials often offer more flexibility in size and design, allowing families to creatively utilize the space for a shared tribute.
Memorial Benches
A memorial bench is a granite bench designed to honor and celebrate the memory of a loved one—or a pair of loved ones. These monuments are growing in popularity due to their versatility and beauty. A bench can be placed in a cemetery, garden, park, lakeside cabin, or any other location that holds special meaning. More than just a tribute, a bench creates a peaceful space for visitors to sit, reflect, and remember. Memorial benches come in a wide range of styles, from sleek and simple to custom designs with meaningful shapes and engravings. One of the most favored options is the garden bench, which includes a backrest that allows for added personalization such as carving, lettering, or decorative elements.
Upright Memorials
Upright memorials—commonly referred to as headstones or gravestones—are vertical monuments that stand above ground level. This classic style is what many people envision when thinking of a traditional cemetery marker. Upright monuments provide the most flexibility in terms of size, shape, and design, allowing for a highly personalized tribute that tells a loved one’s story with both words and artwork.
These memorials are made up of three main components: the tablet, the base, and the foundation. The tablet, which stands vertically, is typically 6 to 8 inches thick and serves as the main surface for inscriptions and carvings. The base supports the tablet and helps protect it from maintenance equipment like lawn mowers. Beneath that, the foundation is installed level with the ground to ensure long-term stability.
Upright Memorial Sizing
The size of an upright memorial is generally determined by cemetery regulations, available space, and budget. It’s important that the monument fits within the width of the burial plot—commonly 4 feet for a single grave and around 8 feet for a companion or double plot.
For individual upright markers, a standard size is 24 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 20 inches high, though custom sizing is available. Companion upright monuments are often 36 inches long by 6 inches wide and 20 inches high. These larger memorials allow more room for creative designs and shared inscriptions, making them a popular choice for couples or family plots.
Temporary Markers
Temporary markers offer a thoughtful solution for families who wish to mark a loved one’s resting place without the wait that often comes with custom monument production. These markers are crafted from jet-black granite and feature detailed laser etching that honors the individual's life and memory. When the permanent memorial is installed, the temporary marker can be taken home and cherished as a meaningful keepsake.
