Planning a memorial of your recently lost a loved one, like a family member or a friend, can be an overwhelming experience for many. Choosing the right headstone after losing someone close to you can be challenging during such emotional times. There may be many things that you would like to ask your monument supplier when selecting and ordering a tombstone.
We will now discuss some common questions people often ask their memorial specialists when ordering a new monument:
How Big Does The Monument Have To Be?
This depends on if the headstone is for one or two people. It also depends on how much information/design will be going onto the memorial. Cemetery regulations may also play a role.
Does Color Make Any Difference?
Yes, color can affect how the engraving is done (lighter colors need to have a flash panel for lettering and a double outline for design). Color choice can also affect the price of the monument as different colors cost more than others.
What Affects The Price Of The Monument?
This is probably the question that many memorial specialists hear the most. Things that could significantly impact the monuments price might include:
- The monument’s size (the larger/thicker the gravestone, the more it will cost) and color will affect the price
- How many sides are polished? (on some monuments, one side is polished, like on a flat marker, whereas you may polish up to five sides on an upright or pillow monument. The more you polish a monument, the more it will cost)
- The shape of a memorial will also affect the price – the more you have to shape a headstone, the more time it will take to create, increasing the cost
- You can also include accessories such as vases, pictures, matching bases, and lettering/design on the back of the monument, which will all increase the cost of the memorial
What Is Included In The Monument Price?
This can vary from one headstone company to another. At Summit Memorials, all lettering and standard designs placed on the front are included in the monument’s price. You can put as much lettering and designs on the front of the memorial as you would like, but keep in mind, the more lettering you put on a headstone, the smaller the lettering will be.
Can We Put Anything On The Back Of The Monument?
Yes, you can add lettering and design to the monument just like the front. Many families include the family name on the back with a family farm picture or a unique design. Some also prefer specific wordings such as “Parents to…” and list the children. There would be an extra charge to do this as lettering/designing the monument’s back is not included in the monument’s pricing.
Can We Put Custom Images On The Monument?
Yes, there are specific ways to do this. You can have a picture scanned at high resolution and have the image diamond etched/lasered onto an upright monument (not recommended to do on a flat or pillow monument).
You can also use a dura photo, a porcelain photo recessed into the monument (can be done in color or black and white), or ask your design artist to redraw an image and include it as a shadow-toned design on the monument.
About Summit Memorials
Summit Memorials is a monument specialist based in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We help our customers commemorate their loved ones’ memories with premium memorial headstones across Alberta and Saskatchewan. Visit our website to see our memorial products or contact us for personalized service.