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What to consider when commissioning a memorial

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Commissioning a memorial for a loved one who has passed on can be an emotional, melancholic and  difficult process, particularly after suffering with the grief associated with losing a friend or family member. There are many things that must be considered to create a respectful, meaningful and thought provoking symbol of your continued affection and remembrance of the person that meant so much too you. You may be wondering where to even begin when thinking about the general design of your monument, hopefully the following advice can assist you when going through the motions.

Type and quality of material

The first thing you will want to consider is what kind of materials you want to incorporate into the design of your memorial. Generally materials like granite, marble and other heavy types of stone are used due to the fact that they are visually striking, durable and available in a number of different colours to match your design. Another reason these types of materials used is because of the hardiness and weather proof nature of these materials, however, you have to ensure the highest quality of stone possible to ensure that your loved ones memorial lasts for generations to come.

Standing monument or flat marker

Next to choose would be whether you want a full scale statue or headstone type memorial or you would like a flat marker with a plaque. That would very much depend on yours and your family’s personal preferences, in low space, indoor or other environments where a fustonell statue or design would either be impractical or unsuitable, a flat marker could be just as powerful a memorial and generally coming at a lower cost than a fully designed and chiseled statue. On the other hand if you’re looking to immortalize your appreciation and love for this person and the location is appropriate then a full statue incorporating important pictures, poems, quotes and epitaphs to leave a lasting tribute to their memory.

Cemetery or location regulations

However before any of the creative elements of your monument can be decided you must ensure that you have clear outlines from the cemetery about what is actually allowed as a memorial. As you could imagine certain things are prohibited to prevent people (who in a cemetery, are likely to be upset anyway) from becoming angered or offended by certain designs. Generally the design limitation relate to offensive and derogatory symbols and language, however more specific limitations may be placed dependent on the location of the grave, they can limit anything from large sizes, to bright or inappropriate colours and even the overall aesthetic nature of your memorial if it is deemed unsuitable in some way.

For more information on this process the visit Alpha 1 Memorials, a monumental masons and specialist in posthumous memorials and grave markers.

Paul Alana

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