Creative Ways to Personalize a Monument

Preparing for the passing of a loved one is never easy, but it is an unfortunately inevitable part of life. One major part of this process is of course deciding on a monument. Whether you’re planning ahead for yourself or you’re handling this for a loved one, this process can become overwhelming. There’s a lot of decisions that are required when choosing a monument, and you can choose to have as much or as little input as you’d like.

For some people, designing a monument for a loved one can be therapeutic in a way. This process provides the chance to really reflect on what you love about your loved one and how you want those feelings and their unique characteristics to shine through in their monument. At Gaulden Monuments, we offer custom monument services where you have the power to create a unique and highly personalized monument that can be cherished by you and your family for generations to come. Many people are surprised just how customizable and unique monuments can be, so we’re sharing some creative ways you can personalize a monument to make it embody your loved one.

Shape
If you can imagine it, chances are we can create it. Many people assume that monuments only come in a few standard sizes, but with a little bit of creativity and the right artist, a monument can be transformed into just about any unique shape you can think of. The shape of your loved one’s monument can be as traditional or as unique as you’d like. The shape of the monument will also affect the rest of the monument’s design, so this is a good place to start when deciding how you ultimately want the monument to look.

Before you decide though, we recommend checking with the cemetery you’ve selected to see if there’s any limitations on what you can do. Then we can work with you to craft a shape that will serve as the basis for the rest of your design. If you want to keep it traditional but you’d still like something a little unique, we can give the monument dramatic rounded edges, for example. We can also create something more personalized that incorporates elements of your loved one’s life. For example, if your loved one had a passion for music then we can make the monument into the shape of a guitar. Or, maybe you’d like something that speaks to their faith, like a monument in the shape of an angel or a cross. Whatever you have in mind, we can help bring it to life.

Color
Another monument element that often gets overlooked as an opportunity for customization is the color. While our monuments are made out of stone, there are some options when it comes to selecting the color of the granite for your monument. Every slab of granite is unique and some showcase colors differently. There are also other options such as slate, bronze, concrete, limestone or marble. Various materials can help you achieve different looks, but it’s important to know that not all materials are created equally. Some materials will have different levels of durability over time, so it’s important to consider all factors of a material before selecting one based on color alone. Luckily though, granite is extremely durable and widely accepted at cemeteries, making it a popular choice. Granite can also be found in a wide range of colors and shades depending on what you’d like.
Inscription

Another crucial element of your loved one’s monument is of course the message, or what text you’d like to include. The monument’s inscription is a very important element and can say a lot about a person and their life. Many people opt for inscriptions that will encapsulate how they felt about their loved one, such as “In loving memory of,” or “Forever in our hearts.” Religious scriptures are another popular choice. Some other types of inscriptions that you may want to consider may be quotes from poetry, song lyrics, military sayings or even a popular phrase that may have been dear to your loved one.

The inscription is often the trickiest part for families designing a monument, so it’s good to start thinking about it early on in the process. Once you’ve decided on what you want the inscription to say, you can use fonts to add another element of design to the monument. There are a wide variety of fonts to choose from, from script to simple text. We can help you decide on a font that’s right for your message while being clear and easy to read.

Design Elements
Other than the shape of the monument and the inscription, there are additional design elements that you can add. These design elements can be added onto the monument and can be created either using the same type of stone as the monument or using a different type. Additional design elements may be angels, flowers, crosses, doves, statues or even photos. These can be selected based on your loved one’s interests, faith and tastes and will further enhance the monument.

Accessories
Lastly, headstone accessories can be another way to embellish any monument. Additions like vases, plaques or benches can be added onto the monument. Vases are a great addition because they will give you and loved ones a permanent place to leave flowers at the monument throughout the years. Another popular addition is a bench because this not only gives you additional space to design in honor of your loved one, but it will also serve as a permanent space you can visit when you’d like to reflect on them.


It’s never easy saying goodbye to a loved one, but a customized and highly personalized monument gives you something that you can always remember your loved one by. Whether you want to include a personalized message, pay homage to their life of service or create a monument with a striking shape that will stand out from the rest, we can help bring your visions to life.