A memorial serves an important purpose in
an individual’s emotional life. It reminds them of someone they love who has
since passed, and it serves as a constant celebration of that person’s life.
However, it’s important to understand that
there are many different types of memorials. If you wish to memorialise a loved
one, it helps to be thoroughly familiar with your options. This simply makes it
easier to select the type of memorial best suited to your goals.
After all, a memorial should embody the
spirit of the individual who passed on. The right memorial for one person may
not be right for another.
Luckily, this guide will familiarise you
with the different options from which you may choose when you wish to
commemorate a loved one. They include:
Headstones
Most people are already familiar with
headstones. They serve to mark the location where a person was buried.
Additionally, they may be engraved with phrases, words of kindness, and
numerous other messages. Headstone engraving professionals will coordinate with
you to ensure the messages you wish to include are featured properly on the
headstone.
A headstone is the traditional memorial
choice when a person has been buried in the traditional way. It may come in a
range of shapes, sizes, and materials, including marble, granite, bronze, and
more.
Take your time to consider your options
when choosing a headstone. Again, your goal is to ensure you memorialise a
person in a way that aligns with their personality and spirit in life.
For instance, bronze headstones have a
reputation for looking relatively elegant. This might be an appropriate choice
for memorialising someone who was known for being quite sophisticated in life.
However, if the individual who has passed didn’t prioritise displays of
elegance, you might opt for something more modest.
Don’t worry if you’re struggling to make a
choice when considering which material is right for your goals. Experts can
help you make a decision. You may also want to consult with other family
members and friends. Their input can be quite valuable in these circumstances.
Memorial
Plaques
The primary difference between a memorial
plaque and a headstone is the location of each. Technically, it is possible to
opt for a plaque instead of a headstone to mark the spot where an individual
was buried. However, that doesn’t need to be its location. A memorial plaque
can be placed anywhere, as long as you have the necessary permission from the
property owner.
That’s not a problem if you wish to
install a plaque on your own property. For example, maybe the person you’re
memorialising enjoyed gardening in life. You might continue the tradition by
cultivating a beautiful garden on the same spot in your yard where they once
did. You could install a plaque in front of the garden with a message
indicating how this garden serves as a reminder of the individual who has
passed on.
Additionally, if you secure the necessary
permissions, plaques may be installed in parks and other public spaces. This
might be an option worth considering if the individual being memorialised was,
for instance, actively involved in their local community. You might be able to
coordinate with the relevant community leaders to install a plaque in a
location that embodies their spirit, such as a park they contributed to.
Urns
Not all people opt for a traditional
burial. Some choose to cremate their loved ones instead. Additionally, some
individuals specify before their passing that they would like to be cremated.
In this case, there would be no need for a
headstone. An urn would be the more common memorial option. This is simply a
container holding the remains of the person who has since passed. It can be
placed in an important spot, perhaps on display in their family’s home,
reminding them of their loved one every day. On the other hand, sometimes
people specify that they would like their remains to be scattered in a location
that was important to them during the time they were alive. In this case, the
urn would hold their remains only temporarily.
Of course, just like headstones, urns come
in different shapes and sizes. This is once again an instance when you want to
consider your options before choosing one. Remember, if you’re struggling to
determine what type of urn best represents the person you’re memorialising,
experts and family members can help you make a decision.
Ashes
Jewellery
After a loved one is cremated, scattering
their remains or keeping them in an urn are the traditional ways of handling
the ashes. However, these are by no means your only options.
For example, you might also choose to have
a loved one’s ashes imprinted into jewellery. A resin gem preserves the ashes to ensure their safety. Thus, you
could feel as though you are carrying them with you every time you wear that
piece of jewellery. You may also have their hair imprinted into jewellery if
you prefer. If neither of those sound perfectly appealing, you may simply
engrave a relevant message or your loved one’s name into a piece of jewellery
instead.
Ashes jewellery comes in many different
forms, including bracelets, rings, and earrings. Urn pendants are also
available. As the name implies, these are small pendants that serve the same
purpose as a typical earn, holding the remains of your loved one. However,
unlike a traditional urn, you can take an urn pendant with you wherever you go.
You might consider this option if you travel
often. If you were to place an urn in a spot in your home, you might not see it
frequently enough. With an urn pendant, those who travel frequently can bring
their loved one’s remains with them on all their life’s journeys.
Benches
A memorial bench is another common way to
celebrate the life of a loved one. Typically, it might be a bench you would
donate to the community or a particular institution. The bench can be located
in the community in which your loved one lived, a community they enjoyed visiting,
or a community that was in some other way important to their life. For example,
if your loved one consistently made donations to a particular university, you
might consider asking university officials if you could install a bench on the
campus.
That said, a memorial bench usually
differs from most other benches. After all, your goal is to memorialise
someone. If people don’t know what the bench represents, it won’t serve its
purpose. That’s why a memorial bench typically features a message letting people
know it serves as a symbol of a person who has passed on. If you’re not sure
what type of message to include on yours, you can study existing memorial
benches for inspiration. Of course, as always, you can also solicit input from
friends and family.
Statues
Along with headstones, statues are also
very common memorials that may indicate the location of a person’s burial.
Granted, they don’t have to be installed at a person’s burial site. They can
also be installed in parks, yards, and other such locations.
Although one does not have to be religious
to celebrate a loved one’s life with a statue, it’s worth noting that memorial
statues do tend to be fairly popular among people with religious beliefs. This
is because they often resemble angels or similar religious figures. However,
you can memorialise someone with a secular statue as well, though you may have
to commission an artist to create one for you if you have a specific idea of
how you would like the statue to look.
Memorial
Trees
Many people don’t like to think of
someone’s passing as the end of their life. Although they may no longer be
present in this world, their spirit lives on.
Thus, they sometimes choose to memorialise
someone by planting a tree. As the tree grows, it remains a symbol that the
person’s spirit is still alive in the hearts and memories of those who knew
them. Many also consider this option when memorialising someone who had a great
love for nature and the environment. A tree is certainly an appropriate
memorial for someone who cared about the earth during their life.
Again, these are all popular memorial
options to consider. We at Normington & Sons Funeral Home will also gladly
discuss the topic with you if you ever struggle to choose an option. We’ll also
assist in all funeral planning, helping you during this understandably
difficult time. To learn more about our services, contact us online
today.
