Choosing headstone designs for couples is an essential part of the grieving process. When your life partner dies, you feel devastated. Creating a memorial marker that captures the joy in your marriage can help you work through grief. Couples have a variety of headstone designs that honor your marriage.
The Best Double Headstones For Married Couples
On the other hand, many couples preplan their funerals and design their headstones. And to this, I say, Amen! As a funeral director, I liked nothing better than caring for someone I had met in life and whose wishes were in writing. Furthermore, selecting your headstone gives you ownership in the process. It affords you the luxury of time in choosing wording, pictures, emblems, the type of stone, and especially the cost.
Whether you are in the pre-planning stage or have recently lost a loved one, this guide to the best double headstones for married couples aims to make your decision easier.
Double Headstone Designs For Couples
A companion headstone is a solid choice for married couples. The most common size is 36” x 12” x 4”, which is large enough to be placed over two side-by-side graves. However, double headstones have no universal sizing since cemetery regulations vary.
Usually, both names are laser-etched onto the stone at the same time. However, only the birthdates are recorded if both spouses are still living.
If one spouse has died, their complete information is added, including the death date. When the second spouse dies, the memorial company will engrave the last date at the gravesite. There is no need to remove it for this etching.
Some people don’t like seeing their names on a headstone while still living. If that’s the case, add your name later. You don’t have to do it right away.
What Happens In Case Of A Second Marriage?
Rest easy if you own a companion gravesite and headstone but then remarry after your spouse dies. You are free to choose burial with either partner. You are free to change your mind and purchase a plot at a different cemetery. There is no wrong answer about what is best for your circumstance.
After your death, even if you are not buried with your first spouse, you can still have your death date engraved on the marker. Family or friends will pay their respects to you as a couple, whether or not your bodies rest together.
Alternatively, your new spouse might choose to be buried in a spot nearby your companion site. So all of you can reside closely together.
It does not always happen for partners to be buried together. The companion marker below is an example I came across in a Mississippi cemetery. The foot of Bubber’s full-length gravestone reads, “Bubber: His family and his independent oil & coal company were his life.” It filled me with questions about Nell.
Headstones With Couple Pictures On Them
Adding a picture to a headstone designed for couples is a beautiful way to commemorate the individuals and the relationship. Some families choose a wedding picture to place on the stone, while others select more recent images.
Options for photography on headstones include having them etched into the stone or adding porcelain or ceramic image.
Inscribed Relationship With Family Members
Developing family relationships is a core value to many of us. So adding inscriptions that speak to our family members is a common theme on double headstones for married couples. One option is adding the words “Father” and “Mother” above the deceased’s names. Other terms are:
- Beloved Parents and Grandparents
- Husband and Wife
- Our Nana and Papa
- In Loving Memory of Dearest Mother, Father, Grandparents
Headstones With Symbols On Them
Use symbols inscribed on the headstone to signify any special hobby, religion, or other essential items in your life together as a couple or as individual partners. What comes to mind when you think of a symbolic representation of your life?
- Nature: leaves, flowers, trees, mountains
- Religion: cross, angels, Mary, wedding rings
- Hobbies: bowling, books, football, cooking utensils, cars
- Animals: pet paw print, horse
Married Couple Quotes on Headstones
Quotes about the marriage relationship are popular options for the best double headstones for couples. Inscriptions sum up a life in a few short words and can be unique to the couple. Some people like to have Bible verses inscribed on headstones, while others may choose a short poem.
- Together As One (Wedding Date)
- God Gave Me You
- My Best Friend
- Forever In Our Hearts
Custom-Shaped Headstone Designs For Married Couples
Headstone shapes have two limits: cemetery restrictions and cost. Beyond those two, there is no limit to custom-shaped headstone designs for couples. Consider an extravagant memorial to memorialize a grand marriage. Funerary art is a beautiful way to capture our hearts’ love, hope, and grief. So if your budget allows, creating a larger-than-life memorial might be perfect for you!
Mt Hope Cemetery in Hiawatha, Kansas, is home to one of the most outstanding monuments to marriage I have ever seen. So, it’s worth a stop if you find yourself near it. And, yes, if you’re wondering, I do visit a LOT of cemeteries.
In the 1930s, John Milburn Davis spent most of his earthly wealth to create an over-the-top memorial to his wife of 50 years, Sarah. Unfortunately, the couple had no children, and the townspeople supposedly wanted Mr. Davis to donate his riches for a new town swimming pool.
Instead, he commissioned 11 life-size, Italian-marble statues of the couple throughout their marriage. The marble canopy over the tombs reportedly weighs over 50 tons. The story goes that the town eventually got its swimming pool since Mr. Davis’ memorial brought many tourists and their spending money to Hiawatha.
What About Family Headstones?
Family headstones provide a way to memorialize more than just the married couple. Examples like the one below provide space to engrave multiple names. This choice works especially well for cremation, when several family members share one grave site.
What Color Headstone Lasts The Longest?
When you choose a headstone to last, think about the stone’s quality, more than a particular color. Marble, slate, and limestone were the stones of choice for a very long time. But modern cemeteries have drifted towards using granite instead.
High-grade granite is easy to laser etch with crisp, clean lines. It stands the test of weather and the elements over time. Low-grade commercial granite is acceptable for your bathroom countertop. Still, select the highest quality you can afford for an outdoor headstone that may occasionally take a bump from a lawn mower. It will hold its color, no matter which one you choose.
Read: How to Clean a Granite Headstone: Tools, Guidelines
What Is The Cheapest Price For A Headstone?
Headstone costs vary depending on materials, labor, marker size, and distance from the manufacturer. Base prices usually include the stone and engraving with a limited amount of letters. Additional lettering and images add to the overall expense.
You pay an additional fee for installing the headstone at the cemetery. The payment is to the cemetery or the stone manufacturer, depending on your arrangements. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, cemeteries must accept monuments you purchase outside their system.
Shopping around gives you flexibility, but it is not as convenient as simply buying from the cemetery or your funeral director. It is also your responsibility to know the cemetery size and layout regulations. For example, some cemeteries only allow flat, bronze markers in specific dimensions. Know these details before you begin shopping.
Flat, rectangular lawn markers are the cheapest type of headstone. Prices start around $400 for a single marker and $900+ for a double.
Keep your costs low by taking some of these steps:
- Keep the design simple. More letters and engraving equals more costs.
- Buy direct. Skipping the cemetery and funeral home means you don’t have to pay a fee for their time. In addition, if you know a local provider and learn the cemetery regulations, purchasing directly from the manufacturer may save you money.
- While flat lawn markers are the cheapest, you can purchase an upright headstone reasonably. Only finishing the front and back of the stone while leaving the edges rough saves money and doesn’t diminish the look or quality.
- Choose a popular stone the manufacturer already has in stock to save money.
Read: What Is a Headstone?
Conclusion
Double headstones for married couples are an excellent way to commemorate lives lived together. Family members appreciate the opportunity to visit both graves at the same time. They loved you as a couple and seeing you as a couple offers peace.
Personalize the headstone as much as your budget and imagination allow. Choose from any of the following:
- Custom shapes and statuary
- Married couple quotes
- Inscribed symbols and images
- Pictures of you as a couple or as individuals
