* Selecting the appropriate choice of monument providers can save you time, money, and hassle. When making any pre-arranged or immediate arrangements for a funeral, or purchasing cemetery property, you should know that you and your family are not obligated to purchase a monument at that time. It may in fact be better to delay the purchase of a memorial, the one visual lasting tribute, until other matters are complete. You should take time to think of what inscriptions you would like to be placed on this lasting tribute. Your monument provider of choice can show you a variety of styles, stone colours, installation choices, and explain regulations and price options for the destination cemetery. Many cemeteries have regulations that regulate the size, colour, finish, and type of memorial in certain areas of the cemetery; it is wise to consult with a monument builder before you purchase your cemetery property.

* Monument builders will help you to design a memorial and then complete all that is required to produce the memorial from inscription to installation. Other products such as bronze remembrance lamps, bronze vases, floral attachments, religious items and photos or photo etches are available to incorporate into your tribute. Remember when creating the monument that you don't want to overcrowd it with designs, or have it lose its focal point. If it is a family monument you may wish to have a design for each member to show something of importance to them, or a single carving design with family names and dates. Colour selections can be difficult to decide upon, the most common colours are Grey,  Pink, Red, Charcoal and Black. There are many other granites available, but are generally shipped from overseas and therefore tend to cost more.

* Once you have talked about suggestions with your monument builder, and decide on the appropriate text, floral, epitaphs and meaningful symbols for your memorial, they can then have you review a completed stencil to help you visualize the finished memorial. The family then can check for any possible errors before the final work is completed on the stone. Remember, once your ideas are sandblasted into the stone, they are permanent. The monument builder may have pictures of similar markers that they could show you, to give you an idea of what the final product will look like.

* The monument builder can either install, arrange to have someone install, or ship your monument to the cemetery of choice. Once installed, you can have a monument builder make additional inscriptions or refurbish the marker when needed.