What Can You Put on a Grave While Waiting for the Headstone?

The people we love deserve to be honored when they pass away. More often than not, the process of honoring a deceased loved one and laying them to their final rest can take quite a bit of time.

While going through that process, you may find yourself in a situation wherein the burial is completed before your loved one’s headstone is ready. All of a sudden, you now have a grave site with no marker present.

What can you do in that scenario? Using a temporary grave marker is your best option. Continue with this article if you wish to learn more about temporary grave markers.

What Is a Temporary Grave Marker?

As its name suggests, a temporary grave marker is an object used to denote the location of a grave site. The temporary grave marker is positioned near a grave site and it is kept there until the headstone is ready.

Notably, a temporary grave marker is not a temporary headstone. A grave marker is not meant to last for a long time.

Most temporary grave markers can only stay in good condition for about eight weeks or so. The permanent headstone must be ready at that point.

Why Do You Need a Temporary Grave Marker?

The main purpose of a temporary grave marker is to give visitors something to use as a reference when visiting the grave of a loved one. Family members and friends from overseas may be flying in to pay their last respects and they may decide to head to the grave site immediately.

Thanks to the temporary grave marker, they will be able to find the location of their deceased relative or friend quickly.

Using a temporary grave marker is also a must because you may not be able to note that important location otherwise. You may be thinking of using a different object to temporarily mark your loved one’s grave, but many cemeteries do not allow that. The only option may be to use a temporary grave marker.

What Are the Different Types of Temporary Grave Markers?

You have some options to choose from if you are looking for a temporary grave marker.

Back in the day, you could use aluminum plates that held letters to temporarily denote the location of a loved one’s grave. However, those are now rarely used.

In their place, companies may offer metal cards that contain information about the deceased individual. These markers are often provided by cemeteries.

Some memorial companies specialize in offering markers that can be placed on stands. The marker being positioned on the stand makes it easier for visitors to see. Typically, the temporary markers placed on those stakes are plaques that contain information about the person buried.

Lastly, some families may opt to use thin granite stones as temporary grave markers. These grave markers last significantly longer than the other options we mentioned. They also work as a temporary headstone for families who cannot afford a more conventional monument just yet.

Don’t leave your loved one’s place of burial bare. Make good use of a temporary grave marker to honor your dearly departed friend or family member until the headstone is ready.

Categorised in: Headstone