There is no right way to choose a memorial, and no deadline. Most families find the decisions come in a natural order. This guide walks through them gently, one at a time.

Take your time, genuinely

Cemeteries generally ask that a grave settles before a memorial is set, so there is usually a natural waiting period of several months after a burial. That time is yours. Nothing about a memorial improves for being decided quickly, and we have never once hurried a family through it.

Start with the cemetery

Every council sets rules on what its cemeteries allow, heights, widths, foundations, sometimes materials. This matters because it shapes what can be chosen before taste comes into it. Tell us the cemetery (or just the town) and we'll confirm its rules before we show you anything, so everything you consider is something that can actually be approved.

Then the stone itself

Granite is the usual choice in Scotland because it lasts: polished granite keeps its lettering crisp for generations. The main decisions are:

  • Colour. Polished black is the classic and shows gilt lettering beautifully. Vizor blue is a softer grey-blue; tropical green is deep and quiet; rustic Scottish granite is left with a natural, split face.
  • Shape. From a simple rounded top (an ogee or half-round) to hearts, books and Celtic crosses. Shape changes the feeling of a stone more than size does.
  • Finish. All-polished, part-polished with pitched edges, or fully rustic. Bring a photograph of a family stone if you'd like the new one to sit comfortably beside it.

The inscription

This is the part families worry about most, and the part that least needs worrying about. Begin with the facts, the name, the dates, and let any further words come in their own time. We set out the whole inscription in a drawing before anything is cut, so you can see it, hold it, and change it as often as you wish. A further line can always be added years later; many are.

What it costs

Ask any mason for one figure that includes everything. Ours does: the stone, all lettering, photography, the vase, delivery, the council's permit fee and VAT. If a price seems low, check what's been left out; lettering charged per letter is the usual surprise.

What happens next

When you're ready, the process is unhurried and clearly explained: a conversation, a drawing, the making, the setting. You can read exactly how it works on our process page, or simply come and walk around the yard at 5 Crosshill Road, Bishopbriggs. No appointment is needed, and nobody will follow you round.