Memorial Planning: 7 Steps for a Beautiful & Memorable Tribute

We understand that planning a memorial for a loved one can be an emotional and overwhelming process. However, it’s also a time to celebrate their life and an opportunity to create a tribute that reflects your loved one and their memories. To help you navigate this journey, we’ve put together a series of steps you can take toward planning a meaningful memorial. The first two entail decisions made by you and your family, while our team will gladly take it from there.

Step 1— Initial Considerations: Before diving into the planning process, take some time to reflect on what you want the memorial to convey. Consider your loved one’s personality, interests, and the impact they had on the lives of others. Jot down ideas, themes, or symbols that resonate with what they loved most in life. 

Step 2— Set a Budget and Choose the Location: Establishing a budget is crucial in guiding your decisions throughout the planning process. You should determine how much you can allocate for the memorial, taking into account materials, design, and installation. You should also consider whether you want the memorial to be set in a public space such as a cemetery (and choose which one at this time) or, for those cremated, a permissible private area that holds special meaning for you and your family.

Step 3— Meet with One of Our Professional Consultants: Once you feel ready, you’re always invited to come and visit one of our locations to meet with a Sunburst Memorials consultant. We’ll discuss your preferences, ideas, and any specific elements you would like included in your memorial to begin the design process. This is a collaborative journey where we listen to your ideas, share our guidance, and explore possibilities together, taking over the planning and organization and giving you time to spend with your family.

Step 4— Review our Design Proposal: Following our conversation, we’ll create a design that reflects the elements and insights gathered during our initial consultation. This proposal will include renderings of the memorial, allowing you to visualize your ideas for personalization, fonts, colors, shapes, and symbols in their actual form. We will review the proposal with you and make any necessary adjustments to ensure it perfectly aligns with your vision.

Step 5— Material Selection: After we’ve collected your next set of design preferences, we’ll focus on choosing the material for the memorial. At this point, we’ll guide you through our range of high-quality granite and colors, discussing their features, benefits, and how they’ll complement your design. No matter which material you choose, you can rest assured that our materials are selected to endure the test of time. 

Step 6— Approval & Creation: We’re always ready to address any remaining questions or concerns you may have for the finalization of the project for peace of mind. Once you approve your memorial design and the material is chosen, we will move forward with the construction of your tribute. 

Step 7— Installation: Once your memorial is complete, one of our skilled installers will set your stone. We work with the cemetery directly to schedule the installation. With years of experience, you can trust your memorial will be handled and delivered with the kind of care that feels like family from start to finish.  At Sunburst Memorials, we believe all memorials should represent everything you wish to remember about your loved one. Tributes are meant to serve as lasting reminders of those special moments and memories that were created together. Of course, everyone grieves differently, but we hope the memorial you create can serve as a safe and calming place to remember and honor your loved one.