When a loved one passes away, it’s important to have a place to go where you can honor and remember them. Often, a grave site or gravestone serves this purpose, and it’s a wonderful place to leave flowers, flags, and other personalized items. Here are a few appropriate items that work well for decorating a gravestone.

Common Gravestone Decorations

1. Flowers & Wreaths

Flowers are one of the most popular ways to decorate a gravestone because they are easy to personalize — you can leave your loved one’s favorite flowers or flowers in their favorite color, for example. They’ll also be removed by a cemetery caretaker when they start to wilt. You can also leave wreaths, or even fake flowers—some grave markers have built-in vases specifically for this purpose.

2. Decorative Stones

The practice of placing small stones at a grave site or on top of a gravestone dates back centuries and is thought to be a sign of respect. Small stones serve as lovely personalized decorations, as you can leave a stone your loved one was fond of, or one that’s engraved with a special word or message.

3. Flags

During holidays such as Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day, American flags are often placed on the gravestones of vets. You can also use small cemetery flags to commemorate any kind of service position your loved one once held, or to display a meaning full quote or image.

4. Grave Blankets

Some people leave grave blankets at gravestone sites, particularly in areas where it gets cold during the winter. Grave blankets cover the ground above the grave—the idea being that they provide warmth comfort to the deceased. They can be made from a variety of materials, including cloth, branches, ribbons, and pine cones.
 

For more ideas about gravestone decoration, contact McGee Monuments in Rochester, NY. Locally owned and operated since 1900, this compassionate company can help you with a wide variety of memorial and funeral needs, including monuments, grave markers, gravestones, and headstones. Visit their website to learn more about the services they offer, and call (585) 546-4602 to speak with a friendly representative today.