What is Cemetery Lettering?
If you have purchased a pre-need monument or marker and need to add an inscription, Tegeler Monument, Maryland’s best headstone and monument company, can assist you. We understand that during this difficult time, you need a reliable and compassionate partner to ensure your engraved grave marker is completed to your satisfaction.
Our process for adding an inscription to an existing monument or marker, known as cemetery lettering, is designed to be convenient for you. In most cases, the cemetery lettering can be done on-site at the cemetery without removing the stone. However, if you wish to engrave the back of an existing monument with a design, we will need to temporarily remove the stone and bring it back to our shop for the work. Rest assured that we meticulously match the font, size, and spacing of the existing lettering to maintain a uniform appearance.
There are a few different options when it comes to cemetery lettering. The most common three are adding a panel, inscribing a blank panel, and adding a death date.
- Adding a Death Date: When adding a death date to your custom headstone, we ensure it matches the layout of the existing birth date, such as following the format of “Nov. 1, 1900” if that’s how the original date is written.
- Adding a Panel: If your stone has panels where names and dates are enclosed within a box or book, we match the appearance of the existing panel when adding a new name.
- Inscribing a Panel: In cases where you’ve purchased a monument or marker for two people, but only one person has passed away, we can add a blank panel for future inscription. The layout of the new inscription within the blank panel will match the existing name and dates.
How Do I Know Which Type of Lettering I Need?
Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish which type of headstone lettering you may need on your existing monument or marker. Below are some helpful diagrams that show the distinctions between the different types of lettering.
In this diagram, a death date is needed. This monument was bought pre-need and it was already decided who would be buried on the left. Prepping your monument this way, will make things easier on loved ones when the time comes to add the death date.
In this diagram, a full panel inscription is needed. This monument was prepped to add another name and dates when the time came. This is helpful when you know someone else will be going on the stone, but you’re not quite sure who.
In this diagram, an entire panel needs to be added. This monument was
semi-prepped to add another name and dates. This typically happens when the purchaser is not sure if someone will ever be buried in the second grave.
What if I Need to Engrave The Entire Back Side of My Monument?
Tegeler Monument and Loeblein Memorials can also help you if you need a headstone engraving for the entire back side of a custom monument. Depending on the amount of work that needs to be done, we may have to remove the stone from the cemetery and bring it back to our shop to complete the work. Below are some diagrams and an explanation of whether we may need to remove the stone from the cemetery.
In this diagram, only a family name panel is being added to the back of the monument. This is typically done for a few reasons.
1. The customer wants to be able to find their monument easier.
2. The customer owns the two graves behind their monument as well, and family members will be buried there in the future.
For this type of work, we would not need to remove the monument from the cemetery.
In this diagram, only a panel with an inscription is being added to the back of the monument. This is done when the customer owns the two graves behind their monument as well, and someone was recently buried in one of those graves.
For this type of work, we would not need to remove the monument from the cemetery.
In this diagram, a family name panel and a panel with an inscription is being added to the back of the monument. This is done when the customer owns the graves behind their monument as well and a family member was recently buried in one of those graves. The family name panel is added when it is certain that both people being buried in the two graves will have the same last name.
Depending on the size of the monument, we may or may not need to remove it from the cemetery and bring it back to our shop to complete the work.
In this diagram, a family name panel and design are being added to the back of the monument. This can be done for a few reasons.
1. The customer wants to be able to find their monument easier.
2. The customer owns the twos graves behind their monument as well, family members will be buried there in the future, and they wanted the back of the monument to have the design match the front.
For this type of work, we would need remove the monument from the cemetery and bring it back to our shop to complete the work.
In this diagram, the entire back of the monument is being engraved. This is done when the customer owns the two graves behind the monument as well and family members are already buried there or will be in the future. Typically, the back of the monument mirrors the front as far as design goes. However, if you want to do a completely different design on the back of your existing monument, that is no trouble and no extra charge. For this type of work, we would need to remove the monument from the cemetery and bring it back to our shop to complete the work.
Our experienced team is well-equipped to handle various scenarios, such as adding a family name panel, an inscription panel, or both on the back of the monument. We ensure a seamless integration of design elements, whether it’s for easier identification, future burials, or matching the front and back designs.
At Tegeler Monument and Loeblein Memorials, we prioritize providing clear explanations and guidance throughout the memorial planning process. If you require cemetery lettering or have any questions about our process, please don’t hesitate to contact us via phone or fill out our online contact form. Our dedicated team members will promptly reach out to assist you. Trust us to help you plan and create a custom monument for your loved one in Maryland and beyond.
Contact Tegeler Monument Co.
(410) 944-0300
5804 Windsor Mill Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21207
Contact Loeblein Memorials
(410) 284-7404
7205 Eastern Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21224