Headstones....have you ever bought one online

[Ottakee]

My MIL passed away today.  She chose direct cremation so we have no funeral home/funeral director, etc.  I am handling everything.

I saw online places where you can buy tombstones for a fraction of the cost of funeral home ones.  Has anyone ever used one of these places?  Any to recommend?  We want simple but don't want junk.

[mominco]

Ottakee just wanted to say so sorry for your loss (((hugs)))

[umsami]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

I have not bought a tombstone online, but I did buy an urn off of Etsy.  I really liked it and it fit well with my Dad's love of nature and trees. 

 

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1359135113

[Melissa in Australia]

So so sorry

I am hugging you from the other side of the world

 

(hug)

(Hug)

(HUG)

[Pawz4me]

I'm so sorry about your MIL.

I had no idea you could buy tombstones through funeral homes or online. For my parents I bought them at locally owned monument companies (two different ones). I went and looked at their displays, decided what I wanted and ordered them in person.

[Katy]

I haven't, but I'm sorry for your loss.

[TechWife]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I priced out stones for my brother's grave just last summer. It turned out that it was less expensive to buy it through the cemetery. When bringing in an "outside vendor" there were charges to have it installed on his grave by cemetery personnel, which were around $500. I recommend checking with the cemetery and seeing if they have any similar charges.

As for ordering, I went to the cemetery office in person and picked out what I wanted. Because I live out of state, they emailed the proof to me and I approved it in writing by email. After it was placed, a relative that lived locally went to the cemetery and checked to make sure that it was placed on the correct grave and that it matched the proof.

[unsinkable]

(((Ottakee)))

I'm sorry about your MIL. :-(

I think this is one thing that might vary by locale. Bc my experience is opposite of some other posts.

For us, the cheapest option was to purchase through an independent, local monument maker. It was a multi-generation family business. There was a fee that the cemetery charged (for something, I can't remember what they called it bc the monument company delivered and placed the headstone) but the fee was more than offset by the price savings of the headstone.

 

[Rachel]

I’m sorry for your loss!

I haven’t bought one online. Our cemetery had rules about the type of marker where we buried our baby which was cheapest through the cemetery. 

[Ottakee]

Thanks for the input.  This is a rural, country cemetery with not a lot of rules.  I will check with them though before purchasing anything.  If local is close in price I would do that.  Of course, being a small rural township the offices are closed today so I can't even verify that there is a plot there for MIL and the costs for cremains.

[Retired]

10 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm so sorry about your MIL.

I had no idea you could buy tombstones through funeral homes or online. For my parents I bought them at locally owned monument companies (two different ones). I went and looked at their displays, decided what I wanted and ordered them in person.

I did the same last year when my dad died.  I live in the southeast and a granite double size for both parents with both names /birth and my dads death and also a  etched church  road   scene cost 1300.00.  There were less expensive option but my mom was adamant she wanted this for her and dad.  Sorry for your families loss.