Gravestones and old monuments can contain beautiful memoirs of both our human mortality and our immortal impact on the world around us. While there’s still a haunting brilliance to aging grave markers, beautifying them—especially the graves of those we cherished the most—can keep their legacy alive even longer. With these three ways to decorate an old gravestone, you can prevent memories from fading out of history and honor the spirits of your late loved ones alive.
Add a Vase or Flower Saddle to the Gravestone
Flowers will always look better on a grave if you have somewhere to place them. Vases for headstones come in many varieties, such as ground-mounted single flower holders or polished stone grave-mounted vases. Placing a vase on the grave may encourage others to leave flowers in it, even if they don’t know you or the person in the grave.
If you’re looking for something more unique than a vase, consider placing a flower saddle on top of the gravestone. Flower saddles allow you to blanket the grave with a wreath of bountiful flowers and replace them whenever you want to. Whether you pick your favorite seasonal flowers, leave a festive decoration, or place a bouquet of artificial flowers atop the saddle, it’ll look beautiful in any weather.
Attach a Ceramic Photograph
No matter how old or recent the gravestone, adding a picture of the person it memorializes can keep their image around for generations. Ceramic photographs of the dearly departed are easy to add to the gravestone after the funeral has long passed. All you need to do is find a picture that perfectly captures your loved one and buy the ceramic photograph on its own. After that, you can attach it to the gravestone for everyone to see.
Leave a Memory Box at the Grave
Sometimes visitors may want to leave something more than flowers behind at the site of the grave. A memory box or keepsake box is a lovely place for people to leave notes, belongings, or even donations. Make sure that the box is weatherproof before allowing people to place things inside of it. Check it regularly to prevent it from getting too full and exposing the contents to the outside elements. What you do with the objects people leave behind is up to you—start a scrapbook, hold onto a larger keepsake box at home, or document each new thing you find in the box.
With any of these three ways to decorate an old gravestone, make sure to check if the cemetery allows extra décor on gravestones. Due to their groundskeeping, they may not allow certain objects or have limitations that you must abide by. Get creative with your decorating ideas to make your loved one’s personality sparkle from beyond the grave.