Many of us decorate the headstones of our loved ones because we want to memorialize and honor them even after they are gone. Headstone decorations bring a level of personalization to their final resting place and provide surviving family members a more comfortable place to visit.
In Northeast Ohio, we’re all too familiar with each of the four seasons throughout the year. So why not decorate your loved one’s memorial to match the trends of winter, spring, summer and fall?
Try placing a pumpkin next to the memorial around Halloween. Or during the Christmas season, you could put a wreath or poinsettia plant.
Continue reading to learn about several unique headstone decoration options you can use during every season of the year.
Winter
It’s common for families to not think about headstone décor during the winter months—sometimes simply because it’s cold outside, but oftentimes because they are unsure how to make a grave look nice during the gloomiest time of year.
Here a few headstone design and decoration options to try out next winter:
- Wreaths. The Christmas season is synonymous with many seasonal plants, like evergreens, holly, rosemary and mistletoe. These plants immediately signify the holidays are here and make great wreaths, which can be placed directly on the memorial or next to it with an easel.
- Poinsettias. Poinsettias are by far the most popular Christmas flowers, both for decorating a memorial and placing in homes. Their brilliant red leaves are a symbol of the season and their blooming schedule aligns perfectly with the holiday season.
- Grave Blankets. Grave blankets are an evergreen arrangement that cover the ground surrounding a loved ones’ memorial. These elegant boughs are most commonly decorated with similar touches as wreaths, like ribbons, ornaments, pinecones or personalized items.
Please note that your loved one’s cemetery may have rules and regulations about the location or size of a wreath, so be sure to check first or contact a local memorial provider.
Spring
For thousands of years, humans have left flowers at the graves of their loved ones. With fresh flowers, you want them to look lively and beautiful for as long as possible. So, when is the best time to place flowers at a gravesite? The answer is spring!
Here are some of the most popular spring-blooming flowers that will brighten up your loved one’s headstone:
- Daffodils
- Primrose
- Tulips
- Pansies
- Rhododendron
Summer
Summer is a time for bright colors and blooming flowers. You can choose to decorate your loved one’s headstone with their favorite flowers from our Milano Inspirations gift shop, and/or consider placing rocks or flags nearby—both of which have special meanings.
- Rocks. Rocks serve as an easy and small way for anyone to show they were at the cemetery to visit and honor their loved ones.
- Stones. Burying and stacking stones—also known as cairns—on top of a loved one’s grave is done to mark the burial site and protect them from animals.
- Flags. Both Memorial and Independence Day fall under the summer months, making it the perfect time to place a flag.
The Milano Inspirations gift shop houses fresh flowers and can make custom orders as well as permanent grave decorations such as flags, light up signs, rocks and stones. We also offer artificial flowers year-round.
Fall
When the fall season approaches, consider decorating your loved one’s headstone to reflect the rich colors and beauty of autumn.
This can be done with:
- Pumpkins. Decorating with gourds and pumpkins offers an easy, hassle-free way to decorate but still showcase well-known elements of fall. You could even get the kids involved by painting some of the pumpkins.
- Sunflowers. These fall flowers make for beautiful living decor. Stop by the Milano Inspirations gift shop to pick up a fresh fall-themed flower arrangement for your loved one’s memorial.
- Halloween decorations. Consider adding a few small Halloween decorations if this was one of your loved one’s favorite holidays.
Many cemeteries have strict rules about how gravesites can be decorated, so we recommend checking with the cemetery about their rules before you decorate the headstone.
More Ways to Personalize a Loved One’s Headstone
Although decorating the grave of a loved one can help make visiting the cemetery a little less painful, so can planning the overall design and look of their headstone.
Learn more about what’s possible when it comes time to design and purchase a memorial by downloading our free Headstone Design Guide.
