If you're going to be ordering a custom headstone, you might be looking forward to ordering a nice headstone that truly commemorates your loved one and his or her life. Before you order a custom headstone, though, you will probably want to do these three things. 

1. Find Out About Cemetery Rules

First of all, you should call and check with the cemetery where your loved one is going to be buried to see if there are any rules that you should know about. Some cemeteries require that headstones be a certain size or type or that they are made of a certain material. Someone from the cemetery should be able to tell you about these rules so that you will know how to design your headstone. Not only will this help you avoid breaking the rules, but it will also help you make sure that the headstone works cohesively with the others in the cemetery.

2. Consult the Family

You may want to talk to some of your loved one's other family members and close friends to ask for their input. The others who are grieving the loss of your loved one might appreciate being involved in the process. Plus, some of these individuals might have some good ideas about how to customize the headstone that you have not even thought about yet.

3. Double-Check Everything

You may want to have your loved one's custom headstone customized with his or her name, his or her date of birth and his or her date of death. You may even be adding a special bible verse or quote. When you're feeling emotional and are coming up with the design, it's easy to make a mistake. You don't want to find out after it's too late that there was an error in the information that you gave, though. To make sure that everything that is printed on your loved one's custom headstone is like it should be and to gain peace of mind, you may want to double-check everything before submitting your order. You can even have someone else look it over for you just to make sure that no mistakes were made.

Designing a custom headstone for a loved one can be a very special process. The steps above will help you get started. In no time, you should be able to design and purchase a headstone that is perfect for memorializing your loved one. To get started, contact companies such as An Thiel Monuments.