When you plan the final arrangement of loved ones, you must often decide how you would like to mark their final resting places. You find yourself confronted with the numerous styles of headstones and must choose one that suits your preferences and budget.

Instead of selecting a large, heavy, and ornate monument, you may prefer to go with someone smaller and more discreet. You can use flat grave markers to mark the final resting places of relatives whose funerals that you plan.

Affordability

Flat grave markers are lower in cost than larger and more ornate monuments. Monuments that are several feet high and just as wide can cost tens of thousands of dollars. You may have to put a down payment on them and find yourself having to pay them off as you would a loan before they can be placed in the cemetery.

However, flat grave markers often cost a fraction of the price and can be paid for faster and easier than larger monument headstones. When you are planning a funeral on a budget, you can use flat grave markers without straining the money that you have available for the services.

Customization

The fact that flat grave markers are smaller and less costly does not negate the fact that they can be customized. In fact, you can typically specify exactly what you want them to say. There is often enough room to include the deceased person's full name, his or her date of birth, as well as the date that he or she passed away.

Some flat grave markers also have room for including additional words like Mother, Father, Grandmother or others. You may even be able to put his or her veteran status and rank and military branch on flat grave markers, particularly if you are purchasing one that will be laid in a veterans' cemetery.

Finally, flat grave markers pose less work to maintain. They can be easily mowed around to keep the gravesites free from weeds and overgrowth. They are also less prone to growing algae, which can tarnish the appearance of larger monument headstones.

Flat grave markers offer a number of advantages not found with large, ornate monuments. They are less costly and can be easier to purchase and pay off when planning funeral arrangements. They also can be customized with words and dates. They likewise are easier to maintain and avoid algae growth.