Headstones

Granite is much harder than marble, and it is not brittle. That means it is less susceptible to chipping and cracking. It also means that design elements will not weather in the same way, keeping your loved one's memorial legible and in good condition for decades to come.

Gravestone is the older word, being used from the late 1300s, and tombstone is from the mid-1500s. A headstone, as the word implies, referred to a grave marker placed at the head of a grave.

While both a gravestone and a grave marker share a similar purpose in showing who is buried in a specific spot, a headstone is raised above the ground, while a grave marker lays flat against the ground.

While there is no one specific rule around how long you need to wait before you can put a headstone on a burial grave, as a guideline figure it is recommended that you wait for at least six months, if not longer.

People may have also buried bodies 6 feet deep to help prevent theft. There was also concern that animals might disturb graves. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.

Typically, the husband is buried on the left, whereas the wife should be on the right, as you're standing at their feet. The position isn't ordinary, and it's the same that couples have while they're getting married. In some cemeteries, the tradition hasn't disappeared, and it's the most common for couples.