Choosing a memorial is one of the last things you get to do for someone. Most families want more than a stone off a shelf — they want something that sounds like their person. A favorite phrase. A symbol that mattered. Maybe a photograph.
You have more control over that than you’d expect. Granite color, finish, shape, artwork, wording, how a photo is etched — all of it is adjustable, and none of it requires the most expensive option on the lot.
At Legacy Stonework & Monument we work through this with you. You don’t need to arrive with a finished idea. Some of the best designs start at “I’m not sure, but it should feel like him.”
What makes a headstone custom?
Custom isn’t picking option B from a catalog. It’s building the shape, layout, lettering, and artwork around the person, rather than fitting them into something pre-made.
That might be an uncommon shape, a chosen font, a meaningful symbol, a photograph, original artwork, or all of it. Even granite color changes how the whole piece reads once it’s finished.
Custom work does cost more than a standard design. You’ll get an itemized estimate before anything is finalized — monument, engraving, and setting separately — so you can see what each element costs and drop anything that isn’t worth it to you.
The families who are happiest with the result usually didn’t go all-out. They chose two or three details that actually meant something.
Choosing granite color and finish
Most design decisions start here, and it’s worth the time. Color affects how lettering reads, how a photograph reproduces, and the overall feel of the memorial.
A few things to weigh:
The overall impression — warm, cool, traditional, modern
Whether lettering and artwork will stand out clearly
How well it suits the engraving method you want
Whether a color carries personal meaning
Darker granite is the better choice for photo-based designs. The contrast brings out detail that lighter stone can’t hold. We offer impact etching, which reproduces a photograph directly in the granite, and it’s at its best on dark stone. Laser etching is also available for a different look.
Finish matters too. Polished faces are reflective and read sharply. Rough or rock-pitched edges give a stone weight. Most monuments combine both.
Custom shapes and layouts
Shape is where a memorial stops feeling like a product.
Serpentine and oval tops, hearts, crosses, book forms, and fully custom silhouettes are all achievable. Cutting complexity affects cost — a shaped stone takes more work than a straight one.
Whatever direction you go, a good layout keeps names, dates, wording, and artwork balanced rather than crowded. We build a scaled proof for every design, so you’re looking at the real thing before it touches stone.
Traditional and modern
Traditional designs last for a reason — classic shapes, elegant lettering, layouts that read as respectful for generations.
Modern silhouettes go elsewhere: personal shapes, unusual profiles, layouts built around what someone actually loved.
You don’t have to pick a side. Many of our favorite designs are traditional craftsmanship with one or two personal touches that make them unmistakable.
Companion and family layouts
A companion monument honors more than one person in a single coordinated design — shared names, connected artwork, symbols that tie the tribute together.
For spouses or close family this is often the right call, giving each person their own space within one piece. It generally costs more than a single marker and less than two, which is why families planning ahead tend to choose it.
Personalization options
Personalization is what turns a marker into a memorial.
Photo and portrait engraving
Impact etching reproduces an actual photograph in granite — not a line drawing. It looks sharpest on darker stone where the contrast brings out real detail. Laser etching is available for a different finish.
Bring us the clearest photo you have. A recent phone picture usually beats an old print, because we work from the detail in the file.
We can talk through which method suits the image you have in mind.
Religious and cultural symbols
Some things don’t need a paragraph. A symbol says it — faith, heritage, tradition, values.
We help choose elements that fit the rest of the design, so the symbol is woven in rather than pasted on, matched to the stone, the lettering, and the layout.
Custom artwork
Original artwork reflects the parts of a life that a name and two dates can’t hold — a career, a hobby, an image tied to a specific memory.
The ones that land are specific. A generic rose is fine. The flower she actually grew is better.
Writing the inscription
The words are what stays with people longest.
Families usually work through names and dates, then a phrase with real meaning, references to family, religious or inspirational wording, or a defining trait.
There’s no correct inscription. Some families keep it simple. Others want something that sounds like the person — a little humor, a specific saying, something only their people would recognize.
“Beloved father” is true of a great many people. What made him that father is the part worth cutting into granite.
You get one pass. Take two weeks if you need them. We review lettering, spacing, and placement with you on a scaled proof before anything is finalized.
How the design process works
It starts with a conversation — what you’re picturing, what matters, what the memorial should say. You don’t need a finished concept walking in.
Once decisions come together we prepare a scaled proof showing exact layout, lettering, and design details. You review it, we adjust, and nothing goes into production without your written approval.
Custom projects take about two months from approved design. A stock stone can be ready in a few weeks. Tell us your timeline early and we’ll be upfront about what’s realistic.
Pricing
Flat markers start around $700. Upright monuments start around $2,500.
Setting is always quoted separately and billed as its own line on the invoice. It is never folded into the monument price, because what it costs depends on the cemetery — foundation requirements and site access differ.
Some cemeteries also charge their own administrative or installation fees directly to families. Those are outside our pricing and we don’t mark them up.
Every family receives an itemized estimate covering monument, engraving, and setting before work begins.
Veterans receive a minimum 10% discount, with more possible depending on the situation. When the VA marker program is the better fit, we’ll tell you — including when that means you don’t buy from us.
Start designing
We’ll walk you through your options and build a memorial around what your family needs.
Call 316-670-6350 or email Vincent@LegacyMonumentKS.com
Serving Wichita, Goddard, Derby, and the surrounding communities.