Unveilings

An unveiling ceremony is when friends, family and mourners gather at the gravesite to formally dedicate the grave marker. An unveiling can be a time for people to get together and grieve, remember their loved one, pray, or reflect.

Planning an Unveiling

In some cultures, this is traditionally done as a way to acknowledge the first anniversary of a death, but there’s no set date that an unveiling ceremony must be held on. It might be best to pick a date when family and friends will be able to attend, as gathering together is part of the purpose of an unveiling.

Give yourself time to schedule an officiant, book with the cemetery, invite friends and family and make the arrangements for the headstone or gravemarker. The ceremony itself is usually short. It might involve reading a poem, or religious passages, singing songs or hymns, and giving speeches. It’s also common to leave flowers, or small mementos on the grave site once the grave marker has been dedicated.