Cemetery rules and monument company checklist
The exact questions to ask your cemetery and your monument maker before ordering a QR plaque, so nothing gets rejected after it's engraved.
5 min read
Most problems with memorial QR codes are not technical. They are approval problems, found after the engraving is paid for. Work through this list before you order anything and the rest is easy.
Call the cemetery office first
- Are applied plaques permitted, or must everything be engraved into the existing stone?
- Is there a maximum size for added elements?
- Does anything added require written approval from the office, and how long does that take?
- Are there restrictions on materials — stainless, bronze, aluminum, ceramic?
- For flat markers, does the plaque need to sit flush for mowing?
- Is there an inspection or fee associated with modifying an existing marker?
Then call your monument or engraving company
- Can you laser-etch or sandblast a QR code from a vector file?
- What is the smallest code you can reliably cut in this stone?
- Do you recommend engraving into granite or mounting an etched metal plaque here?
- Can you do a test cut or proof so we can scan it before final install?
- What is your lead time, and does it change for an existing installed marker?
Before you approve the proof
- Scan the proof yourself with two different phones, one iPhone and one Android.
- Scan it in bright direct sun and in shade — glare is the most common failure.
- Scan it from about arm's length, the distance a real visitor will use.
- Confirm the page that opens is the right memorial and that the video plays.
If a code fails to scan, it is almost always contrast or margin — not the code itself.
Our test-scan page exists for exactly this. It shows you what a visitor sees, on their phone, before a single dollar goes to the engraver.
Ready to make one for your family?
We guide the interview remotely, edit the footage, and send a print-ready QR code for the headstone. Packages start at $249.
What this looks like
Stories in the shape of the ones we help tell.
These are written examples showing how families typically use each package — not reviews from real customers. We'll publish verified testimonials here as families give us permission to share theirs.
We sat with Dad on a Sunday afternoon and asked him the questions in the guide. Three months later we scanned the plaque at the cemetery and heard him laugh again.
I uploaded everything myself over two evenings. The editing notes told me exactly what to trim, and the QR code arrived ready to hand to the engraver.
Six of us joined video calls from three states. They wove it into one film. At the service we played it, and nobody spoke for a full minute afterward.