Cemeteries must connect with families and communities while honoring the history of a community. This takes a special kind of know-how.
A cemetery entrance is the first point of contact for visitors. It should express the design vernacular and create a sense of arrival. An effective entrance offers an opportunity to control traffic and orchestrate a slow experience.
Master Plan
A well-done master plan can help you identify long and short term needs, map out your overall strategy and goals and have a realistic implementation plan. It’s important to have a clear vision of how you want your cemetery to be.
Cemetery landscapes should be designed to provide beautiful vistas, with a flowing layout for easier mowing, lower maintenance and more aesthetic appeal. Plantings should be researched for climate, soil conditions and flow and positioned appropriately. Ponds and other water features should be incorporated into the design for beauty, infiltration and wildlife habitats.
Often cemetery development obliterates existing natural areas, leaving a monotonous and generic place that is very uninspiring. I would suggest working with unique areas that the community responds positively to, and building the cemetery around those elements of distinction. Also, the current strong inclination towards cremation provides an opportunity to utilize less land for burial, and create more attractive and usable vistas throughout the grounds.
Landscape & Architecture
As a final resting place, a cemetery should be more than just a collection of headstones and concrete sepulchers. It should be a vibrant celebration of life, family, history and individuality – integrated within a shared community.
The landscape is a crucial part of this. Cemetery designers must consider drainage, paving, vegetation, water management and more. The blending of these elements creates an experience that honors the past, celebrates the present and looks towards the future.
Mourners frequently leave flowers on the columbarium walls. The newer designs of these walls take this into account with clips beside each plaque designed to hold a single stem or small posy. This helps to reduce maintenance issues as the flowers decay and fall off the plaques. Also, reducing the amount of mowing can also help reduce groundskeeping expenses. Harboring lands to avoid water runoff, converting asphalt roadways into permeable surfaces, reducing use of chemical fertilizers and using native grasses can all make a significant difference in maintenance costs.
Maintenance
A cemetery is a space of memory and respect, and the spaces within it must be properly maintained to reflect this. However, many people assume that the cemetery handles all maintenance work and don’t engage in their own care for their loved ones’ graves.
The maintenance of a cemetery requires a complex approach. In addition to general mowing and cleaning shared areas, there is also the need for ongoing conservation treatments. These can be time consuming and costly, so it’s important that you hire contractors who have experience with historic materials and are members of professional organizations.
Monuments and headstones are exposed to many elements that can lead to soiling, staining and eventual decay. Air pollution, bird droppings, biological growth like lichen and algae and weathering are all common causes of discoloration. The resulting buildup can make it difficult to read inscriptions and hasten stone damage. Cleaning should be done using the gentlest methods possible.
Marketing
As with any business, effective marketing is essential for cemetery maintenance businesses. Traditional and modern marketing methods can both work together to reach prospective buyers, so it is important to find a balance that works for you.
One entrepreneur who has found success in the Graveyard Market is an artisan that creates customizable tombstones. These unique products allow individuals to pay homage to their loved ones in a meaningful way that honors the individuality of the deceased.
Similarly, digital storytelling has become a powerful tool for funeral services and cemeteries to connect with clients on an emotional level. These narratives provide solace and understanding to those who are grieving, and they can be used in a variety of ways, from websites and social media to print materials and television ads. When creating these narratives, it is crucial to ensure they are relatable and relevant to your audience. Additionally, it is important to focus on website performance to ensure pages load quickly and are mobile-friendly.