A round white keepsake ornament with a small heart, hung by a red velvet ribbon on a Christmas tree among warm lights — A keepsake ornament on the tree (stock photo).

What to put on a memorial ornament

Most memorial ornaments carry four short lines: a heading such as “In Loving Memory”, the name, the years and one closing line. Below: copy-ready lines with character counts, in English and Spanish, and what to check in the live preview before you order.

Shop memorial ornaments

Close-up of a slate memorial ornament engraved “In Loving Memory”, “Elena M. Ruiz” in script, “1951 – 2025” and “Forever in our hearts” — The four lines on a slate memorial ornament.

The four lines, and what goes on each.

The layout shown here, line by line. Counts include spaces and punctuation.

Heading 16 characters
In Loving Memory
Spaced capitals across the top.
Name 13 characters
Elena M. Ruiz
The largest line, often in script.
Years 11 characters
1951 – 2025
Years only: the cleanest choice on a small round.
Closing line 21 characters
Forever in our hearts
One short thought.

How long can each line be?

There is no fixed character limit. The layout fits each line to its own space and keeps a safe margin from the edge, so a longer line still fits: it engraves in smaller letters. The live preview on the product page shows exactly how every line sits as you type, before you buy.

So the real question is how small you are willing to go. As a yardstick, “Forever in our hearts” is 21 characters. Lines around that length or shorter keep the look shown above. If a line looks crowded in the preview, shorten it there.

Copy-ready lines, with character counts.

Pick one heading and one closing line. Type them exactly as you want them engraved, capitals included.

Headings
In Loving Memory	16
In Memory of	12
Forever Loved	13
Always With Us	14
Remembering	11
Christmas in Heaven	19

For a mother
Forever our Mom	15
Her love lives on in us	23
Mom, always in our hearts	25

For a father
Forever our Dad	15
His love still guides us	24
Dad, always with us	19

For a grandparent
Grandma, forever loved	22
Grandpa, always with us	23
Our hearts still hold you	25

For a husband, wife or partner
Forever my love	15
Until we meet again	19
Love you always	15

For a child
Our little angel	16
Loved every day, forever	24
Forever in our arms	19

Faith
Rest in God’s peace	19
With the angels	15
In God’s loving care	20

The first Christmas without them
Our first Christmas without you	31
Missing you this Christmas	26
With us at every Christmas	26

For a pet
Forever loved	13
You were always by our side	27
Our good boy	12
Our sweet girl	14
Paw prints on our hearts	24

Bancas de madera a lo largo del pasillo central hacia el altar dentro de la Misión de Ysleta, El Paso, bajo un techo pintado — Interior de la Misión de Ysleta, El Paso. Foto: Jose Lantigua, CC BY-SA 4.0.

En español.

Frases cortas para un recuerdo en memoria. Grabamos los acentos y la ñ tal como usted los escribe. Short lines in Spanish. We engrave accents and ñ exactly as typed.

Encabezado
En memoria deIn memory of	13
Con amor eternoWith eternal love	15
Navidad en el cieloChristmas in Heaven	19

Para mamá, papá o los abuelos
Mamá, siempre contigoMom, always with you	21
Papá, siempre en nuestro corazónDad, always in our heart	32
Abuelita, te llevamos en el corazónGrandma, we carry you in our heart	35

Fe y cierre
Descansa en pazRest in peace	15
En los brazos de DiosIn God’s arms	21
Siempre en nuestro corazónAlways in our heart	26
Nuestra primera Navidad sin tiOur first Christmas without you	30

Mascota
Siempre te recordaremosWe will always remember you	23
Mi fiel compañeroMy faithful companion (male pet)	17
Mi fiel compañeraMy faithful companion (female pet)	17

Dos idiomas, un recuerdo Two languages, one keepsake

English	Español
In Loving Memory	En memoria de
Forever in our hearts	Siempre en nuestro corazón
Christmas in Heaven	Navidad en el cielo
Rest in peace	Descansa en paz

Recuerdos en memoria, en español

Names and dates.

Use the name the family actually used. “Grandma Lupe” and “Guadalupe R. Torres” are both right; pick the one your family would say out loud. A nickname in quotes inside the full name makes the line longer: Guadalupe “Lupe” Torres is 23 characters.

For dates, years alone are the cleanest choice on a small ornament:

The same dates, four ways
Style	As engraved	Characters
Years only	1951 – 2025	11
Month and year	Mar 1951 – Jun 2025	19
Full dates	March 3, 1951 – June 9, 2025	28
Full dates in Spanish	3 de marzo de 1951 – 9 de junio de 2025	39

Slate memorial ornament engraved “Mom”, a name in script and the years — A short heading such as “Mom” leaves room for the name.

Before you place the order.

We engrave exactly what you type, so the live preview is your last look. Read it slowly, in this order:

The name, letter by letter, including accents (María, Muñoz).
The years. Typos in dates are the easiest to miss: read them out loud.
The dash. “1951 – 2025” with spaces, or “1951–2025” without. Either is fine; match the family’s other pieces.
Capitals. “in loving memory” typed in lowercase stays lowercase.
Apostrophes. “Mom’s” (belonging to Mom) is not “Moms” (more than one mom).

We engrave exactly what you type, so please check spelling. Our mistakes and shipping damage are remade free (send a photo within 7 days). Errors in what you typed are remade at 50% off.

Memorial ornaments in the shop

Live from our store: current designs, starting prices and availability.

Questions

What do you put on a memorial ornament for a loved one?

Four short lines fit a memorial ornament well: a heading such as “In Loving Memory”, the name the family used, the years (for example 1951 – 2025), and one closing line such as “Forever in our hearts”. Leave out anything you would have to explain.

How many characters fit on a memorial ornament?

There is no fixed limit per line. Each line is fitted to its own space, so a longer line engraves in smaller letters. The live preview on the product page shows how every line fits as you type. For scale, “Forever in our hearts” is 21 characters.

What do you write on a pet memorial ornament?

The pet’s name alone is enough and looks clean. To add more, use the years and one short line such as “Forever loved” or “Paw prints on our hearts”.

Can a memorial ornament be in Spanish, or in both languages?

Yes. We engrave Spanish exactly as you type it, with accents and ñ. You can write the same message in both languages, for example “In Loving Memory” and “En memoria de” with the same name and years.

Should I put full dates or just the years?

Years only (“1951 – 2025”, 11 characters) read most clearly on a small ornament. Full dates are 28 characters and engrave much smaller, so keep them for a larger piece such as a slate.

Will I see the layout before you engrave it?

Yes, in the shop: the live preview on the product page shows your layout as you type, before you buy. We engrave exactly what you type, and it ships within 2 business days of the order.