Pictures for Mausoleums: Crypt Fronts and Family Mausoleums

A ceramic picture can often be placed on a mausoleum crypt front, but the mausoleum, not the family, usually decides. Community mausoleums commonly control the size, shape, material, placement, and installer for anything on a crypt front, and some do not allow pictures at all. Ask the mausoleum office for its written rules before you measure or order. If a picture is approved, choose a size that fits the space they allow, and confirm whether their staff, a monument company, or the family will install it.

Community mausoleums and private family mausoleums

A community mausoleum holds many crypts in one building, usually run by a cemetery. Crypt fronts are often designed to look uniform, so the cemetery may set strict rules for lettering, emblems, vases, and pictures. A private family mausoleum is a separate structure for one family. The family may have more say over its design, but the cemetery where it stands still has rules. In both cases, ask before ordering.

What to ask the mausoleum office

• Are ceramic or porcelain pictures allowed on this crypt front?
• Is there a required size, shape, or position, such as centered above the name?
• Are frames or covers required, allowed, or not allowed?
• Who installs it: mausoleum staff, an approved monument company, or the family?
• Is there an application, fee, or waiting period?
• Do you need to approve a proof or drawing first?
• Can you confirm the approval in writing?

For general background, see cemetery rules for headstone pictures.

Crypt front surfaces

Crypt fronts are often granite or marble, sometimes with bronze lettering or a bronze nameplate. The MemorialPics adhesive instructions are written for clean, dry, non-porous polished stone or smooth bronze. If the crypt front is honed, textured, or a stone the mausoleum considers porous, the adhesive instructions may not apply; ask the mausoleum or its monument company how attachments are made on that surface. Never place a picture over lettering, emblems, or seams between panels.

Choosing a size and style

Crypt fronts can have limited open space once the name and dates are in place, and the mausoleum may specify a size. Measure only the area they approve, leave a margin on every side, and include any frame in your measurements. The measuring worksheet and size guide walk through it.

• Oval pictures are a classic choice and come in many sizes.
• Ovals with a bronze frame can complement bronze lettering on a crypt front. The frame makes the finished piece larger, so use the framed size when measuring.
• An oval with a bronze cover is listed at 3.9 x 6.1 inches. Some families like a cover that can be closed, but ask the mausoleum first whether covers are allowed.
• Rectangles keep more of the photo and can suit a shared crypt for two people.

Indoor and outdoor mausoleums

Some crypts are inside a building and others face outdoors, in a garden mausoleum or on an exterior wall. An indoor crypt is sheltered from rain and direct sun but still needs a clean, dry, suitable surface and the right temperature for installation: MemorialPics instructions call for outside and surface temperatures of at least 60°F. For outdoor crypts, follow the full installation guide, including sealing the edge with silicone caulk to help keep moisture away from the adhesive, and see are headstone pictures weatherproof?

If the mausoleum installs it

Many mausoleums require their own staff or an approved monument company to install anything on a crypt front. In that case, ship or deliver the picture to whoever the mausoleum names, include the written approval and the position you agreed on, and ask whether they will use the included adhesive or their own method. Ask for a written quote for any installation fee.

If pictures are not allowed

If the crypt front cannot hold a picture, families sometimes choose a portrait for an urn, a home memorial, or a keepsake instead, subject to any rules that apply there. See pictures for urns and cremation memorials.

Frequently asked questions

Can you put a picture on a mausoleum crypt?

Often, if the mausoleum allows it. Many control the size, position, and installer. Ask the mausoleum office for its written rules first.

Can I install a picture on a crypt front myself?

Only if the mausoleum allows family installation. Many require their own staff or an approved monument company. Ask before you order.

What size picture fits a crypt front?

There is no standard size. It depends on the open space and any size the mausoleum requires. Measure the approved area, leave a margin, and compare with the current sizes in the size guide.

Do pictures need a bronze cover in a mausoleum?

Not as a rule. Some families choose a cover for appearance; some mausoleums may require or forbid one. Ask the mausoleum.

Related guides

See pictures for columbarium niches, adding a picture to an existing headstone, and headstone pictures for couples. To discuss a crypt front, contact MemorialPics.

Sources and review

Sources checked on 2026-10-05. Store details come from MemorialPics pages and product listings as they appeared on that date and may change. No specific mausoleum's policy is described; always confirm with the mausoleum itself.

• Installation instructions, MemorialPics. Accessed 2026-10-05.
• MemorialPics product listings for oval, bronze frame, bronze cover, and rectangle pictures. Accessed 2026-10-05.
• Cemetery regulations, Bury Council, as one example of a published rule requiring approval of photo dimensions and material. Accessed 2026-10-05.