How to Choose a Memorial

Memorial Process

It starts by sitting down with our clients and talking about what they have in mind. We know for the majority of our clients, it is their first experience in selecting a memorial a part of making their funeral arrangements. During our discussion, we explain there are five factors to consider before a memorial can be finalized.

We maintain a large display of memorials, where you can see the different sizes, finishes, colors and shapes of memorials. Once you decide on the type of memorial, we then do a scale design for you to review.

Once the final drawing is approved and we have a signed contract, the memorial is scheduled to be put into production in our shop. When the work is finished, we schedule a date with the cemetery to install the memorial. We handle all of the details with the cemetery pertaining to installation.

Our staff is meticulous and very professional when it comes to erecting our memorials. We guarantee all of our monuments are erected on foundations that meet the cemetery’s requirements.

Upon completion of the installation, Eastern Memorials contacts our clients to let them know their memorial has been installed.

Memorial Purchase Options

Memorial Types:

• Markers: Flush, Bevel, Slant
• Uprights:  Single, Companion, Family
• Ledgers
• Benches
• Bronze Markers
• Free Form (Custom Shapes)
• Pet Markers — Yes, a Memorial for Your Beloved Pet!

Size:

Size of the memorial will be determined by several factors; adhering to the cemetery’s rules on sizes, whether the memorial will be sized for one or two persons and whether it will be placed on a single site or a side by side (double) sites.

Finish:

There are three finishes to choose from for an upright monument that is polished.

• Polish 2 - The Tablet is polished on the front and back sides, leaving the top and both ends with a rustic (rock) finish.
• Polish 3 - The Tablet is polished on the front side, back side and top, leaving the ends with a rustic (rock) finish.
• Polish 5 - The Tablet is polished on the front side, back side, top and both ends.

Color:

Eastern Memorials offers a wide range of colors to choose from in both domestic and imported granites. Colors include Georgia Gray, Black, Red, Pink, Bahama Blue, Rose, Tropical Green and many other colors as well.

Shape:

Memorials come in many different shapes. Most upright monuments seen in cemeteries today are the traditional shaped monuments which consist of a Tablet and a Base with a curved top and straight sides. We can provide any shape a client desires as long it is in compliance with the cemetery’s rules.

Design and Symbolism:

A proper design and well-chosen symbols allows you to personalize the memorial and tell your loved one’s story in stone. Knowing how important this is, we suggest to our clients they consider the following happenings that make up a person’s life: Family Heritage; Life's Work and Accomplishments; Interests and Hobbies; Social and Civic Contributions; Memorable Events and Occasions; Faith. These ideas can lead to coming up with special inscriptions, religious symbols, civic or military emblems.

Portraits:

We offer a variety of Ceramic Portraits that can be attached to almost any memorial. Our portraits are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, color or in black and white. Any of our Portraits can be selected with or without a metal frame or cover.

Most monument companies’ face mount their ceramic portraits. Eastern Memorials inlays (sink) every ceramic portrait into the stone. By doing so, they will never become loose and fall off the stone and they carry a lifetime warranty.

Etchings:

In addition to our Ceramic Portraits, we offer Laser Etchings and PhotoBlast imaging on the face of the stone. A Laser etching is done by a laser machine after the image is digitized and downloaded into its computer. Etchings can be as simple as a person’s portrait or as elaborate as a landscape scene.

The other method of placing an image on a stone is PhotoBlast. This technique achieves similar results as a laser etching and it also precisely reproduces the quality of the original artwork. This type of work can only be done on black granite.

Bronze Memorials:

Eastern Memorials offers a wide assortment of competitively priced bronze memorials. Often, our clients have told us they saved a lot of money as a result of buying their bronze memorial from us rather than from the cemetery, particularly those memorials that required foreign language inscriptions.

Pet Memorials:

Our large selection of pet memorials includes unique and custom designs for memorializing your beloved companion. Our granite pet memorials can be customized with a photo and text. Our pet grave markers serve as the perfect remembrance of your beloved animal friend.

Inscription Work:

Eastern Memorials regularly incises final inscriptions and other engravings on memorials that have already been set in our area cemeteries. It doesn't matter if the monument was purchased from us or elsewhere. We are experts at matching fonts and letter sizes. Our mobile lettering and engraving services allows us to incise monuments without removing them from the cemetery.

Commercial and Architectural Services:

We also do on-site engravings and lettering for churches, businesses, government, civic organizations, and other groups that need engraving and lettering performed on-site. Please check our Services page for more details.

About Memorial Foundation

The importance of a good foundation

“A memorial will only be as durable as the foundation beneath it”. At Eastern Memorials, all of our memorials are erected on foundations that meet your cemetery’s requirements. Without a proper foundation, over time a memorial can start to settle.

Because of the quality and durability of our foundations, our memorials are guaranteed in writing not to lean or settle. If in the unlikely event that the memorial does settle, Eastern Memorials will repair and re-set the memorial at no expense to the Purchaser.