Loading photographAn upright stone standing above the grass.
Upright Monument
A stone that stands above the ground on its own base. The usual choice when a family wants room for two names or a longer inscription.
Manassas, Virginia
A name, cut in stone, and set where you can find it.
Eastern Memorials designs, cuts, and installs headstones, grave markers, and monuments for families across Northern Virginia. We deal with the cemetery rules, the foundation, and the setting, so those are not calls you have to make.
There is no hurry on our end. We will move at whatever pace you need.
Loading photograph Late light through the trees at a cemetery we set stones in.
What we make
Four common choices, and the reasons families pick them.
The cemetery usually narrows this down before you do. Tell us where the plot is and we will tell you which of these are allowed there.
Loading photographA flat stone set level with the lawn.
Flat Grave Marker
A marker set flush with the ground so mowers pass over it. Many open lawn cemeteries allow nothing else, so check before you fall for an upright.
Loading photographSandblasted lettering on a polished face.
Slant Marker
A wedge of stone with an angled face, lower than an upright and far easier to read while standing than a flat marker.
Loading photographCast bronze, darkened by weather.
Bronze Memorial
A cast bronze plaque mounted on a granite base. Common in memorial parks and in veterans sections, where bronze is often the required material.
How we work
Five steps, and who carries each one.
Most families we work with have never bought a headstone before. Here is the whole sequence, including the parts you never have to touch.
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We talk
You and usYou tell us who the memorial is for, which cemetery, and roughly what you have in mind. If you do not know yet, that is a normal place to start. Bring photographs, handwriting, or nothing at all.
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Cemetery rules
We handle thisWe contact the cemetery office and get the written limits on size, shape, material, and placement for your specific section. Every cemetery is different, and some rules are strict. You do not have to make that call or read that rulebook.
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Drawing and proof
You approveWe draw the stone to scale with the lettering laid out exactly as it will be cut, and send it to you. Change it as many times as you need. Nothing goes to the shop until you sign the proof, because stone does not forgive a spelling mistake.
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Cutting and lettering
We handle thisThe stone is cut and shaped, the faces are finished, and the lettering is sandblasted through a stencil cut from your approved drawing. Etched portraits and scene work happen at this stage too.
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Foundation and setting
We handle thisWe set the foundation to the cemetery's specification, install the memorial, and clean up the site before we leave. You are welcome to be there. You are also welcome not to be, and we will send you photographs instead.
Stone
Granite quarried in Vermont, Georgia, Missouri, and India.
Color and grain are the first thing most families choose, and the choice is permanent. These are the stones we work with most often.
LoadingFine gray grain.
Barre Gray
Vermont. Medium gray, very fine and even grain. Lettering stays crispest in this stone, which is why it is the trade default.
LoadingPale gray, coarser crystal.
Georgia Gray
Elberton, Georgia. Lighter than Barre with a larger crystal. Reads brighter outdoors and is widely available.
LoadingPolished black, mirror finish.
Jet Black
Usually India. Dense and near black when polished. The highest contrast for frosted lettering and for laser etched portraits.
LoadingDeep red with dark flecks.
India Red
India. Deep red with dark flecking. Holds its color well in full sun, which matters on an open lawn with no tree cover.
LoadingWarm pink, open grain.
Missouri Red
Graniteville, Missouri. Warmer and pinker than India Red, with a more open grain you can read from a distance.
LoadingBrown with copper movement.
Rustic Mahogany
Brown with copper and black movement through it. No two blocks look alike, so this is one to pick from a real sample.
Granite is quarried, so color and grain shift from block to block. The photographs above show the general character of each stone, not the piece you would receive. We put actual samples in your hands before anything is cut.
Who we are
A small shop in Manassas that sets stones you can drive to.
Eastern Memorials has been designing, cutting, and setting memorials in Manassas for [YEARS]. We work in public and private cemeteries, churchyards, and veterans sections across Prince William, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties. When something needs fixing years from now, the same shop answers the phone.
We are not a chain and we do not sell from a catalog over the phone. You will talk to the people who draw the stone and the people who set it.
If the person served, ask us about the government marker.
The Department of Veterans Affairs furnishes a headstone or marker for eligible veterans at no cost to the family. We will tell you whether it fits your cemetery's rules and we can set it for you, even when that means we are not selling you a stone.
Loading photographHands at the bench, working a stone face.
Start a conversation
Call, write, or come by the shop.
You can ask one question and stop there. Plenty of people do.
Send us a note
Tell us as much or as little as you like. We will not ask you anything about the person until you want to talk about them.
Thank you. We will reach out within [TIMEFRAME].
Your note is with us. If you would rather talk sooner, call [PHONE] and ask for whoever is at the front.