Why Work With Us?

Custom Memorial Bench Dealer
in NJ

Hand-carved memorial benches by Memorial Bench Studio — 80+ years in Morris County, NJ.

Memorial Bench Specialists — Granite memorial seating
Companion Memorial Benches — Side-by-side memorial design
Custom Inscription & Carving — Hand-carved in Morris County
Photo-Etched Portraits — High-contrast relief portraits
Foundation Installation — Below frost-line, level-set
Cemetery Permit Handling — Full submission on your behalf
Bench Restoration — Restore & re-level aged benches
American-Made Granite — Domestic & select imported stone
Veteran Memorial Benches — Military insignia available
Over 80 Years in NJ — Family-owned since 1945
All 14 NJ Counties — Statewide installation
Multilingual Service — English · Russian · Polish
Call (973) 929-9917Get a Free Consultation
Serving all of New Jersey · English, Russian, Polish
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 1

Cemetery Benches

Over 80 Years in NJ

Ready When You Are

Talk to a Memorial Bench Studio craftsman today.

Call, email, schedule a free quote, or visit the showroom in person. Real people answer the phone Monday through Saturday.

Call (973) 929-9917Email UsSchedule a Free QuoteVisit Our Showroom
Service Area

Serving All 14 NJ Counties

Our Morris County, NJ workshop produces custom memorial benches for families throughout New Jersey — from Bergen and Essex Counties in the northeast to Somerset, Hunterdon, and Mercer Counties in the central corridor, to the shore communities of Monmouth and Ocean. Our artisans deliver and install statewide, handling all cemetery permit documentation along the way. We speak English, Russian, and Polish, and we welcome families from every community across New Jersey's 14 counties. Monday through Saturday at 199 Main Street, Madison, NJ — or call (973) 929-9917.

  • Morris
  • Bergen
  • Essex
  • Passaic
  • Hudson
  • Union
  • Sussex
  • Warren
  • Hunterdon
  • Somerset
  • Middlesex
  • Mercer
  • Monmouth
  • Ocean
Cemetery Guide

Cemetery Compliance Guide

Cemetery Regulations

Custom bench designs must satisfy the specific permit requirements of the receiving cemetery. New Jersey cemetery boards typically require a scaled design drawing showing all dimensions before approving installation. Our artisans prepare this documentation as part of the design process, confirming that seat height, granite thickness, and overall footprint fall within the cemetery's guidelines. We submit permits and follow up with cemetery offices directly — the family handles none of that paperwork.

Foundation Requirements

A custom granite memorial bench — weighing between 300 and 800 pounds depending on seat width and configuration — requires a concrete foundation that reaches below New Jersey's frost line. Our crew either pours the foundation to our specification or inspects existing concrete before setting the bench. A stable foundation is the difference between a bench that lasts a century and one that shifts and cracks within a decade.

Religious Cemetery Considerations

Our artisans have carved for Catholic, Jewish, Orthodox Christian, and non-denominational cemeteries throughout New Jersey. Each tradition carries its own design preferences, and our workshop accommodates them all. Russian and Polish Orthodox families regularly request Cyrillic inscriptions and traditional cross forms; Jewish families often prefer clean geometric proportions with understated surface work. Whatever your faith community expects, we carve it with precision and respect.

Our Collection

Our Memorial Benches Collection

Custom/Personalized Bench

A custom memorial bench is, at its core, a commission. The family brings the meaning — a name, a portrait, a line of verse, a symbol that mattered — and our artisans translate it into hand-carved American-made granite that will sit in a cemetery or garden for generations. Our workshop produces custom benches from 48 to 72 inches wide, in single-pedestal and two-leg configurations, with straight or curved seat profiles. Backrests are available when a family wants a larger inscription surface or a carved relief panel. The seat face, backrest, and base front are all available inscription surfaces; our artisans can distribute content across all three for longer epitaphs or multi-generational family information. Custom inscriptions and imagery include virtually anything: full names and dates, quotations in any language, hand-tooled portrait relief, military branch insignia, religious symbols, floral and natural motifs, and custom border designs. The granite memorial bench craftsmanship at Memorial Bench Studio means that every one of these elements is cut by chisel by a human hand — not output by a router — in our Morris County workshop. Seat and base weights between 300 and 800 pounds mean the finished piece is built for permanent cemetery or garden installation.

Granite Options

Memorial Bench Studio uses American-made granite in several colors suited to custom work. Jet Black accepts portrait imagery with exceptional clarity, making it the preferred choice when a photograph-based likeness is part of the design. Medium gray and Blue Pearl offer a more restrained palette. Balmoral Red suits garden installations where warmth in the stone is desired. All custom benches use polished inscription faces with sawn or thermal surfaces on structural elements.

Custom Design Process

Custom work starts in our Morris County workshop with a design consultation. Families bring whatever reference material they have — photographs, handwritten notes, printed examples, religious texts. Our artisans listen, ask questions, and return with a scaled drawing for review. The drawing shows every element of the bench: dimensions, inscription placement, and imagery layout. Nothing goes to chisel until the family has approved it in writing. Changes at the drawing stage cost nothing; changes after carving begins are costly, so we invest heavily in getting the drawing right.

Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 2
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 3
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 4
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 5
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 6
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 7
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 8
Granite Custom/Personalized Bench hand-carved by Memorial Bench Studio in NJ — image 9
Cemetery Benches process
Our Process

Our Hand-Carving Process

Custom memorial bench production in our Morris County workshop moves through six stages. Design intake: our artisans meet with the family, collect all reference material, and confirm cemetery permit requirements for the selected installation site. Drawing production: a scaled elevation drawing is prepared showing all dimensions, inscription text, and imagery placement. The family reviews and approves this drawing before any granite is touched. Material preparation: American-made granite block is cut and surfaced to the approved dimensions. Inscription faces are polished. Structural surfaces are finished for durability. Hand-carving: our artisans use pneumatic chisels to cut every letter and design element by hand. Portrait reliefs, ornamental borders, and complex imagery are worked in stages, with the artisan checking proportion and depth throughout. Finishing and review: the completed bench is cleaned, reviewed against the approved drawing, and inspected for surface quality before clearance for delivery. Delivery and installation: our crew transports the bench to the cemetery or garden site, sets it on the prepared foundation, and confirms it is level and stable. The family is notified when the bench is in place.

Cemetery Benches memorial installed in NJ
Voices

What Families Say

New Jersey families have entrusted us with their memorials for three generations.

“We brought a photograph and a poem and asked if they could work with that. They produced a drawing within a week that put both into the stone in a way we never imagined possible. The chisel work on the portrait is something you have to see in person to appreciate.” — Daniel, Morris County NJ
Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not see your question here, call us.

How long does it take to design and install a memorial benches?

Custom bench projects typically take eight to twelve weeks from drawing approval to installation. Complex imagery or portrait relief work may add two to three weeks. Permit review at the receiving cemetery accounts for two to four weeks of that timeline.

Do you serve cemeteries throughout New Jersey?

Yes. Memorial Bench Studio installs custom memorial benches throughout all 14 New Jersey counties. We handle permits, delivery, and installation statewide.

Are your memorials cemetery-compliant?

Every custom design is confirmed against the specific cemetery's permit requirements before carving begins. We prepare and submit all documentation directly.

Can I bring my own design or photo?

That is exactly how we prefer to work. Bring anything — photographs, notes, printed examples, even rough sketches. Our artisans build the scaled drawing from your input and revise it until it reflects what you envision.

Do you offer veteran companion markers?

Yes. Companion inscriptions for two individuals and veteran military emblems are among the most common custom requests in our workshop. We carve military branch insignia — Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard — with precision and care.

What languages do you serve families in?

Yes — English, Russian, and Polish.

Showroom & Gallery

See Custom Memorial Bench in Person

Browse a few of the stones we have set, then come visit us in person. Sample stones, finishes, and lettering are all on display.

Memorial Bench Studio Madison, NJ 07940
Get directions
Cemetery Benches · Serving all of New Jersey

Schedule a Free Consultation Today

We serve families across Morris, Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson counties and all of New Jersey. Fill out the form, drop by the showroom, or call us. Real people answer the phone Monday through Saturday.

Request Your Free Consultation

A specialist contacts you within one business day. House calls available across Morris County and the surrounding region.

Or call (973) 929-9917