No one likes to think about a time in the future when they’re no longer here, but it’s one of those subjects that does need some consideration if you want to have some say in the kind of funeral you’d like to have.
It seems that more traditional services may not always be the top choice anymore, with the latest Cost of Dying report from SunLife revealing that celebration of life funerals are fast growing in popularity right now.
Apparently, seven in ten funeral directors have noticed that funerals are becoming more personal, with rules of tradition being replaced by unique requests – and 68 per cent saying they’ve seen a fall in traditional religious services.
Some of these more unusual requests include circus-themed funerals (complete with fire breathers and clowns), a unicorn-drawn hearse, asking that the congregation wear flip-flops and Hawaiian hats, drag queens doing a cabaret show at the end of the service and singing a rendition of I Am What I Am… it seems people are being quite inventive when it comes to their own send-offs!
Commenting, marketing director at SunLife Ian Atkinson said: “We have been studying funerals since 2004, and while many are still quite traditional, there are always some great examples of how people make their loved ones’ funerals really personal.
“Perhaps more funerals would be personal if we were better as a nation at talking about death. Our report shows less than one percent of people organising a funeral knew all the deceased wishes, but when asked, most people know exactly what they want for their own funeral, so we really do need to start talking more.”
Considering what you might like to have as a funeral service could also prove to be the inspiration you need to either write a will if you don’t have one already or update the one you do have if this is necessary.
It’s vital that you do have a will in place to make sure your assets are distributed as you would like them to be. If you die intestate (without a will), it’s possible that your estate will go to those you wouldn’t want it to.
Unmarried partners or those who haven’t registered a civil partnership will also not be able to inherit from each other unless a will has been drawn up, so if you’re in such circumstances you would perhaps be wise to think about writing a will this year.
It’s generally advised to use a solicitor when making a will or having one checked. This will ensure that you’ve not missed anything and your wishes will be carried out as you would like them to after you’ve gone.
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