The interest in celebration of life funerals grew by 60% in the last year, demonstrating a rising trend of more cheerful and personalised services to help the grieving process, according to brand-new research.
Distinct Cremations, a specialist provider of direct cremation services and prepaid funeral plans, has shared guidance on planning a celebration of life after finding an online search volume surge.
The findings showed a 60% rise in searches for ‘celebration of life’ within the past year, which currently gains an average monthly search volume of 1,300, and a 50% yearly increase in searches for ‘celebration of life funeral’.
There was also a 50% yearly increase in searches for ‘funeral celebrant near me’ — a celebrant typically officiates celebration of life ceremonies, which are often held after or instead of a traditional funeral.
This trend follows a SunLife report stating that half of all funerals in 2023 were described as ‘celebration of life’ services with traditional funerals only accounting for 28%. It also reported a slight increase in personalised coffins, more colourful funeral clothing, and special requests that were personal to the deceased.
Mark Hull, Chief Marketing Officer, at Distinct Cremations, said: “Celebratory funerals usually focus on remembering the joy of a person’s life, rather than focusing on the sadness of saying goodbye.
“While they often include similar elements to a traditional service, there aren’t any strict rules around planning a celebration of life service, so you can make them as casual, upbeat, and unique as you please, with no pressure to follow certain traditions or expectations.
“Many choose to incorporate a cheerful theme that represents a person’s interests, hobbies or passions, which can influence the day’s music, decor, food, and even transportation.”
The dress code is one of the most distinctive differences between traditional and celebratory funerals. While some prefer wearing black to help express their grief, others wear colour to remember the joyfulness of the person they’re grieving. A celebratory funeral allows for more flexibility so that the dress code could be black, colour or something more creative.
In a previous Distinct Cremations survey, one in 10 said mourners should wear colourful funeral attire, with the top reason being that it celebrated the deceased person’s life, followed by the belief that wearing colour makes funerals less depressing.
Find out the top 10 tips from Distinct Cremations for planning a personalised celebratory funeral here: https://www.distinctcremations.co.uk/funeral-guidance/organising-a-funeral/celebration-of-life-ideas/
