For many centuries in the western world, death had a reasonably set routine marked out by the Christian church that involved last rites, an alter call and a traditional burial ceremony in a church graveyard. The lack of discussion around the topic of death and the piety of the general population meant that this set format of death and funerals was rarely challenged. However, the percentage of the population that hold religious beliefs in western countries has sunk considerably in recent years. In the United Kingdom for example, The Office for National Statistics reported that in 2001, 15% of people in England and Wales considered themselves to be ‘non religious’ and by 2011, this percentage grew to 25%. In light of this statistic, many people are opting for alternative, non-religious practices when it comes to funerals. This is especially the case among an ageing population of baby boomers who have been accustomed to having a wide range of choice in their lives.

A variety of different companies have sprung up to cater to this demand for alternative funerals, looking to bring a degree of personalisation into the funeral business. Companies such as FinalFling.com, and Poppy’s Funerals look to provide tailored funeral experiences to consumers looking for an alternative to the traditional funeral and the discussion of death is a central part of this. For example, speaking to The Independent, Barbara Chalmers, owner of FinalFling.com puts forward the opinion that “We live in much more complex family arrangements now than even 50 years ago, it's more important to make sure people make these choices for themselves because when they pass away, their family might not know what they wanted.” A recent study by Co-op funeral care has highlighted this increasing personalisation of funerals. For example, nearly half (49%) of Co-op funeral directors said they had arranged a service in a location other than a church or a crematorium in the last 12 months. More than a third of adults (37%) said they would consider an alternative location for their own send-off. In addition to this, a quarter of respondents in the survey said they would like their funeral guests to wear non-black clothes and 72% of funeral directors had arranged services where this was the case in the last year. Even the traditional idea of the hearse is being dispensed with and many people are now choosing to be transported in buses, motorbikes, horse-drawn carriages and even white vans instead. Some environmentally conscious consumers are even opting for greener alternatives. The number of woodland and ‘green burials’ has increased also, with biodegradable coffins being used in these instances.

Perhaps the most striking development in recent years is the growing home funeral movement where families are keeping their dead at home. This is ironic in a sense in that this is what would have happened many centuries ago before any sort of funeral director service existed. Some families that have committed to this approach have described the experience as therapeutic and how the presence of the body helped them to come to terms with the loss of a relative. Founder of the ‘Order of the Good Death’ and professional mortician Caitlin Doughty echoes this sentiment. Based in Los Angeles in the USA, Doughty’s undertaking business Undertaking LA is all about breaking down the taboo surrounding a dead body. Her service allows the bereaved to wash and dress the bodies of their loved ones if they so wish and her aim is to “allows families to reclaim rightful control of the dying process and care of the dead body”.

All of these signs point to an increasing discussion, level of planning and preparation for death. This is reflected by the increasing popularity of the pre-paid funeral plan. For example, the market leader for pre-paid funeral plans Golden Charter found that sales for plans rose by 12,000 between 2013 and 2014 and has seen a similar level of growth since then. People may argue that this is indicative of the economic climate and that financial concerns and rising funeral costs are forcing families to have a discussion where funerals are concerned. However, even if this is the case, the rise in alternative funeral arrangements shows that people are using the opportunity to think about death and arrange a suitable service tailored to their needs.

Overall, the rise in alternative funerals perhaps reflects a slow cultural shift in the way we think of and approach death. People are actively putting thought into what kind of service they would like and what arrangements to make before they die in order to benefit their families. This has seen the taboo and fear surrounding the discussion of death slowly evaporate as funerals become more of a focus on celebration of life.