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Among emerging trends reported by funeral directors, there is an increasing involvement of family members, growing demand for more personalised services, and a greater embrace of digital technology.
Families are increasingly wanting to play an active part in the process, for example participating in preparing a loved one’s body for burial, digging a grave, or lowering the body into the ground.
Tailor-made services can involve ways of celebrating the deceased’s hobbies, interests or personalities.
This can range from guiding the choice of music played or food served, to encouraging funeral goers to dress in a way that celebrates the loved one’s profession, character – even a favourite sports team.
A service may be given a theme, an appropriate work vehicle – think fire engine, digger or logging truck – could feature in a procession, or the venue could reflect the loved one’s passions, with a park, forest or beach among the choices requested for memorial services.
“Funeral services are now increasingly more personalised than 20 years ago, with wonderful slide show photographic montages set to music that have meaning to both the family and their loved one,” says Debbie Clark of Jason Morrison Funerals in Warkworth. “Heartfelt individual tributes and musical performances are more common than in the past.”
Often a celebrant spends time with family and is then able to share the person’s life story as part of the service, she says.
“The use of a celebrant to recount the life story of the deceased person after meeting and spending valuable time with the family has definitely increased. They are a vital part of a funeral and provide much more of the essence of a funeral than just being an emcee.”
Covid lockdowns and gathering restrictions fuelled an already growing trend of livestreaming funeral services. This option can bring solace to family or friends unable to attend for any reason, especially for those living abroad.
“This aspect of funerals has carried on even after the social distancing requirements were relaxed,” Debbie says. “A large proportion of funerals today are livestreamed and, as such, smaller or boutique funerals as we have in our premises are now quite usual.
“The other change during covid times was the increase in memorial services that evolved due to the restrictions placed on us. The deceased person was cremated, with the ashes held until family could be together to hold a memorial service. Although this trend is still relevant to some families, we are seeing a return to a more usual style of service with community support and presence.”
