New Trends for the End of Life

Woody Allen once said about death, "I'm strongly against it."

I would tell Mr. Allen that death is a part of life. And, just as we plan our weddings and parties, there are now funeral planners who can assist you with every tiny detail of the funeral process.

Webcasting funerals are the latest trend in funerals. Memorial Streams is providing webcasting services for funerals. Whether it is distance or military service that prevents family or friends from attending the services of the deceased, webcasting funerals now brings the funeral to the laptops and desktops of those loved ones.

You can see the preview here.

The Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney estimates for just $500 you can provide this additional live-streaming funeral service. In fact, Baby Boomers are the biggest consumers of this latest trend in funerals streaming live on the Internet.

Leave it to the Boomers to demand more from the traditional funeral homes. The National Funeral Directors Association lists the latest trends in funerals and personalization is the number one request. Apparently funerals these days are going to be more memorable and personal. Advance planning and prepaying is very popular these days. Instead of waiting until the final moment, most folks are pre-paying their funeral expenses and it can save a great deal of money in the long run.

It is the unusual trends that caught my attention. Did you know it was possible to transform cremated ashes into a gemstone? Life Gems takes the carbon from the cremated remains and creates gem stones. It sounds a bit creepy to me but you can visit them here. Somehow wearing a remnant of my dearly departed isn't something that I would choose to do but to each their own.

If you do choose cremation, there are several unique urns available from this company called Everlasting Memories. You can visit them here to choose anything from a pair of cowboy boots to a replica of a motorcycle engine. Imagine that.

Painted caskets are also trending these days. Sweet Earth Casket and Cradle Shop offers the unique paint jobs for every casket. You can see them here.

The environmentally conscious may consider a green burial and there are several companies that can offer these services. The Green Burial Council offers a website where you can search for providers of these services here.

In the end, when life is over and the time for the funeral has come, remember it is a celebration of life. How you and your family choose your funeral is as individual and apparently, as customizable as you would like to make it.

Personally, when I step from this life, I already know where I'm going and I don't need a painted coffin to get me there.

Sources:

http://www.nfda.org/media-center/trends-in-funeral-service.html

http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/family-money/funerals-baby-boomerstyle-1313705842442/