Alternative Funerals
Alternative Funerals
A traditional funeral service is not right for everyone. For some people, the best funeral may be a celebration of life, where mourners are asked to wear bright colours. For others, a direct cremation or burial without a ceremony will be the best approach. If you need to plan a funeral service for someone who has died, or you’re thinking about writing down your own wishes, it can help to know about alternative funeral service ideas that lie beyond the scope of traditional funeral options.
At Full Circle Funerals, we’re proud to offer our support in making a range of alternative funeral arrangements and delivering services that are perfectly tailored to the person at the centre. We can cater to everything from a simple non-religious funeral to a woodland burial or a more customised service that is tailored to the person’s life. We are well known for our eco-friendly funeral services and green burial options, but we can bring you lots of alternative funeral ideas to guide you towards the perfect service.
Just like with any funeral, there are many decisions to make, but especially if you want to design an alternative funeral service yourself. If you need help to explore your options or professional guidance on what your funeral ceremony needs, contact Full Circle Funerals today.
What Are Alternative Funerals?
The term “alternative” funerals means different things to different people. We understand it to mean that you want to explore the possibilities and make your own choices, whether that involves a funeral service, cremation, a burial service or a memorial service. The driving principle should be to have the time, information and flexibility to make the choices that you believe best reflect the person who has died and are most helpful for the people for whom the funeral is important.
An event that one person might call an alternative funeral could involve a cremation funeral service with a lot of personalised choices, whereas another person might choose a largely traditional burial service with some aspects which are entirely unique. In fact, the labels themselves might not be helpful. Many of us identify with certain traditions and may want to incorporate these or create our own alternative funeral traditions. This may mean a religious-inspired ceremony, but with some of the practical elements of environmentally friendly funerals or eco-friendly burials. We believe the key is for you to receive the right information and support, allowing you to create an alternative funeral that reflects your wishes. Whether you’re planning a burial service or a cremation with funeral service, our goal is to help you create something that feels meaningful.
Alternative Funeral Choices
Having a full understanding of the alternative funeral options that are available can be helpful when trying to make funeral arrangements. When you know what is possible, the choices that feel right can seem much more obvious. After all, it can be difficult to know what a humanist or atheist funeral looks like, for example – but when you know the person for whom you’re planning the funeral, you’ll often know what feels right. With religion, it can be hard to know sometimes, because people may identify as having a religion without regularly attending a specific place of worship.
We would always suggest that you give yourself a little time and space before making your final choices and feel able to change your mind as your thoughts evolve. When you work with Full Circle Funerals, your funeral director will help you to put all your choices together and will do as much, or as little, as you want them to. Some alternative funeral options are listed below to give you a sense of the decisions you’ll need to make, and the areas where you can be more creative in planning a memorial service.
Venues – you may wish to consider holding the service at an alternative venue. We have supported families to arrange funerals that have taken place in their home, garden, a local community centre and function rooms. Many places will allow the coffin to be present, and we can advise you in how best to plan a ceremony in a non-traditional funeral location.
Committal – you could have a look at the you could have a look at the local crematoria, local authority, and natural burial grounds before making your final decision. We have helped many families arrange funerals at their local natural burial grounds, which are often beautiful locations to hold an alternative funeral. For those who are interested in environmental causes, these natural burial sites are a popular alternative funeral choice.
Coffins – there are many different alterative coffins to choose from; wicker, wool, cardboard and alternatives to the traditional wooden coffin are all available. Examples of these can be seen in each of our services. Among these options are coffins that can be customised or printed with photographs to offer a personalised tribute, and eco-friendly options that can minimise the impact of a traditional ceremony.
Flowers – using flowers from the garden or wildflower arrangements can be an alternative to traditional funeral flowers. There are a substantial number of possibilities – for example, we have supported families who have chosen potted plants (such as chilli plants) and have arranged for personal items such as a trowel, walking boots or vegetables from their allotment to be incorporated into the arrangements.
Celebrants – you may prefer to have a civil celebrant, Humanist celebrant or religious leader conduct the service and, for alternative funerals, all of these options are available. You may wish to conduct the service yourself – it is not a requirement for the service to be led by a “professional” and many families we have worked with have created beautiful formal and informal services themselves. It is still possible to include religious readings or Humanist funeral ideas in the ceremony, even if you want a friends or family-led funeral, so it’s often worth exploring this option.
Transport – there are a variety of hearses that you can choose from, and our 100% electric eco-hearse is a popular choice for people wishing to make more alternative funeral choices. If you have a suitable vehicle, you could arrange to transport the coffin yourself (with some assistance, if you prefer), or consider other transportation options that will suit the theme you’re aiming for.
Alternative funeral ideas aren’t limited to the big decisions. For example, there are many options available for stationary, refreshments, musicians, dress codes, memory tables and personal tributes that go beyond what you’d expect from a traditional funeral. Please contact Full Circle Funerals for advice if you would like to know more. You can also listen to our funeral arranging podcast or read our funeral arranging guide for more ideas about the best way to plan the service you want.
I was listened to and anything that I mentioned was treated respectfully. Suggestions were made which gave me ideas of where I wanted to go with arrangements. I was understood and my feelings were taken into consideration.
– P M Potter
Why Choose Full Circle Funerals?
There are lots of decisions to make when exploring alternative funeral ideas and planning a ceremony, and the process should never be influenced by what is convenient for the funeral director or what is in their professional comfort zone. At Full Circle Funerals, we work to understand what’s best for you, and then determine how we can help you to deliver the right service.
Some people want clear guidance and direction on matters such as how to choose a burial or cremation, how to plan a burial service or what happens at a cremation service in the UK. Others prefer to be informed about their options, starting with a step like choosing a crematorium, and then feel empowered to make the choices that are right for them. With the right support, you can create a funeral that really looks and feels right to you, whether it’s a home funeral, direct cremation, or a service at a crematorium. What matters most is that people have the opportunity to feel connected after bereavement.
Our funeral directors in Guiseley, Bramley (Leeds), Altrincham and Harrogate will support you through the funeral arranging process at a pace and manner that works for you. Whether you’re curious about what happens at a burial service, how to conduct a burial service or funeral options for cremation, we can guide you every step of the way. Along with the alternative funeral choices we have listed here, you might find it helpful to look at our options and prices page for some more ideas.
Where we’re located:
Full Circle Funerals supports families from across Yorkshire and Cheshire and are always happy to answer any questions you may have about alternative funeral choices, cremation services or anything else funeral-related.
We find that more people are willing to travel a little further to find a funeral director who will best meet their needs, whether they are planning a cremation or burial in the UK, an environmentally friendly funeral or another type of non-traditional funeral service. Our experts can advise you on making the right decisions for the funeral ceremony you want. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you.
