Every year, SunLife, an over-50s life insurance company, releases a report on funeral trends. It’s not perfect, but it does give us a valuable snapshot of how funerals are evolving - how much they cost, how people are choosing to say goodbye, and how we are rethinking the way we honour those we love.
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Every February, SunLife publishes its Cost of Dying report – a snapshot of funeral prices and changing trends across the UK. The 2025 report shows the average cost of dying has risen again, now at £9,797, covering funeral services, professional fees and send-off costs.
Since 2004, funeral prices have risen by 134%. In Conwy, Gwynedd, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Anglesey, families are feeling that pressure just as much as elsewhere. But cost is only one part of the story.
Here’s the real headline: funerals are changing. And while the cost of funerals is rising, so too is our freedom to shape them. Here are my key takeaways from the report.
One of the biggest shifts in recent years has been the rise of direct cremation - a simple, no-fuss option with no formal service. Just a few years ago, only 3% of people chose this. Now, 1 in 5 funerals (20%) are direct cremations.
But here’s the interesting part - 90% of families who choose direct cremation still gather in some way. It might be a formal ceremony, an intimate gathering at home, or a scattering of ashes on a favourite hillside.
This tells us something profound: it’s not about the funeral itself, but about the act of coming together. And that is something we are redefining in our own way, in our own time. That's exactly what Jayne did when she planned an online funeral service following her husband's direct cremation.
The report also found that 51% of funerals arranged by funeral directors were religious. This means that 49% - nearly half - are non-religious.
That’s a huge cultural shift. More people want ceremonies that feel personal and authentic, without the formal structure of faith. This is where humanist celebrants like me play an important role – creating funerals that reflect the individual, their values, and their story.
Alongside this, the tone of funerals is shifting. In 2018, only 31% of people described the ceremony they arranged as a celebration of life. Now, that number has risen to 51%.
This doesn’t mean grief disappears. But it does mean that more people are choosing to focus on the light, not just the loss.
I hear it all the time from families I work with:
"We want it to feel like them."
"We want to remember the good."
"We want to celebrate who they were."
And this isn’t just happening when someone has lived to a grand old age. Even when life has been shorter or more complicated, families still want to hold space for love, laughter, and gratitude.
Because grief and joy can sit side by side. Saying goodbye doesn’t have to be heavy with formality - it can be honest, heartfelt, uplifting and full of meaning.
Another shift is the move towards personalisation. More families are shaping funerals around the person they love, rather than simply following tradition.
People are asking: What would feel true to them?
It might be:
- Playing their favourite song as people arrive, rather than traditional hymns.
- Holding the ceremony somewhere special like a garden, a woodland, a beach, rather than a crematorium.
- Alternative hearses, like motorbike sidecars or rainbow-coloured vehicles.
- Encouraging guests to wear bright colours, or casual clothing.
- Filling the space with stories, humour, and warmth, rather than rigid formality.
- Taking time to acknowledge the quirks and passions that made them unique
These small choices make a big difference. They bring comfort in grief, helping people feel connected- not just to the loss, but to the life that was lived.
Perhaps the most striking statistic is that fewer than 1% of people have shared all their funeral wishes with loved ones. That leaves families guessing at a painful time.
This is something I see all the time. Families tell me:
"We tried to talk about it, but they didn’t want to."
"They never thought they were going to die."
"I know they wanted to be cremated, but beyond that, I have no idea."
Sometimes, this means the person who died genuinely didn’t mind how their funeral was handled. But more often, it leaves loved ones unsure, second-guessing, and wondering if they’re making the right decisions.
It’s no surprise that 35% of people don’t want their families to struggle financially to pay for their funeral. But in the rawness of grief, it’s easy to feel pressure - should we spend more? Will it feel enough?
The simple act of writing down your wishes can remove this weight. There are some excellent resources to help, like Hospice UK’s “My Funeral Wishes” or forms from the Bereavement Advice Centre.
So. Here are my key takeaways from this year's report:
✅ Funeral costs are rising, but so too is our ability to shape them in ways that feel true.
✅ Direct cremations now account for 1 in 5 funerals, showing a shift towards simpler, low-cost options.
✅ Almost half of funerals are non-religious, reflecting a move towards personalised, meaningful ceremonies.
✅ More people want a celebration of life - choosing joy, storytelling, and gratitude over formality.
✅ Funeral traditions are being reimagined - with more personal choices, unique venues, and meaningful rituals.
✅ We’re still not talking enough about our funeral wishes - leaving loved ones to make difficult decisions alone.
✅ Planning ahead can ease the burden, helping families feel confident that they are doing the right thing.
Ultimately, what matters most is not how much we spend, but how we remember.
And that? That is something we can shape with our own hands, hearts, and stories.
Funeral costs are rising, but the freedom to personalise a ceremony has never been greater. Whether you’re in Denbighshire, Conwy, Anglesey, Flintshire or Gwynedd, the most important thing isn’t the price tag – it’s creating a farewell that feels true to the person you love.
If you’re thinking about planning ahead, or simply want to explore what a modern, personal funeral could look like, I’d be glad to talk. I work with families across North Wales – from Conwy and Anglesey to Gwynedd, Flintshire and Denbighshire – to create ceremonies that are honest, uplifting and deeply personal. Get in touch here.
Modern and uplifting wedding celebrant and funeral celebrant based in North Wales and working across Eryri (Snowdonia), Conwy, Gwynedd, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham, Anglesey, Llŷn Peninsula, Cheshire, Knutsford, Liverpool, Manchester and the North West.