When people think of funerals they think of grieving family dressed in black, coming together at a church for a ceremony. There are flowers on a black casket and everything is staid and formal. I’ve had the unfortunate luck of having been to a fair few funerals in my time, and among the majority of conventional funeral services there have been a few unique ones. Some people don’t realise that they have the freedom to tailor their funeral to the special personality of their deceased loved ones. In fact, making the funeral a special ceremony in remembrance of your loved one is a much more satisfying way to say goodbye.

There are so many directors who are willing to tailor funeral services. Perth is a pretty vibrant city with some quirky characters, and not just that but people of different cultural backgrounds. For instance, I’ve been to a funeral where instead of playing depressing music, we listened to the deceased person’s favourite hip hop songs. I went to another funeral home where instead of being dressed in a drab and depressing formal suit, the deceased was dressed in the stylish and quirky attire he was best known for. And I even went to one funeral of an animal lover, who had his two pet dogs sitting in the front row of the service along with the rest of the family. It just goes to show that we can let go of outdated expectations about funeral services. Funeral directors in Perth can do just about anything.

I know it’s a morbid topic but I’m actually starting to consider what I want for my own funeral service. Instead of a hearse, I want my coffin to be taken to the funeral on a trailer at the back of a motorcycle. Also, I’m going to ask my family not to wear black because I don’t want to look down at them from the afterlife while they’re crying and wearing a depressing colour. I’m going to keep thinking about it but the possibilities are endless.