The average funeral will involve organising a venue, flowers and a eulogy.
But one Brit asked to be buried in his favourite wardrobe as part of a growing trend of unusual funeral requests.
Undertakers have revealed some of the most bizarre funerals of the past year to researchers at over 50s experts SunLife.
They quizzed 100 funeral directors and 1,500 Brits who had planned a funeral in the past year, asking them to reveal the oddest requests they’d had from clients or loved ones.
One of the strangest was an antique dealer whose final wish was to be laid to rest in his favourite wardrobe.
Another funeral director revealed how the wishes of the departed were that pork pies be placed in bouquets of flowers and handed out to mourners.
One chap, a former bus driver, asked for his body to be carried to the crematorium inside the luggage compartment of a coach, and another asked to be taking to the to his final resting place on the roof rack of a Mini.
A spokesman for SunLife said its latest ‘Cost of Dying’ report had found that 15 per cent of all funerals included unusual requests.
Undertakers have revealed some of the most bizarre funerals of the past year to researchers at over 50s experts SunLifen(Stock image)
One of the strangest was an antique dealer whose final wish was to be laid to rest in his favourite wardrobe (Stock image)
He said: ‘Our latest report can reveal the most unique funeral requests of the past year, including a a man being buried in a wardrobe.
‘Some personal requests are fairly simple, like everyone wearing purple, but some are more of the ‘weird and wonderful’ variety, like putting pork pies in flowers.’
Mark Screeton, CEO at SunLife, said today (Thursday):Our report found that 54 per cent of us would like our own funeral to have a ‘personal’ element, including bright clothing instead of black, or a theme reflecting our likes and interests.
‘But when it comes to it, most people don’t tell their loved ones of these wishes.
‘In fact, 18 per cent of those takes with organised the funeral of a loved one have absolutely no idea about their final wishes – not even whether they wanted a burial or a cremation.
‘As a result, 64 per cent of funerals are ‘traditional’ while just 15 per cent of funerals contain a more, shall we say, unusual element.’
SunLife have launched a new online tool, called My Perfect Send-Off – which asks you to pick how you want your own funeral to go.
