Alternative funerals

Whether you want a celebration of life, a non-religious service, a natural burial, or something unique, your funeral director will help you create a meaningful farewell.  

Two men embrace as mourners in dark clothing gather by a large window after a funeral service.
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  • Included:Over 200 years of caring for families
  • Included:Local service from 558 branches
  • Included:Funerals, plans, probate and more

Your wishes lead the way

There's no single way to hold a funeral. Some families want a quiet gathering, others a full celebration of a life well lived. Your funeral director will start by understanding the person you're remembering, and listening to what feels right for you. Whatever you have in mind, they’ll help you make it happen.  

A woven willow coffin outdoors, topped with pink roses and green foliage.

Room to do things differently

The details are what make a funeral personal. Your funeral director will support you in choosing and arranging:

  • a celebrant, family member or friend to lead the day
  • a venue that means something – from a much-loved garden to a favourite beach
  • a natural or woodland burial, for a simpler return to the earth
  • personalised music, readings, colours and dress code
  • an unconventional procession, from a motorcycle convoy to a campervan or horse-drawn hearse

If you have an idea in mind, tell your funeral director. They have the local connections to make most things happen.

A vintage cream and green Volkswagen camper van parked on a driveway beside flower beds.

Supporting everyone to say a personal goodbye

Whatever you have in mind, call us and we'll talk it through with you.

Bright roses, gerberas and sunflowers arranged on a blue coffin inside a vehicle.

Colourful funerals

Asking people to wear colour rather than black – how to word the request, colourful and picture coffins, brighter flowers, and alternative hearses.

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A large broadleaf tree standing alone in a green meadow under a blue sky.

Eco burial

Making a burial as environmentally friendly as possible – shrouds, biodegradable urns, tree pod burials, eco coffins and greener transport.

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A woman in a blue dress holds an open folder and speaks, standing in front of brickwork.

Humanist funerals

A ceremony with no religious content, led by a humanist celebrant – what happens, whether religious relatives can take part, and what it costs.

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Mourners seated on chairs face a wooden coffin at the front of a light, modern chapel.

Non-religious funerals

Arranging a funeral without religion – who can officiate, humanist and civil ceremonies, venues, readings and music, and ways to personalise the day.

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Talk to us in person

Contact your local Dignity branch to talk to a funeral director.

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Alternative funeral FAQs

We're here to answer all your questions. If anything isn't clear, please ask us.

Find your local funeral director

Our funeral directors are at the heart of their communities, in over 558 locations across the UK. Wherever you live, you'll have an experienced professional by your side throughout, caring for you and the person who has died.