(StatePoint) Tradition is meeting innovation in today’s memorial practices, proving that even life’s final chapter can be reimagined.

Today’s funerals bear little resemblance to those of the past. According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), cremation surpassed traditional burials as the preferred method of laying the deceased to rest in 2015. That trend continues today, with the estimated cremation rate in the United States in 2024 at 61.9%, and the burial rate estimated at 33.2%.

The tone of funerals has also changed, with many opting to host a celebration of life characterized with bright colors, upbeat music and even laughter as loved ones remember treasured moments together.

A newer, somewhat surprising trend is not waiting for a loved one to die before officiall

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