Why Are Funerals Becoming Fun? Aussies Are Ditching Black, Hymns and Boring Farewells
The founders of digital legacy platform My TAP®, My Time and Place, are encouraging Australians to rethink the way they approach death. They are calling for a national movement to democratize dying and give people back the power to decide how loved ones will remember them.
My TAP® founders Isla George and Lisa Wendland, say too many funerals bear little resemblance to the person they are meant to celebrate. Instead, they have become highly structured, traditional ceremonies. Too often, these ceremonies fail to capture the personality, humor, passions, and individuality of the person who has died.
George said Australians have embraced personal choice in almost every aspect of life. Yet many still leave one of life’s most significant moments entirely to chance.
Why Traditional Funerals Are Losing Relevance
“Going to a funeral can sometimes feel more confronting than death itself because so many funerals are predictable, formal and devoid of the personality of the person they are meant to honor. Let’s be honest, they are boring,” George said.
“Too often they become ceremonial theatre. They follow the same script, the same music, the same format and the same traditions, regardless of whether that’s what the person actually wanted.
“We believe every Australian deserves the opportunity to design their own farewell, just as they designed their own life.
“Many funeral homes push you into staged and cookie-cutter-like performances that actually degrade the life and memory of loved ones, not celebrate them.”
Designing a Personalized Funeral That Reflects Your Life
George said many people would choose a completely different farewell if they knew they could.
“Some people would rather have a barbecue on the beach than a church service. Others would want rock music instead of hymns, colourful clothing instead of black, laughter instead of silence, or a celebration surrounded by fishing rods, motorbikes, surfboards or family recipes,” Ms George said.
“Your farewell should reflect your life, not somebody else’s expectations.”
Reducing Family Grief and Uncertainty After Loss
Wendland said one of the greatest burdens families carry after losing a loved one is not knowing what they actually wanted.
“Families are often forced to make dozens of decisions while they are grieving,” Ms Wendland said.
“They’re trying to guess what Mum or Dad would have wanted, often relying on conversations that happened years earlier, if they happened at all.”
“That uncertainty doesn’t just create stress. It can create conflict, guilt and disagreements that families carry for years.”
Wendland said those experiences became one of the driving forces behind the creation of My TAP®.
“My TAP® was created because we wanted to give people their voice back. It’s much more than recording funeral wishes. It’s about giving every person the opportunity to decide how they want to be remembered, what stories they want told, what music they want played, who they want to speak, what messages they want their family to hear, and how they want their life celebrated.”
“Death shouldn’t erase someone’s personality, it should create new memories from it that can be shared and enjoyed.”
How My TAP® Works
The Australian-developed platform lets users securely record their funeral wishes, life story, cherished memories, personal messages, sentimental possessions, and important information. This gives loved ones certainty instead of guesswork.
Unlike traditional planning documents, users can continually update My TAP® throughout their life. It evolves alongside their circumstances, relationships, and wishes.
Time to Democratize Dying
George said Australians have embraced personal choice in almost every aspect of life, yet many continue to leave one of life’s most significant moments entirely to chance.
“We personalise weddings, birthdays, homes and careers because they reflect who we are,” she said.
“So why do we accept that our farewell should be decided by default? It’s time we democratised dying and helped people to reclaim the right to write their own final chapter.”
Wendland said no one should ever view planning a farewell as morbid.
“It’s one of the greatest acts of love you can leave behind. When families know exactly what you wanted, they stop worrying about whether they’re making the right decisions,” Ms Wendland said.
“They’re free to celebrate your life exactly as you hoped they would. My TAP® is about giving Australians permission to have those conversations today, so tomorrow is filled with certainty instead of uncertainty.”
About My TAP®
My TAP®, My Time and Place, is an Australian-developed digital legacy, lifestyle, and end-of-life planning platform. It helps people securely record their final wishes, life story, cherished memories, and heartfelt written, audio, and video messages. It also covers sentimental possessions, important documents, and personal information, all in one secure place. My TAP® complements, rather than replaces, a Will. It gives users greater control over how they preserve and share their wishes with loved ones. This happens through its innovative, patent-pending Nominee Access Methods.
Isla George, Andrew Stephenson, and Lisa Wendland founded My TAP® following their own personal experiences of loss. They created it to help families have today’s conversations for tomorrow. It provides clarity, reduces uncertainty, and helps loved ones focus on what matters most. The company operates out of Brisbane and holds a long-term vision: becoming the world’s most trusted digital legacy platform.
Learn more at My TAP®.
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