The way Britons get married is undergoing an upheaval as celebrants supplant clerics and brides opt for second-hand gowns. What’s driving couples to downsize their plans, exchange engagement tattoos, and opt for outdoor ceremonies? And how are brands supporting their new traditions?

Rather than having despairing crowds dressed in black, Britons are using funerals to celebrate the passions the deceased held in life. As everyday life becomes increasingly stressful, people are responding by changing the tone of conversations around even the darkest of subjects.

Death has never been the brightest topic of conversation, but attitudes are shifting as people realise the benefit of planning for ‘the other side’. DeadHappy puts the focus on the economic and social benefits of preparing for death, with its pay-as-you-go insurance and ‘DeathWish List’.

Amid rising global interest in dark tourism, historic graveyards across Australia are being transformed from underutilised public spaces to travel hotspots. Offering theatrical night-time tours that double as history lessons, Melbourne General Cemetery is making death a less taboo topic.