Funeral Myths Debunked: What You Need to Know

Funerals have been part of human life for thousands of years—yet so many assumptions about them are shaped by outdated customs, hearsay, or simply fear of the unknown. These myths can lead to confusion, and in many cases, unnecessary costs or decisions that don’t truly reflect someone’s wishes. 

At Aura, we believe in clarity, compassion, and cutting through the noise. Whether it’s about what you’re legally required to do, how much you need to spend, or how a funeral ‘should’ look, we’re here to set the record straight. with honest guidance and a simple funeral arrangements checklist to help you plan with confidence.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most commonly believed funeral myths, and shed some light on them. 

Key takeaways:

• Embalming is not a legal requirement in the UK.
• A hearse is not legally required for transporting the person who has died  to a funeral.
• You are not legally obliged to hire a funeral director.
• Funerals do not always have to be excessively expensive.
• There are alternative, more affordable options available, such as direct cremation services.

Embalming is required by law

Embalming could be deemed necessary, or at least heavily recommended, depending on whether or not a funeral will have an open casket, but it’s not legally required in the UK. In fact, as a practice, it is prohibited by certain religions, including Islam and Judaism. 

Embalming involves draining and replacing bodily fluids which are no longer moving around the body with a chemical mixture. It temporarily delays the initial stages of body decomposition, giving families an extended opportunity to say goodbye to their loved ones. It’s common in cultures where an open casket is the norm, such as among Italian and Irish Catholics. 

Embalming preserves the body forever

Despite the fact that Lenin’s embalmed body has been on display in Red Square for 100 years, embalming doesn’t preserve the body forever. In fact, in Lenin’s case, his body needs to be re-embalmed and cleaned every 18 months, and kept in just the right heating and lighting conditions in order to prevent him from rapidly decomposing.

Most people will only ever be embalmed once,  which will temporarily delay the decomposition of their body prior to their funeral.

Hearses are required for transport

Hearses are one of the key parts of a traditional funeral set up, and they normally form part of the standard image we all have in our minds when we think of a funeral. However, there is no legal requirement to transport the person who has died to their funeral in a hearse. 

Aura, for instance, brings the person to their ceremony inside a personal ambulance with privacy and dignity.

You must hire a funeral director

It is a common misconception that we are legally required to use the services of a funeral director, but, according to the Citizens Advice Bureau, this is not the case. 

If you would like to arrange a funeral without employing the services of a funeral director, you can get support from the Natural Death Centre, or from the Cemeteries and Crematorium department of your local council. You will need to think carefully about whether you want to organise a funeral yourself, as this could be a stressful experience. 

Funeral directors are useful for coordinating events and staff on the day of the funeral, helping to arrange everything ahead of time, and taking the weight of logistics off of your shoulders. Their services can be expensive, however. You can learn more about what they do here.

Funerals are always expensive

We would never want to downplay the financial pressure that paying for a funeral can add to your shoulders, but funerals don’t always have to be hugely costly. 

According to the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025, the average cost of a funeral in the UK in 2023 was £4,285. However, an Aura direct cremation is available to you at the point of need from £1,195, and through a prepaid funeral plan from £1,695. We are proud to offer a dignified funeral option to the UK that is well under half of the national average funeral cost.

Those are just a few of the myths associated with funerals, and we hope that you have enjoyed reading about them. If there are any questions that you’d like to ask our team about cremation, or if you’d like to discuss our prepaid direct cremation plans, we’d be more than happy to talk to you.