Thanks to the ever-pertinent New York Times style section, today we have the newest trend in funerals: party planners.

That's right -- in an age of SAT coaches, personal trainers and wedding planners, why not have somebody put together a memorable send-off as you take the Big Sleep? As John Leland notes in his NYT article, Mark Duffey's Everest Funeral services will -- for $995 or a monthly fee -- put together a funeral guaranteed to make the Society page.

Whereas the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead and the Vikings sent their dead off to sea in a rudderless boat, why not have a marching band and fill Avery Fischer Hall, as Robert Tisch did? Or why not have waiters pass out chocolate-covered marshmallows, as Estee Lauder did?

In short: if you're stylish in life, why not be stylish in death?