What Are You Wearing to Your Funeral?

The presentation of the deceased at Bassett, VA funeral homes is a big deal for family, friends, and other mourners. While the funeral takes excellent care of much of this presentation, what the deceased is wearing is usually chosen by the family as representation of who the deceased was in life. The clothes and accessories, if any, are carefully chosen by the family because they mean something to them.

Although the deceased are not wearing shoes as they lie in repose in a casket, families almost always bring socks or a blanket to cover their feet so that their feet don't get cold. As irrational as that sounds, it is a part of the transition into acceptance of death. We treat the dead like the living until we can treat them like the gone-by treasured memories that they become with time. 

Who do you want to dress you when you die? Do you want your wife to finally get that neon pink shirt and matching tie, with the burgundy pants on you? Do you want your husband to dress you in that outfit that he loves and you hate, but you bought it because he loved it? Do you want your children to have to go through the memories of your closet and pick the one outfit they want to remember you in? 

This is actually what happens most of the time (although your wife might give you a break on the neon pink shirt). But there's nothing that precludes you from deciding before you die what you want to be dressed in for your visitation and your burial. 

More and more, people are deciding – and letting their families know – what clothes they want to be buried in. And it's not always dress clothes anymore. 

Deceased people who were really into sports are choosing to wear their UVA sweatshirts, their NASCAR t-shirts, or their favorite professional football, basketball, or baseball team's jerseys. Accompanied by a pair of short or a pair of jeans, this is a perfectly acceptable choice of attire for your funeral. 

Other people choose clothes that they wear all the time. This could be a polo shirt and shorts, a flannel shirt and jeans, a casual shirt with the collar open and khakis, or a t-shirt and sweatpants. The choice is yours. 

The question of the appropriateness of choosing your own funeral clothes to match how people saw you dressed in life always comes into play. 

For a long time, it was considered proper to dress people in the very best clothes they had – their Sunday best, if you will – for their funerals. However, until corporate America happened in the 1950's and 1960's, most people wore those very best clothes only to go to church and to attend funerals (weddings always required a different wardrobe). 

The rest of the time, they were dressed in regular clothes that reflected their daily lives. So, seeing loved ones laying in caskets in clothes they seldom wore often made grief and loss more intense because they were essentially a stranger to their families. 

Having familiar clothes on when you're dead will help your family get through the funeral process with a little more comfort and a little less pain. So, go for it. 

If you want guidance on choosing clothes for your funeral Bassett, VA funeral homes, our compassionate and experienced staff at Conner-Bowman Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help. You can come by our funeral home at 62 Virginia Market Place Dr., Rocky Mount, VA, 24151 or you can contact us today at (540) 334-5151.