What Should You Wear to a Funeral?
When you attend a funeral, you are honoring someone who has died and offering support and comfort to their family. What you wear is seen as a symbol of your respect and shared grief.
Knowing what to wear to funerals at funeral homes in Ferrum, VA doesn’t have to be something that makes you anxious or worried if you follow a few simple guidelines. It’s important to remember that, in general, funerals are more somber occasions that have many funeral traditions and customs embedded in them.
Celebrations of life and, sometimes, memorial services can be more casual in tone, format, and dress (although you should check with a family member before you assume that’s the case).
Over time, American society has relaxed its dress code. Even in places where dressing up, like churches and companies where there were a lot of white color workers, was expected, dress codes have become much more casual.
As a result, some people come very casually dressed to funerals. For many people, though, coming to a funeral dressed casually is viewed as being disrespectful to the person who died and to their bereaved family.
So to ensure that you don’t give that impression because of what you wear to a funeral, you want to think conservatively about how you dress. First, you want whatever you wear to be neat, clean, and muted.
You do not want to draw attention away from the deceased or their bereaved family by wearing clothing or jewelry that is bright, sexy, flashy, or loud.
In Western society, black is traditionally worn to funerals. However, if you don’t have black dress clothes, then dark brown, navy, and dark gray are also appropriate colors for a funeral service.
For woman, a tailored pantsuit, a skirt and blouse, or plain dress is the best clothing choice for a funeral service. Avoid wearing dresses that are sleeveless (if you do, wear a jacket or sweater to cover your arms).
Wear as little jewelry as possible. Obviously, if you’re married, you can wear your wedding ring. You can also wear a watch, but it should be a simple watch that doesn’t draw attention to you.
Don’t wear flip flops, sandals, or high heels to a funeral service. Instead, choose a simple pair of dress flat shoes. It’s okay to bring a clutch purse, but leave your big purse or bag at home.
For men, jeans, shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps, and tennis shoes should not be worn to a funeral service. Instead, men should wear a black, gray, or navy jacket, a white dress shirt, and dress pants with dress shoes.
Ties are optional, but if you do wear a tie, wear a plain tie with no designs. Do not wear a hat inside the funeral home. If you have a hat or cap, remove it before you walk into the funeral home.
If your children are old enough to attend a funeral, they should dress up as well. Girls should wear plain dresses or pantsuits and flat dress shoes. Boys should wear at least an open-collared dress shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes.
It’s important for your children to learn and practice the customs of respect and honor that are embedded in funeral rituals, and it's never too early to begin doing that.
Although perfumes and colognes are not technically clothing, people often wear them when they dress more formally. Increasingly, some people have chemical sensitivities – which can produce very bad side effects – to some of the ingredients that go into these scents, so it’s better not to wear them at all.
For guidance on what to wear to funerals at funeral homes in Ferrum, VA, our compassionate and experienced staff at Conner-Bowman Funeral Home & Crematory is here to help.
