Lastjourney Blog

What you should wear at a funeral?

Varun

01 December, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Attending a funeral is a way to show reverence toward the departed soul. Due to this reason, one should be dressed appropriately. Since it is very hard to choose the right costume for the funeral of your loved one at a time when you are bearing the immense pain of losing someone.

Many questions come to the mind of a person who is going to attend a funeral like, What should I wear in winter or summer? , What should women wear at a funeral? etc. This article will give you information regarding the appropriate costumes for men and women for attending a funeral.

What is the right attire for a woman who is going to take part in a funeral?

There are several things to which a woman should pay heed while attending a funeral. Apart from taking advice from your family members and choosing a costume according to your faith and belief, you can take help from below mentioned points.

You should choose clothes in light and relaxing colours if you are going to attend a funeral. These colours can be white, peach, cream In some religions the black colour is considered the most appropriate funeral, hence you can pick a plain black coloured costume also.
The dress you are going to wear to a funeral should not be very revealing. You must try to cover your body as much as you can. If you are wearing a sleeveless top or dress, you can cover yourself with a scarf, shawl etc.
Your footwear should also be comfortable and simple. A pair of simple casual shoes can also be the right option but you must remove them while paying honour to the deceased person.
If the family of the deceased person decides on a dress code for the funeral, you should follow it.
In winter you can add a long coat or sweater to your costume. The colour of winter wears should also be soothing and light.

What should a woman avoid wearing at a funeral?

After knowing the information regarding appropriate costumes for a funeral, a woman should also know the avoidable things.

Torn or damaged clothes are considered a sign of disrespect toward the deceased person hence you should avoid wearing ripped jeans or high-slit dresses at a funeral.
Very dark color and pompous clothes are also not right according to the aspect of funeral etiquette.
You should also skip using heavy jewelry, high heels, boots, makeup and revealing or stylish clothes at a funeral.
If you are going to wear a dress or skirt at a funeral, it should be long enough or below your knees.

What can a man wear and what should he avoid wearing at a funeral?

Usually, funeral attire is traditional according to the belief of every religion. Different religions have different opinions regarding the clothes for the funeral. But some points related to funeral attire remain common among them. Here are some of those.

If you are going to attend the funeral of a person who belonged to the Hindu religion, you should pick a white costume like Kurta Pajama, Dhoti Kurta, white shirt and light shaded pants, etc. You can choose other light colours also as pink, cream, light blue and light green
For footwear, you can choose a simple pair of shoes or flats of black or brown colour.
While attending the funeral of a departed person who belonged to a Christian family, you can dress up in a dark-shaded suit. The colours should be black, navy blue or brown etc.
You can add a tie to your collared shirt if you want to. There is no compulsion in wearing a tie.

What is avoidable for men while choosing a costume for attending a funeral?

As we attend a funeral to show our respect and love toward the departed soul, we should take great care of our behavior during this time. A small mistake can hurt the mourning family members and friends. Therefore you are advised to avoid the following mistakes.

Wearing ripped jeans and torn shirts or t-shirts is not right.
You should also avoid printed shirts while attending a funeral.
Swanky shoes and boots seem very inappropriate according to the funeral ritual.
Men should avoid using strong perfumes when they are going to take part in anyone’s funeral.

Some points that you must consider before finalizing your funeral

The simple rule of dressing up for a funeral is to show respect through your appearance. Along with it, you can also keep some points in mind which are written below.

Respect the religious belief of the family of the deceased person – If you want to heal the aching hearts of grieving people you should respect their beliefs first. You must decide your clothes according to the religious faith of the deceased’s family. Being rigid with your opinion can be disrespectful to the mourning people and the departed person.
Do not feel shy in taking the right advice – It is very common to have doubt related to the dress or appearance at a funeral. In this case, you can discuss it with other people or directly ask the head member of the deceased person.
Do not try to look different at a funeral- Adopting a different look at a casual event is completely okay but at a funeral, you should try to blend in.