Friday, July 08, 2005

What do you wear to a funeral

My husband's grandfather passed away Sunday morning. We were both saddened, but expecting it. Besides the grief (or perhaps to ignore the grief) we started wondering about the funeral. Neither of us have been to very many.

The first question was, what do you wear to an LDS (Mormon) funeral? My husband has it easy, he just wears his black suit. I know from watching TV that black is the expected color, but LDS funerals, since we believe death isn't the end, tend to be more lenient. Seeking the source of all wisdom, I called my mom. She plays the organ and so is asked to play at many funerals. She said usually people wear dark, conservative clothes although she's seen all different colors. (In LDS circles, conservative means, for women, skirts should be approximately knee length or lower and tops should have sleeves. For men, a dark suit with a white shirt and unobtrusive tie.)

Second question, what do you wear to a viewing? I asked my mom this question too. She said, wear what you would wear to church (i.e. dresses for women, suits for men), you don't need to wear black or dark colors like you would to a funeral although it should probably be conservative.

So now I know.

(Updated 11/7/05)

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