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Clothing and colour themes

When it comes to funeral clothing, there are several ways that you could opt to make the funeral both memorable and personal - from clothing for the person who has died, a clothing colour or theme for mourners through to working with the funeral director and their team to add personal touches to their attire.

Having unique clothing themes for a funeral is split into the following categories:

Clothing for the person who has died

When arranging a funeral for someone, one of the things you’ll be asked by your funeral director is what you want them to wear. As well as choosing an outfit, you might want to think about things like jewellery, accessories and shoes.

The burial clothing you choose may depend on the type of funeral you are arranging. If there is a theme or a favourite colour, then you might have something very specific in mind.

While many people will opt for something comfortable like pyjamas or a favourite piece of clothing, others may choose anything from football kits to military uniforms. If it is an open casket, it may make a difference to your choice. For eco-funerals, there are specific rules about what kind of clothes can be worn. While there is no right or wrong choice, it can be helpful to check with your funeral director before making a final decision.

“We sometimes find that tradition can influence what people feel they should choose. I remember working with a lady who thought that her husband ought to wear a suit. When discussing it, I could see that she wasn’t comfortable, so I encouraged her to open up. It turned out her husband hated wearing suits and was most comfortable in his work overalls. She was delighted when I reassured her that she could bury him in what he loved to wear.”

Duncan, Funeral Director

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Clothing for mourners

Unless told otherwise, many people attending the funeral tend to play it safe, opting to wear more traditional dark funeral attire. However, wearing bright coloured clothing to symbolise a celebration of life is becoming more popular, with some families inviting guests to dress in a favourite colour, or even to a theme.

“I arranged the funeral of two brothers who had sadly died in a car crash. We were amazed to see several coach loads of American football players - in full football kit - attend the funeral. It made it very personal to their interests.”

Spencer, Funeral Director

“We arranged a funeral for a man who was a big Star Wars fan. It wasn’t a fully themed funeral, but we wanted to personalise it with a nod to his favourite film, so worked with the family to arrange for a couple of mourners to dress as StormTroopers and walk alongside the Funeral Director and coffin”.

Andrea, Funeral Director

The advice of our funeral directors is to make sure that you let people know if there is a colour or theme that you want to follow, to avoid any confusion or embarrassment on the day.

American Footballers | Dignity Funerals

Clothing for the funeral directors and pallbearers

Funeral directors usually have a fairly standard look - wearing traditional black suits that reflect the sombre and traditional nature of their role. However, most funeral directors will tell you that the most important thing for them is to support the family through a difficult period and provide a memorable send-off. For this reason, the team helping to arrange the funeral will usually be open to the idea of personalising their attire to fit with your plans.

This can be something as simple as changing our ties or cravats to a favourite colour or to match the colours of a football team, but it can extend to fully themed funerals.

“We were asked to carry out the funeral of a little girl who loved Disney characters. The funeral was carried out with me conducting, dressed as Woody from Toy Story. The bearers were dressed as Mickey Mouse and Goofy and I spoke with the civil celebrant and she was dressed as Snow White.

The family - mum, dad and brother - came as characters from Frozen. This brought great comfort to the parents and was a great surprise for the wider family as it was done with only the parents knowing until the day of the funeral. The rest of the family were amazed at our offer to do this for their princess. The funeral was two years ago and I'm still known as Woody to the Hospice staff.”

Joseph, Funeral Director

Themed clothing for a Funeral Director | Dignity Funerals

Other ways to personalise a funeral

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