Look around the internet; there is no shortage of websites discussing funerals. What to say, what to send to the grieving family, and how to choose the right flowers. These are all great ideas and resources, but we want to share our top three things you shouldn’t do at a funeral – countdown style. We’ve seen a lot over the years, and in our opinion, these are the three biggest, rudest, most cringe-worthy things we see. And we see these a lot!
Number Three: Don’t Let Your Phone Ring
Today we all have cell phones. From the children that attend services with their parents to the oldest adults that come in to pay their final respects. For goodness sake, turn your ringer off! Nothing will make a room full of people turn and look at you faster than when that catchy beat of your ringer goes off for a call or text! And there are some doozies when it comes to these tones! They may be well and good for your office or your kid’s sporting event, but they are inappropriate at a funeral. So, do yourself a favor and silence that phone.
We might also mention that if your phone rings and you absolutely MUST take that call, please, take it outside. No one in the room cares what time your kid’s soccer practice starts or what time your doctor’s appointment is.
Number Two: Don’t Dress Like You’re at a NightClub
A funeral is a rather somber event. It should be taken seriously. The expectation is that you will look nice and not wear a shirt that you found at the bottom of the clothes hamper. Leave the jeans at home. And ladies, this isn’t the appropriate place to wear that skin-tight dress you wore to so-and-so’s bachelorette party.
When you dress for a funeral, the best tip we can offer is to dress as you would for a job interview. Understated colors are great. You don’t have to come in traditional black, brown and grey work well. But that red dress, leave it in the closet. Ask yourself if you really wanted a job would you wear this to make your best first impression? If the answer is no, you won’t wear that, then do yourself a favor and don’t.
Number One: Don’t Be Late!
One of the most disruptive things you can do is show up late to a funeral! It shows no compassion for the family and is rude to the other mourners. Do yourself a favor and check Google Maps or Waze for traffic conditions and leave yourself some travel time in the event of road construction on an accident. If you arrive early, spend some time checking emails and turning off your ringer before you go in.
Remember, early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.
So, now that we’ve covered the top three things you shouldn’t do at a funeral, we hope that you will be prepared the next time you attend one. It’s easy! Turn your phone to silent, dress as you would for a job interview, and don’t be late!