When attending a funeral wake, there is a proper funeral wake attire unwritten rule that should be followed. The reason to attend a funeral wake is to pay respects to the deceased and to offer sympathy to the family and friends who are grieving.

If you are in the family of the deceased, it is very important to wear the proper funeral wake attire. For the men, a dark suit and tie are very appropriate. The women would be proper to wear a black or dark colored dress or pantsuit. Also, a skirt and blouse would be good, especially if they are in dark colors.

Depending on the family, and how close you are to them, you can even be able to wear something a little more casual. For men, it would be acceptable to wear a neat pair of casual pants and a knit pullover shirt. Sometimes, it is even all right to wear lighter colors, as long as they are subdued. The same rule would apply to women. A casual pair of pants or skirt matched with a neat top or blouse would be just fine to wear to a funeral home.

There are some colors that should be avoided while attending a funeral wake. These would be the bright colors, such as, red, orange, bright yellow or green or any other color that appears too bright. A very loud print with bright colors would also stand out at the funeral wake in a negative way.

Sometimes it is okay to wear a very neat pair of jeans if you are just stopping by to pay respects, but aren't staying for a long visit. It is important that they are a very neat pair, and not the worn out jeans that are seen so much on the streets. It would be very improper for a woman to wear a very short dress or skirt at a funeral wake. Even worse, it would be wrong for the woman to wear a bright or odd pair of pantyhose to go with a dress or skirt. Tight clothing should also be avoided for both the man and the woman.

It is mainly important to look neat and groomed and to dress conservatively while visiting the funeral home. Wearing the wrong clothes would seem disrespectful to the deceased's family and friends. Using common sense means a lot when choosing the proper funeral wake attire.