How Funeral Homes Dress the Deceased: Step-by-Step | Cake Blog (2025)

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Each funeral home cares for and dresses the deceased through a number of thoughtful, practical processes as a part of restorative art. The skilled funeral directors or morticians are specially trained to not only honor the dead but also to ensure they’re ready for their final resting place.

Jump ahead to these sections:

  • Why Are Bodies Dressed for Funerals?
  • Who Dresses the Deceased for a Funeral?
  • Who Brings the Clothing?
  • Steps for Dressing the Deceased

In the case of a burial or casket viewing, this means dressing them in burial clothing. Because most of this happens behind the scenes at the funeral home, there is often confusion about how these facilities dress the deceased.

After death, bodies undergo a number of natural changes. These make dressing the deceased a bit more challenging, but it’s still a necessary process. In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how funeral homes dress the deceased step-by-step.

While it’s hard to ask questions about what happens after we die, education is important. The more you understand about this process, the more comfortable you’ll feel about your own mortality. It’s also helpful to know that our deceased loved ones are in respectful, capable hands.

Why Are Bodies Dressed for Funerals?

First, why are bodies dressed for funerals? Since we don’t really have anywhere to go or anyone to impress, what’s the importance of burial clothing?

In different cultures throughout the world, burial clothes carry a lot of significance. They’re a way to help the individual transition to the afterlife, or they’re simply a form of respect. We all want our bodies treated with the utmost care, so this is part of the final goodbye for many families.

In addition, for those who plan to hold an open or closed casket funeral, the right clothing ensures the body is presentable. We don’t all pass wearing our favorite outfits, so the funeral director has the task of ensuring the body is presented well in these final moments.

Some even have their own wishes about the type of clothes they’d like to be buried in. A favorite ballgown or beloved sports jersey could be a part of someone’s final wishes, and it’s important to honor these requests.

Who Dresses the Deceased for a Funeral?

How Funeral Homes Dress the Deceased: Step-by-Step | Cake Blog (1)

Each state has different laws and regulations about who can handle dead bodies. In most cases, this process needs to be handled by a funeral director and certified embalmer. Though the body doesn’t necessarily need to be embalmed to be dressed, this is the most common situation.

In the case of a home funeral or green funeral, the family might dress the deceased themselves. However, it’s important to recognize the body’s natural changes after death. Rigor mortis sets in quickly, and dressing a body is easier said than done. Regardless of local rules and regulations, it’s best to leave this to the professionals.

Funeral directors and embalmers are skilled in the best ways to dress a body for a funeral or burial. They know how to handle the body with respect and care. Some modifications to the clothing might need to be made to ensure the deceased fits the clothing properly.

One of the most important steps in finding a funeral home is finding a funeral director you trust. The right director gives the family peace of mind throughout this process, and he or she can assist with choosing the right burial clothing.

Who Brings the Clothing?

While the funeral director or mortician is charged with actually dressing the body, the clothing is selected by the family. Some families have preferences for what they want their loved ones to wear, and some individuals also include their burial clothing as part of their final wishes.

Funeral homes are also a great resource for helping families through the process of choosing someone’s clothing. Most deceased are buried in finer clothes, like a dress, suit, or favorite outfit. This can be a highly personal decision for families, and it’s also a powerful part of the grieving process to make these final choices about loved ones.

Steps for Dressing the Deceased

How Funeral Homes Dress the Deceased: Step-by-Step | Cake Blog (2)

When it’s time to dress the deceased, the funeral director continues through the following steps. While they might sound harsh, the funeral director handles each step with care, compassion, and respect.

It’s important to maintain the dignity and modesty of the body throughout, and the focus is always on honoring the family’s wishes. Here is how the mortician or funeral director dresses the deceased.

1. Embalm the body

Many states require the body to be embalmed if it’s to appear in an open casket funeral. This is common if the family is choosing to have their loved one dressed in specific burial clothes.

Before the body can be dressed, it needs to be embalmed. This is the process of preserving human remains to slow down the natural decomposition process. While it won’t stop the process, it can help the body appear more life-like, especially if it’s to be shown at a casket viewing.

2. Dry the body

Because embalming requires a lot of different chemicals and fluids, the body is then dried and moved to a dressing table. This ensures the clothing is protected from any of the harsher chemicals used to preserve the body. It also gives the professional more space to handle the body.

3. Undergarments

Next, the undergarments are put on the body. These are supplied by the family, but the funeral director can provide suggestions to ensure they choose something suitable. These are put on first to protect the outer clothing and provide modesty for the deceased.

4. Cut the clothing

It’s now time to put on any outer clothing like a dress, suit, shirt, and so on. Instead of putting it directly on the body like you would a living individual, the clothing is typically cut straight down the back.

Why is it cut? After death, even after embalming, the body becomes stiff and swollen. Clothing that might have fit perfectly during life likely doesn’t fit the same now. In addition, it’s difficult to maneuver clothing around stiff limbs.

By cutting the clothing down the back, it looks more natural and can be tailored to the body. When laying flat in the casket, there’s no way to tell that the clothing has been altered in any way.

5. Shoes or socks

Not everyone brings shoes for their deceased loved ones. The casket doesn’t always open fully, and it’s normal to only see the upper half of a body during a viewing. As such, shoes are considered optional when it comes to burial attire.

For those who don’t bring shoes, it’s common to provide socks or slippers, which are much easier to have put on. Otherwise, the family is welcome to bring specific shoes, especially if they were a favorite of the deceased. These would be secured to the feet without any alterations.

6. Hair and makeup styling

The last part of this dressing process is the hair and makeup styling. This is done for both men and women to give the body a more life-like appearance.

After death, the skin can appear pale and lacks its normal color. To fight this, professionals apply a thick cosmetic cream to the skin to give it a consistent shade. In addition, lip color is applied to the mouth. General cosmetics that the family brings in can also be applied, including nail colors.

The hair is also done in a similar way. Sometimes, the family hires a professional hairdresser to prepare their loved one’s hair in a particular style. Otherwise, the hair is arranged simply and neatly to ensure there are no tangles.

7. Placed in the casket

Last but not least, the body is lifted and placed in the casket. There are specific body lifts designed to move the body safely and securely into the casket.

From there, the professional arranges the body positioning and clothing to make sure everything is presentable and ready for the family.

The Final Dressing and Sendoff

Dressing the body is one of its final journeys before reaching its final resting place. Funeral directors handle the dressing of the body with extreme care and respect, and they help meet the family’s final wishes for saying goodbye to their loved ones. Because the funeral process is very much behind closed doors, it’s natural to have some curiosity about how this works.

This guide shined a bit of light on what happens after someone’s under the care of a funeral home. Though it’s a skilled, complicated process, funeral directors navigate each stage of dressing respectfully. What someone chooses to be dressed in after death is a personal decision, and it’s the role of the funeral director to bring this to life.

Sources

  1. Northey, Kari. “Dressing and casketing a body at the funeral home.” Kari the Mortician. Youtube.com.
How Funeral Homes Dress the Deceased: Step-by-Step | Cake Blog (2025)

FAQs

How do funeral homes dress the deceased? ›

Many people come in a robe or hospital gown since they may have passed away at a care facility or in a hospital. It's completely acceptable and even normal for people to be cremated right in that outfit. Pajamas and nightgowns are also common and acceptable.

How to wash and dress a dead body? ›

With a wash cloth gently wash the face, legs, arms, hands and feet. This is more of a ritual cleansing although it is helpful to remove any residual bacteria from the skin. Pat dry completely. Dress the body — you may need to cut the clothing down the back to make it easier.

How do you dress a deceased loved one? ›

'Your loved one should be dressed in clothes made from natural fibres, like cotton or wool, as these biodegrade more easily,' says Rachel. 'Some burial grounds require a cotton shroud, so check any guidelines before the funeral. ' Shoes and boots are not permitted because they may contain harmful materials.

Do funeral homes need undergarments on deceased? ›

Most funeral homes keep a supply of undergarments on hand to protect the modesty of the deceased and will always have cosmetics available.

Do they take the clothes off a body before cremation? ›

Typically, if there has been a traditional funeral (with the body) present, the deceased will be cremated in whatever clothing they were wearing. If the cremation is done right after death, then it is usually done with the deceased wearing whatever clothing they were wearing at the time they died.

Is a person fully dressed in a casket? ›

We fully dress the deceased to preserve their dignity and help them look as “normal” as possible. As a general rule, the clothing is not returned to the family*, however jewelry and other items that are displayed on the deceased in the casket can either be returned or left with the deceased.

How do morticians keep bodies from smelling? ›

Powders (especially baby powder) are applied to the body to eliminate odors, and it is also applied to the face to achieve a matte and fresh effect to prevent oiliness of the corpse.

What do morticians take out of the body? ›

He inserts forceps into the jugular vein to allow blood to drain out, while at the same time injecting embalming solution into the carotid artery via a small tube connected to the embalming machine. For every 50 to 75 pounds of body weight, it takes about a gallon of embalming solution, largely made up of formaldehyde.

Do morticians wash hair? ›

Blood in the hair is removed with washing and chemicals. The funeral director then washes the hair, funeral directors may do this either before or after embalming. Hairdressing is normally done after embalming has been completed. Any hair stubble on the remains is shaved with a razor.

What is the color of mourning dress? ›

Colours of mourning around the world
  • Black – Western World. Wearing dark colours for mourning has long been a tradition in many parts of the western world, in particular large parts of Europe and North America. ...
  • White – East Asia and Europe. ...
  • Red – South Africa. ...
  • Purple – Thailand and South America.
Jun 10, 2019

How do you look cute at a funeral? ›

If you find yourself debating what to wear to a funeral, the best answer is dress conservatively. Wearing a suit or nice dress and being considered overdressed is never a bad thing. It's also inherently better to be the person that is overdressed than the one that is underdressed.

How long do you wear mourning clothes? ›

The immediate family members of the deceased wear black for an extended time. Since the 1870s, mourning practices for some cultures, even those who have emigrated to the United States, are to wear black for at least two years, though lifelong black for widows remains in some parts of Europe.

How do funeral homes dress people? ›

Most people usually pick something from the deceased's wardrobe. An exception to this is when specific religious traditions are followed. For example, Islamic faith requires that family members wash and dress the body with a sheet or shroud before burial.

How do you avoid getting ripped off by a funeral home? ›

10 Tips to Protect Against Cemetery or Funeral Scams
  1. Shop around in advance. Compare prices from at least two funeral homes. ...
  2. Ask for a price list. ...
  3. Avoid Temptation. ...
  4. Avoid emotional overspending. ...
  5. Recognize your rights. ...
  6. Know the Rules. ...
  7. Read the Fine Print. ...
  8. Understand the Terms.

How long can a funeral home keep an embalmed body? ›

Embalming or refrigeration slows the decomposition process, so an embalmed or refrigerated person can have a funeral up to a week after their death.

What do morticians do with the blood? ›

What Do Funeral Homes Do with the Blood from the Dead Body? The funeral home drains off the blood via the veins. They then send the blood and other fluids such as lymph into the municipal sewage system. In turn, the waste disposal officers treat these fluids before entering the town's wastewater system.

What do morticians wear while embalming? ›

Gloves: To protect against direct contact with bodily fluids and potential pathogens. Gowns/aprons: To prevent contamination of clothing from blood, bodily fluids, or embalming chemicals. Masks and respirators: To reduce the inhalation of airborne particles and pathogens.

Why do morticians put gloves on deceased? ›

Gloves can be used to protect from bloodborne pathogens or contact with bodily fluids. Standard Precautions: Treating all blood/fluid interactions as if they could be infectious to protect against infection. This includes a focus on hand hygiene and the use of skin barriers (like gloves).

What is done to a body at a funeral home? ›

Once a funeral home has picked up the body and brought it to their facility, they will then clean and dress and/or shroud the body. Afterward, the body will be placed in refrigeration to keep it cool until the day of burial, at which point the body will be transported to the burial site.

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