Fashion can go beyond the grave.
Saying goodbye to a loved one is sad, but can it's also a final opportunity to honor them. Fashion is incredibly personal, and choosing the outfit that someone is wearing to the grave is a big deal that tells a lot about the person who is passed.
Redditor u/Gug21 wanted to know about the wildest things people had been buried with, and people told touching stories about how a burial outfit or object related to their friends' and relatives' lives.
20. Fancy feet
"Shortly before my nan passed away she emailed me a picture of her new sandals she bought. She got two pairs in two different colours so the picture was her with one of each on. It was only fitting that we dressed her in those. She'd laugh if she knew"
19. Man's best friend
"Oh I remember this one well. There was a double funeral and to people were being buried together . That sound so sweet. They were buried i I kid u not there stuffed dogs. Mans best friend taken to a new level."
18. Comfy from the waist down
"First time commenting, not a funeral employee. My mother passed mere days before Christmas and my birthday. We had gifts picked for her already, including a pajama set and blanket. From the waist up was a nice cream colored shirt and red cardigan; from the waist down was Snoopy-themed pajama pants and fussy socks. That half was covered with a very soft blanket. She genuinely looked like she was resting."
17. His favorite kilt
Giphy"When my dad owned his own company he wore only a kilt for a year for charity, he became pretty well known around my town for it and was so proud of himself. After the year was up he often wore his kilts and absolutely loved them.
When he died we cremated him in his favourite red kilt and work jumper, i like to think he would have liked it"
16. Sports fan til the end
"My Dad was never the type to wear anything super formal unless he had to, so when he died in 2016, we buried him in sneakers, jeans, his favorite Pittsburgh Steelers shirt with a flannel button down and a baseball cap. It was an outfit he wore pretty often, so I think he was happy with our choice."
15. A skin tight option
"I was once visiting my dads grave and there was a funeral going on nearby so I figured I could look on from a distance and see who it was like was it a child or something like that but no it was someone in a latex suit I couldn't tell the gender cause it was a latex suit and I have been wondering ever since then why would they do a latex suit"
14. I feel this choice might be surprisingly common
"Never an employee ,but my grandpa wanted to be buried in his Elvis costume for some reason ,but we did it any way."
13. The coffin's empty! Oh, wait...
"I've been to three funerals where the men were buried in their hunting camo. One of the was in his thirties, so it isn't just old farts. His wife and brothers all wanted it. I'm in the south east US and hunting culture is ridiculous here"
12. Planning ahead
"My mom - who hasn't passed yet - loves cows, and collects all types of cow knick-knacks. She has asked to be buried in a cow costume, that she wore for a few Halloweens."
11. A nautical farewell
"Had a great-uncle who basically lived on his boat. He wanted to wear a captain hat and have a burial ceremony similar to a boat christening ceremony. His wishes were respected and during the burial ceremony we broke a bottle of champagne on his casket."
10. This giving great aunt
"My great aunt wanted to be buried in her bathrobe. Her stepchildren honored it.
To be fair though, she wanted her clothes to be donated to a homeless shelter she volunteered at and her jewelry to go to her kids. She wanted to be buried in her comfy bathrobe since it would cover her and not take too much away from what others may need. Most of the residents of the homeless shelter attended her funeral, more than half wearing an article of her former clothing."
9. A true Jazzercize fan
Giphy"My great aunt was buried in her '100 Jazzercize Classes Taken' T-shirt. She was super ****ing proud of it, so it was fitting. Love that woman."
8. A comical burial
"my great grandmother worked as a clown. like she attended a clown college and everything. she loved her job very much. she was buried dressed as a clown, with the makeup and everything."
7. This family thought ahead
"We put a bottle of Immodium in my dad's pocket just in case he got the ****s in the afterlife. Funeral Director thought we were bonkers."
6. A glam burial
"This 70+ year old lady (or maybe it was her husband's preference) wanted to be buried in this glamorous vintage night dress set that you would see in an old movie. It had feather accents and matching kitten heel slipper things. She also was buried in her costume jewelry. Her regular hairdresser came in to do her hair and cried the entire time. I think she had been sick for a while so the nightdress fit loosely so we used double sided tape and a few simple stitches to the nightdress to try to keep everything where it should go.
It was a weird request but I thought it was interesting. And, to the staff's surprise, her family seemed to expect this as something totally normal."
5. They honored her passion
Giphy"My mom was a casual lady who exceled at dog rescue. When she passed it didn't make sense to put her in a dress or suit. So she was cremated in her favorite comfy jeans and a 'You'll never walk alone' dog rescue tee shirt."
4. Some furniture
"I sang at a funeral where the man wanted to be buried with 'his' barstool from a local pub. He'd been a regular for years, and the pub acquiesced. It was weird to sing to a barstool at the graveside portion of the funeral. As I remember, it had red leather inset on the seat."
3. They loved water sports
"My father was buried in his wetsuit. He loved to water ski and would go every weekend. I even had a matching one when I was a baby."
2. Ironic choice of clothing
"My uncle was cremated in a shirt with a bunch of flames on it. It wasn't planned though..."
1. Trekkie to the grave
Giphy"Not a funeral home employee but an elderly friend of mine who was obsessed with space aliens demanded to be laid out in his Star Trek uniform. He looked good! Everyone understood and were cool with it. His widow was fiercely protective of him. He left me one of his 5 Star Trek communication devices. High quality, too!"