Siblings, adult children, grown grandchildren, nieces and nephews, close friends, and colleagues are all common choices for pallbearers. However, anyone can serve as a pallbearer.
Common choices for selecting pallbearers are siblings, adult children, grown grandchildren, nieces and nephews, close friends, and colleagues. Anyone you choose can serve as a pallbearer at your funeral.
Both men and women can be pallbearers, and many people often choose either family members or close friends of the deceased to carry the coffin.
Due to this heaviness, pallbearers are typically males over the age of 16. However, women can also serve as pallbearers. Those chosen are often close to the departed or the bereaved family.
Traditionally, men are seen as pallbearers. But, to answer the question in the title, yes, women do the job as well. This actually depends on the discretion of the family members, or in some instances, based on who will volunteer for the duty.
Pallbearers are usually close family members and friends. Siblings, adult children, grown grandchildren, nieces and nephews, close friends, and colleagues are all common choices for pallbearers. However, anyone can serve as a pallbearer.
A Pallbearer is traditionally one of the people who will help to carry someone's coffin from the hearse to the funeral venue. In addition, if the deceased is being buried they will continue carrying the coffin to the grave. As a rule, four or six Pallbearers carry or escort a coffin at the funeral.
Unless the family expresses a desire otherwise, it is customary in most cases for pallbearers to wear a suit, sports coat, and optional tie. It is not necessary, of course, but the dress represents the dignity & respect of the role. Plan to arrive about 30 minutes prior to the funeral service.
Is Carrying a Coffin Heavy for Pallbearers? Yes, carrying a coffin can be burdensome for pallbearers. The body, casket, and hardware may weigh 400 pounds. If that weight is divided evenly among six pallbearers, each one is responsible for about 66 pounds.
There are actually no rules about who can carry a coffin at a funeral. Anyone can be a pallbearer as long as they feel able to do it. Plus, you can always ask the funeral director what will work best.
Other Important Etiquette Tips to Follow: Taking photographs with relatives after the service is acceptable, but learn to read the room. Avoid taking selfies, and never take one with a coffin.
Pallbearers need to dress appropriately. Unless the bereaved specify otherwise, men should wear dark, solid suits with white shirts and conservative ties, and women should wear dark pantsuits or dresses. You really don't want to trip when carrying the casket.
Pallbearers typically sit together in one of the first rows on the right. At some funerals, pallbearers sit with their family or friends in the congregation. If this is the case, just make sure that you speak with the funeral director so you understand when you are required to leave your seat to help move the casket.
It is a common practice to cover the legs as there is swelling in the feet and shoes don't fit. As part of funeral care, the body is dressed and preserved, with the prime focus on the face. Post embalming, bodies are often placed without shoes; hence covering the legs is the way to offer a dignified funeral.
The 2 leading pallbearers, funeral director and clergyman, would be in the first carriage. The rest of the pallbearers would take the second carriage.
Pallbearers will have to carry the casket with the body inside, so they will have to transport the body's weight and the coffin. 370 to 400 pounds is the final weight that pallbearers will carry if the casket is standard sized, 200 pounds heavy, whereas the adult body is 200 pounds (male) or 170 pounds (female).
Siblings, adult children, grown-up grandchildren or close friends, colleagues or nephews and nieces are frequently selected as pallbearers. There is no written rule as to who can handle this task.
If you're overcome with emotion and crying, you will find it's more challenging to carry out your tasks. Take a few deep breaths and try to keep yourself calm. Crying is ok, but at the same time, the work of a pallbearer is important and will require focus.
If you have been asked to be a pallbearer but do not feel comfortable performing this role, it is perfectly acceptable to decline. There is no shame in admitting that carrying a casket is not something you feel comfortable doing. If you decline, simply thank the family for asking and express your condolences.
In some services, the pallbearers may be assigned seats, in which case you should sit with the other pallbearers throughout the service.
Video shows how one pallbearer helping to lower the coffin slipped and fell on top of it, causing the lid to split in half and an elderly woman's body to roll out. The tragic accident happened during a funeral in...
There is no standard for pallbearer gifts, but those who opt to provide them should make sure that the gesture is meaningful and honors the service—even if just a small token of gratitude.
Usually the head end of the coffin is the heaviest, thus the strongest two of your six pallbearers should take the handles at this end.
Who Carries the Coffin at a Funeral? At a funeral, the coffin or casket can be carried either by designated pallbearers as arranged by the funeral directors, or by any of your chosen family members or friends.
When the cortege is ready to leave, the funeral director will ask everyone to make their way to their cars. The funeral director will then walk in front of the hearse for a short distance. This is a mark of respect to the deceased and also gives following cars an opportunity to join the cortege.