Dear Miss Manners: We are holding a celebration of life for my 28-year-old son at an airplane hangar. I’m saying “Wear anything!” because we want it to be about celebrating his life more than mourning his death. I plan to wear white.

The American color of mourning is black, although the code is only sporadically observed (except in cases of funerals for national figures). But Miss Manners is not going to say you should not wear white — a mourning color in other cultures — if it makes you feel better.

Do you make a distinction between funerals and celebrations of life, or do you believe mourning prevails regardless?