This is what an Ethical Culture funeral actually looks like, and the distinguishing feature is preparation rather than liturgy. The Leader meets the family in advance — the American Ethical Union describes this as an occasion to express grief, recount memories and settle the details — and the service is then built from what was said. It usually opens with the Leader speaking briefly about death and life in humanist terms before turning to the particular life, and may be held in the Society's building or anywhere the family chooses. There are no prayers, no hymns and no references to heaven or an afterlife, and the Leader's remarks are expected to reflect caring, cooperation and the uniqueness of the individual. Everything else — music, flowers, photographs, a guest book — is left to the family, which means the ceremony has a shape but not a script.