Memorial Planning Masterclass
Online memorial planning training for funeral professionals, celebrants, death doulas, aspiring memorial planners and families who want to learn how to create personal, thoughtful and memorable celebrations of life.
Welcome!
Or as we say back home in Ireland - "Céad míle fáilte romhat" which is Irish for “A hundred thousand welcomes to you!”
The Muldowney Memorial Planning Masterclass is an online memorial planning course created by international memorial planner Jennifer Muldowney, designed to give you the confidence, knowledge and practical tools to plan memorials that feel personal, thoughtful and unforgettable.
Throughout the course, you'll learn how to move beyond simply organising an event and instead create an experience that reflects a person's life, values, personality and legacy. From choosing the right venue and creating a realistic budget to selecting music, flowers, food, décor and meaningful personal touches, every decision you make has the potential to help families feel seen, supported and understood.
You'll discover how to use the five senses to create memorable moments, navigate family dynamics with confidence, work with vendors and venues, develop timelines and checklists, and bring together all the moving parts of a successful memorial. Along the way, you'll gain access to a library of downloadable templates, worksheets and planning tools that you can use again and again.
By the end of this masterclass, you will be able to:
Plan a memorial from concept to completion.
Create celebrations that genuinely reflect the life of the person being honoured.
Design meaningful guest experiences using hospitality and event planning principles.
Confidently select venues, entertainment, décor, food and personal touches.
Build realistic budgets and planning timelines.
Coordinate vendors and manage event logistics.
Handle unexpected challenges with professionalism and flexibility.
Deliver a memorial experience that guests will remember for all the right reasons.
Most importantly, you'll leave with a new way of thinking about memorial planning.
It's creating moments that help people laugh, cry, reminisce, connect and begin to heal.
Every life tells a story.
Every heartbeat is unique to the person who carried it, leaving a different imprint on every life it touched.
Every farewell should reflect that.
By the end of this course, you'll know how to do it beautifully.
Looking for funeral celebrant training? The Memorial Planning Masterclass focuses on planning and coordinating the entire memorial experience. For training specifically in becoming a funeral celebrant and creating and delivering ceremonies, explore the Modern Memorials Celebrant Training Program.
-
-
-
A New Way to Think About Memorials
Rethink what a memorial can be. Learn to move beyond tradition and checklists to create a farewell that feels personal, meaningful and genuinely reflective of the person being remembered.
Rethink what a memorial can be. Learn to move beyond tradition and checklists to create a farewell that feels personal, meaningful and genuinely reflective of the person being remembered.
-
-
-
Understanding the Person Behind the Plan
Before you plan the memorial, understand the person. Learn how to uncover the stories, personality, relationships and little details that will guide every decision that follows.
Before you plan the memorial, understand the person. Learn how to uncover the stories, personality, relationships and little details that will guide every decision that follows.
-
-
-
Venue, Date & Format
Explore the different ways a memorial can take shape and learn how to choose the right format, venue and timing based on the person, the people attending and what is realistically manageable.
Explore the different ways a memorial can take shape and learn how to choose the right format, venue and timing based on the person, the people attending and what is realistically manageable.
-
-
-
The Planning Blueprint: Turning Overwhelm Into Action
Who needs to be there — and how do you bring them in? Learn how to think through the guest list, set the tone, create invitations and keep communication clear, calm and consistent.
Who needs to be there — and how do you bring them in? Learn how to think through the guest list, set the tone, create invitations and keep communication clear, calm and consistent.
-
-
-
Guests, Communication & Invitations
Who needs to be there — and how do you bring them in? Learn how to think through the guest list, set the tone, create invitations and keep communication clear, calm and consistent.
Who needs to be there — and how do you bring them in? Learn how to think through the guest list, set the tone, create invitations and keep communication clear, calm and consistent.
-
-
-
Designing the Ceremony
Bring the stories, people and emotions together into a service that flows. Learn how to structure the ceremony, choose speakers, incorporate readings and meaningful moments, and create an emotional journey that feels natural rather than overstuffed.
Bring the stories, people and emotions together into a service that flows. Learn how to structure the ceremony, choose speakers, incorporate readings and meaningful moments, and create an emotional journey that feels natural rather than overstuffed.
-
-
-
The Five Senses
This is where planning becomes an experience. Explore how sight, sound, scent, touch and taste can bring memories into the room and create a memorial people don’t simply attend — they experience.
This is where planning becomes an experience. Explore how sight, sound, scent, touch and taste can bring memories into the room and create a memorial people don’t simply attend — they experience.
-
-
-
Vendors & Logistics
Take the vision and make it happen. Learn who you actually need, how to work with vendors, build a day-of plan, assign responsibilities and prepare for the inevitable moments when things don’t go exactly as planned.
Take the vision and make it happen. Learn who you actually need, how to work with vendors, build a day-of plan, assign responsibilities and prepare for the inevitable moments when things don’t go exactly as planned.
-
-
-
Navigating Grief & Family Dynamics
You’re not just planning — you’re planning inside grief. Learn to recognize different grief responses, navigate competing needs and opinions, communicate calmly and keep the planning moving without losing sight of the person at the centre of it.
You’re not just planning — you’re planning inside grief. Learn to recognize different grief responses, navigate competing needs and opinions, communicate calmly and keep the planning moving without losing sight of the person at the centre of it.
-
-
-
The Professional Pathway
Could you actually do this professionally? Explore the skills you already have, what the role of a memorial planner really involves, where your boundaries sit and the practical steps involved in turning this work into a professional service.
Could you actually do this professionally? Explore the skills you already have, what the role of a memorial planner really involves, where your boundaries sit and the practical steps involved in turning this work into a professional service.
-
-
-
After the Ceremony: What Happens Next
The memorial may be over, but the story isn’t. Explore what happens in the days and weeks afterwards — from ashes and belongings to continuing bonds, remembrance, aftercare and giving people permission not to make every decision immediately.
The memorial may be over, but the story isn’t. Explore what happens in the days and weeks afterwards — from ashes and belongings to continuing bonds, remembrance, aftercare and giving people permission not to make every decision immediately.
-
-
-
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions that come up once you start putting everything into practice. Jennifer answers common questions around planning, families, decision-making, difficult situations and the practical realities of creating a meaningful memorial.
The questions that come up once you start putting everything into practice. Jennifer answers common questions around planning, families, decision-making, difficult situations and the practical realities of creating a meaningful memorial.
-
Every life tells a story.
Every heartbeat is unique to the person who carried it, leaving a different imprint on every life it touched.
Every farewell should reflect that.