Janine Hunt
Head of Weddings and Special Events
Our Head of Weddings, Janine Hunt, is this year celebrating her work anniversary having coordinated over 1,000 weddings spanning 15 years at the Northamptonshire estate. Janine has worked her way to this prestigious position after starting her career at Whittlebury as a wedding assistant in 2004, to establishing herself as the integral member of the team she is today. Janine works closely with Whittlebury Park’s owner, and founder of the successful wedding aspect of the business, Carol Sargeant, and the wider team to host around 70 weddings per year.
Janine’s role initially started when she was assisting Carol Sargeant to grow Whittlebury’s wedding business over a decade ago. Learning from each wedding, and increasing in confidence to be able to build a rapport with couples and work successfully with the Whittlebury team, Janine progressed her career and became Head of Weddings in August 2017. An important aspect of Janine’s role is to know her venues inside out. Whittlebury has four individual wedding venues, each with their own unique character, and understanding the potential of these goes hand in hand with her creative flair to help couples achieve their vision, no matter how simple or intricate.
Carol Sargeant has worked with Janine since the start of her career and commented; “Janine is one of the best wedding coordinators you could ever hope to meet. It has been a pleasure working with Janine to deliver the weddings here at Whittlebury Park for over 15 years. Her attention to detail, caring nature and total reliability is a credit to her and has supported our renowned reputation as a wedding business. She gives every couple her personal attention, ensuring that continues through to every detail at the event, where nothing is too much trouble for her."
Reaching this milestone has been a big achievement for Janine who also said; “I am incredibly proud to have been part of so many special occasions and to personally get to know hundreds of couples and their friends and families over the years. My job is always interesting because of the people I meet and the ideas they share with me. I’ve seen many different types of weddings throughout my career and although trends come and go, I pride myself on the same consistent attention to detail, no matter how big or small the wedding is.”
In the future, Janine and the team are looking to develop Whittlebury’s wedding offer to include outdoor ceremony packages, attracting couples from across the UK and increasing the number of Asian weddings following their recent win at Britain's Asian Wedding Awards for overall Venue of the Year. Whittlebury's next Wedding Open Evening is taking place on Thursday 12th September 2019, for more information visit whittlebury.com/weddings
We asked Janine a few questions about her time here at WhittleburyPark...
When did you join the team at Whittlebury Park?
I joined Whittlebury Park in September 2004, working alongside the owner Carol Sargeant and the wedding co-ordinator at the time. In August 2017 I took on the role of the Head of Weddings and most recently following a team restructure my role is Head of Weddings and Special Events.
Tell us what a typical day involves for you?
After the all-important tea run when we first get into the office, my day usually starts with checking through my emails and enquiries and prioritising the days tasks, from admin work, to my favourite part of the role meeting with clients and discussing their special day. No two days are the same, and I love how varied my role is in particular from the planning stages to being present and seeing the wedding day all come together.
Has there been a particular client/couple that you will always remember?
I have been asked this question so many times and I would find it impossible to choose just one couple that I will always remember.
What has been your proudest moment at Whittlebury?
This year I will be celebrating 15 years being part of the Whittlebury team, in this time I have achieved being part of over 1000 weddings.
Can you tell us about a time where you have gone above and beyond for a client?
I will always remember we had one wedding where the bride’s bouquet was delivered and started falling apart. Within an hour we contacted our regular florist who was able to not only put together the most beautiful bouquet but buttons holes and corsages and deliver to the venue within the hour. The brides face was priceless and a smile I will never forget. It was such a small gesture and working with such great suppliers who can help in moments like this makes me really proud to be part of a team that exceeds clients expectations.
What does the future hold for your particular department?
The weddings team are part of the Event Sales Team here at Whittlebury and following a recent restructure in the team we are looking forward to expanding our events to not only weddings but special events too, including baby naming ceremonies, christenings, vow renewals to name but a few.
Following one wedding in 2011 we had the pleasure of hosting all three of the couples children’s, baby naming ceremonies. It was lovely to stay connected with the couple and seeing their family grow is very special especially with it all starting with their ‘Whittlebury Wedding’
Are there any trends you are aware of in your part of the industry?
Trends in the world of weddings is always changing so quickly, from colour schemes to entertainment and the all-important dress. So it is vital we as a team keep up with all the current trends and new ideas which we can share with couples and help put their day together. Every couple is looking for that special something which will make their day different and unforgettable and we have to make that happen.
Can you tell us what makes working at Whittlebury unique?
No two days are the same at Whittlebury and being part of such a great supportive team.
What are you looking forward to most this year?
This year I’m looking forward to becoming a mummy for the first time, so this year has been spent ensuring the team are up to date with weddings and handing over our upcoming weddings to the team. I’m going to miss Whittlebury during my maternity leave, the team and most importantly the couples who I have built great relationships with. But with all this said I work with a wonderful team and know the world of weddings at Whittlebury is in safe hands.
If you could job swap with anyone else at Whittlebury, who would it be?
This is such a difficult one, I can honestly say I love my role at Whittlebury and don’t think I would want to swap with anyone else……maybe the gardeners when the sun is shining!