Love lies lurking in the strangest of places. Anthea Gerrie talks to one couple who met at a job interview in one of the many real-life inspiration:al stories that bring this guide to life
January 15, 2015 14:29
At the time Adam Ross invited Rachel Humphreys for a job interview back in 2007, he had no idea he was looking at his future wife.
In fact, the interview didn't even go as well as he had hoped and he was about to turn her down for the job. Only when a colleague persuaded him to think again, did he invite her back for a sec¬ond chat.
"I'm very lucky he persuaded me," laughs the COO of the digital advertising company, Af¬filiate Window, recalling his first impression of the beautiful girl with distracting jewellery.
"She was gorgeous," he said. "But I was very focused on finding the right person for the job and, being the very expressive person she is, she kept banging these bangles she was wear¬ing on the interview table, which annoyed me. I found it difficult to focus on what she was saying, but my colleague convinced me she was an excellent candidate we should invite back."
As for Rachel, she re¬calls: "I thought Adam was very serious in the in¬terview, and when I joined the company I found him quite intimidating. Not that he tried to intimidate me; I was sim¬ply bowled over by this handsome, intelligent and ambitious young guy."
Him: She was gorgeous. I found it difficult to concentrate on what she was saying
Her: I was simply bowled over by this handsome, intelligent young guy
In spite of this, romance blossomed on the Jubilee Line, as the couple got to know each other travelling from work in Greenwich to their homes in north-west London - Adam got off at Swiss Cottage, Rachel at Kilburn.
And after a year, they started dating. Six years on, Rachel had converted, feeling deeply drawn into Adam's Jewish life and his exultance in his heritage.
The couple's August wedding was the result of another rethink on Adam's part: "We want¬ed to marry outside and had considered going abroad but when we heard we could get mar¬ried in central London and still be outside, we were sold," he explains.
The simchah took place in deepest W1 at London's Langham Hotel, opposite Broadcast¬ing House. "It has an understated class and elegance we both loved; the ballroom is stun¬ning and the option to have a chupah outside in the rose garden made it the ultimate choice for a summer wedding," says Adam.
The 170 guests feasted on sushi, duck pan¬cakes and other exotic canapés provided by Jason Millan, who followed up with a dinner of seared tuna, steak and chips or blackened cod and then a selection of mini desserts.
Entertainment was provided by The Gilev Showband: "They were fantastic, not only play¬ing superb tunes but knowing exactly what tunes to play when - they created a phenom¬enal atmosphere," says Adam. "Ben Krieger of Outrage Events organised the production and his team were incredibly professional but none of it could have happened without Katy Cresner, our wedding planner."
Rachel and Adam opted for a mini-moon in Crete due to pressure of work (Rachel is now a product manager for Tesco Groceries Online). They are looking forward to a honeymoon in the Maldives at the end of the year.