At most companies, dating a coworker means alerting human resources of your relationship status. But what do you do when the person you want to date happens to be the HR manager? "I was terrified," says Kirk Wilson, who until that point was just friendly with Jessica Martin. (Both worked at a small Seattle tech company, where he is still a consultant.) So terrified, in fact, that he asked her on a few of what he called "trial dates" first, with the two sneaking out for lunch to see how they liked hanging out one-on-one. The pair hit it off, and as real dates followed and a relationship developed, they decided to keep things professional at the office. They were so undercover that once, when both attended a conference along with other coworkers, Kirk changed Jessica's name in his phone to the pseudonym "Douglas Winchester" to avoid suspicion. Although she has since switched companies, that's still her name in his contacts today.
Two years later, once Kirk had won over Jessica and her Weimaraner, Zoë, he proposed during one of their morning jogs. The low-key couple knew they wanted to have an intimate ceremony, and when The Corson Building, a restored 1906 stone restaurant and event space, only had availability on a Thursday night, they booked it anyway. "We didn't want to make it stressful on ourselves," Kirk says. They considered it a bonus that the small space forced them to edit their guest list to a cozy 34 people and one dog—Zoë, the ring bearer.
After the wedding came to an end, some guests guests walked to a nearby bar, where they played shuffleboard as Kirk and his beautiful bride, Douglas Winchester, celebrated their new status.
