Their ‘Date Non-Date’ Led to a Actual One
Megan Jericha Lerchenmuller was greater than somewhat irritated after first assembly Glenn Kyle Williams Josey in Might 2018 on the building website of the Glasshouse, an occasion area on twelfth Avenue off the West Facet Freeway in New York.
“That is Megan, she simply joined our workforce,” Mr. Josey, 46, the undertaking architect, recalled a associate of the Glasshouse saying earlier than a gathering bought underway in a makeshift workplace area.
Mr. Josey then blurted out: “Oh, you’re right here to take assembly notes,” underneath the impression the associate would deliver somebody alongside for the duty.
Ms. Lerchenmuller merely glared at him. She had truly been employed by the Glasshouse every week earlier as a marketing consultant for enterprise technique.
“I’m going to tuck that piece of data away,” she thought, realizing they must work collectively “a bunch” over the subsequent three years.
Mr. Josey, embarrassed by his assumption, ended up taking the notes, along with conducting the assembly. He had been working for Kossar + Garry Architects on the time.
Ms. Lerchenmuller, 39, is now the chief working officer of Elm by Atelier Collective, an occasion area in SoHo, which she collaborated on with Mr. Josey. She has a bachelor’s diploma in economics from Northwestern and an M.B.A. from College of Pennsylvania.
Three weeks after they met they’d a friendlier trade once they joined the associate of the Glasshouse for drinks on the now-closed Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine bar, which was throughout the road in Manhattan’s Midtown West neighborhood.
“I discovered her very good, very sensible and extremely smart,” stated Mr. Josey, “and beautiful.”
He has a bachelor’s diploma in structure from the College of Oklahoma, and is now the proprietor of Glenn Josey Structure. Mr. Josey, who turned a Quaker in 2013, is a member of the Fifteenth Road Month-to-month Assembly of the Non secular Society of Pals in New York and the clerk of trustees for the New York Quarterly Assembly.
As soon as Covid hit in 2020, workforce conferences went digital, and drinks with colleagues fell by the wayside.
In June 2021, in preparation of the Glasshouse opening in September, Mr. Josey visited the positioning on a regular basis, and infrequently checked to see if Ms. Lerchenmuller was round. As they chatted he advised they exit for drinks once more.
On the time, although, Ms. Lerchenmuller was on a juice cleanse.
“When is it over?” he requested, to which she replied matter-of-factly, “each time we get drinks.”
That Friday, the pair had drinks at Ink 48, a bar throughout from the Glasshouse, and after a few hours dinner adopted at a Mexican restaurant, owned by considered one of his childhood associates from Riverdale, the Bronx. She grew up in Laguna Seashore, Calif.
At 1 a.m., he drove her residence to the Higher West Facet, and after two good evening hugs he headed to his place in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
They nonetheless, with fun, name these seven hours collectively “a date non-date.”
Their first actual date, albeit together with her finest buddy, occurred just a few days later over drinks within the V.I.P. lounge on the Glasshouse after she had simply completed a photograph shoot. That they had a primary kiss once they stepped into the south hall.
The following day she left on a 10-day journey to go to associates in Detroit, and rented a automobile to have a good time a buddy’s fortieth birthday in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. She spoke on speaker telephone to Mr. Josey the entire manner there, which included a torrential downpour.
On July 4, he left his annual household barbecue early in Yeadon, Pa., to choose her up at LaGuardia Airport.
“I bought a household ribbing,” he stated, however bought their seal of approval as soon as he talked about that she belonged to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. His mom, his sister, two cousins and Vice President Kamala Harris are additionally members.
“You shoulda led with that,” he recalled his sister and a cousin saying. He packed a picnic basket for Ms. Lerchenmuller, together with his “Uncle Cal’s” well-known ribs.
“We’ve been collectively ever since,” he stated.
In August, a “six-month Megan tour” started, throughout which she met his household and associates, and took cost of the playlist throughout lengthy automobile rides.
“He stopped listening to new music within the early 2000s,” she stated, introducing Mr. Josey, who was into hip-hop and R&B, to singers like Frank Ocean.
Ms. Lerchenmuller turned a fan of his cooking, particularly his oven roasted truffle hen and garlic rice. That fall he moved into her Higher West Facet house.
In October, once they flew out to California for her buddy’s marriage ceremony, he informed her mom and grandmother that he would marry her.
On March 18, 2022, after taking her to the Guggenheim Museum, he proposed at her favourite bar — Bemelmans Bar on the Carlyle lodge. Whereas the pianist performed Stevie Surprise’s “Ribbon within the Sky,” he bought down on one knee.
On April 27, the 2 had been married in a self-uniting Quaker ceremony, with about 200 visitors, on the Fifteenth Road Month-to-month Assembly of the Non secular Society of Pals.
Later on the Assembly home they get pleasure from potluck dishes, together with curry goat and her mom’s lasagna and cupcakes. Leftovers went to the Pals homeless shelter and neighborhood dinner.
On Might 4, at Scotts Head cliff in Dominica, surrounded by rum punch, coconut drinks and tropical flora, they exchanged vows earlier than 55 visitors at Jungle Bay, a resort in Soufriere, Dominica.
“Our celebrations had been about love, household and giving again to the neighborhood,.” he stated.
