Long-Lasting Love

By
January 2023 View more

This Aurora couple tied the knot at a new riverside venue

Abbie Armbruster and Jonathan M. Winfrey at their wedding

When Abbie Armbruster, 35, and Jonathan M. Winfrey, 39, decided to book their wedding at Batavia’s Revelry 675 prior to its opening, they had to take a leap of faith. “When we toured the venue [in early 2022], it was totally gutted,” Armbruster says. However, they were sold when owner and event planner Shuki Moran—who planned Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg’s St. Charles wedding back in 2014—showed them his plans to transform the former VFW hall into a glam celebration space with a sprawling patio and Fox River views.

Armbruster and Winfrey both grew up in Aurora and went to rival high schools—she to West Aurora and he to East—before meeting at a campus party at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb. They dated throughout their 20s and 30s, living in Chicago before returning to their roots and buying a house in North Aurora.

Flowers at the reception venue

One of their favorite memories from their Labor Day weekend wedding was seeing loved ones joyously celebrating together. “The past couple of years, this world is so polarizing … and that day in that room, it didn’t matter what color you were, what political side you were on,” Armbruster says. “Everyone was just happy and enjoyed everyone’s company, and that was a great thing to see and to feel.”

Winfrey donned an ivory jacket—“I just wanted to be classic and to match my wife,” he says—and he and Armbruster both changed into matching Nike Air Jordan sneakers to hit the dance floor. A doughnut buffet from their favorite North Aurora bakery, Harner’s, and late-night burgers from Naperville-based My Chef Catering kept guests fueled throughout the night.

Wedding Vendors

Venue
Revelry 675, Batavia

Catering
My Chef Catering, Naperville

Bride’s attire
Martina Liana gown from Wolsfelt’s Bridal, Aurora

Hair and makeup
Colour Line Hair Studio Geneva; Rachel Reiman Makeup, Chicago

Groom’s and groomsmen’s attire
Wolsfelt’s Bridal, Aurora

A pink rose

Flowers
Tiffanie Hardekopf Ponce

Invitations
Invitations Etc., Batavia

A wedding cake

Desserts
Cake from Smallcakes, Aurora; doughnuts from Harner’s Bakery, North Aurora

Entertainment
DJ Anthony Beauford

Rings
K. Hollis Jewelers, Batavia

Seating-chart calligraphy
Arrows & Accents, Plainfield

Photography
Jermaine Horton Studios, Aurora

 

Photos courtesy of Jermaine Horton Studios