When Steve and Julie Scheuring bought their 1891 Victorian in 2000, the young couple had just one child, one-and-a-half year old Leyla. Over the coming years, they welcomed two more children, Elise and Caden, and renovated their sprawling home on Euclid Avenue.
Steve recalls that when they bought the house, “I loved it because I could envision the kids rolling out of bed and going to high school. I also thought it would make a great house for a wedding.”
All three Scheuring kids made the short walk to Oak Park and River Forest High School from the peach-painted home, and this fall, Leyla was the first to host her wedding in the home when she married Jonah Gilkeson on a sunny Saturday in October.
Julie recalls that when Leyla and Jonah announced their engagement, they gathered with both sets of parents to discuss their wedding plans. She says, “They wanted something pretty relaxed and simple.”
Jonah’s dad said it would be nice if the wedding venue was somewhere memorable and meaningful so that the young couple could go back and visit on their anniversary.
In February 2025, the couple agreed that the perfect place to welcome friends and family would be Leyla’s childhood home, and Steve and Julie knew they had a bit of work to do to get their home ready to host a party.
As Steve puts it, “We knew right then that all of the issues that keep us awake at night owning a home built more than 130 years ago needed to be addressed. Especially, the plumbing.”
The plumbing was installed in 1927, and Steve, who has worked as a local Realtor for years, notes that he was lucky that through his work he has become close friends with his plumber and his son. “We had to get the bathrooms up to snuff,” he laughs.
The couple really got into the wedding planning groove in March and April and began tackling their to-do list one item at a time. Their friends and neighbors helped out, lending advice and items to help them prepare for the big day.
An event planner friend walked the yard with them, pointing out safety hazards.
Their backyard paths were 20-year-old tumbled pavers that presented a tripping hazard, so the couple made sure they were George’s Concrete’s first customer of the season to install new, smoother pathways.
Stair rails and added lighting made for safer traversing of the yard and made for better access to the four-car garage, which would be the site for catering.
Julie is an accomplished gardener and says, “Zinnias, dahlias, marigolds — everything was planted this year with an eye towards flowers that would be blooming in October.”
Leyla and Jonah were paying for the wedding themselves and very involved in the planning, but the couple live in North Carolina and weren’t available for day-to- day detail work. With their vision in mind, the Scheurings welcomed any and all hands to contribute to making the day go smoothly.
Leyla Scheuring and Jonah Gilkeson enjoy a moment with a furry friend on their wedding day. Credit: Corey Kessler 
Guest gather around the newly-married couple during their reception on the lawn of Leyla’s parents’ home. Credit: Corey Kessler 
Credit: Corey Kessler 
Credit: Corey Kessler 
Credit: Corey Kessler
Neighbors stepped in to offer coolers and chairs. One neighbor even offered up a parking space for the porta-potty.
Steve checked in with the Cheney Mansion, which is a block away, and discovered they were hosting a wedding the same day. A next-door neighbor also was hosting an OPRF Homecoming party that night, but Steve said it all made for a celebratory atmosphere in the neighborhood, which stretched a bit to cover all the parking needs.
The Scheurings admit they were relying on the weather gods to provide a good weather day and feel very lucky that the day was sunny. Julie laughs, “The contingency plan was to talk to everyone who prays and ask them to pray for no rain for us.”
The small wedding ceremony for 38 people took place in the family dining room. Julie says, “It was such a special ceremony because we were all packed in shoulder-to-shoulder. It was the same room where Elise and Caden were baptized.”
Leyla and Jonah chose Soul & Smoke barbecue restaurant to cater the event with the cleaned-out garage acting as a dining station. The family’s tandem bike was parked in the garage with a front basket full of flowers. The bike served as a photo opportunity for guests waiting in line for the buffet. An ice cream truck from Swirl parked in front of the house to provide soft serve ice cream for dessert.
There were games in the side yard, a firepit after dinner and dancing during the night hours. Julie says, “The whole yard was used. It was absolutely perfect. It was just beautiful.”
While they spent the better part of 2025 preparing for the wedding day, the Scheurings say the only thing they would do differently would be to hire a handyman to cover the inevitable bumps that come from hosting a crowd in an old house.
Steve’s older brother took on the role this time. And as to next time, Steve and Julie point out they do have two more kids. Julie says, “I’m assuming we’re on the hook to make this offer to the other two.”
