Beautiful and intimate ceremonies with Gregory Slaughter and Schinina Juban, Chester Gokingyok and Georgianna Carlos, and Lester Yao and Patricia Santos
Once Upon a December
Mutual friends who owned a restaurant set up Gregory Slaughter and Schinina Juban. “They invited us both to their opening, together with some friends,” Juban says. The couple was together for five years before they got married.
Slaughter proposed on Thanksgiving. “Every year before dinner with my family, we each say a prayer for everything we are thankful for,” Juban says. “At the end of his turn, Slaughter spoke about our relationship and got down on one knee and proposed. It meant so much to me that he proposed with my family present.” The engagement ring was from JMA Jewelry, chosen in consultation with their friend, Trish Ayson. “I already knew the ring that Schinina wanted and after days of searching, the perfect ring presented itself. The stone had to be shipped
from another country which delayed my proposal. But it still worked out because I was able to propose to her on Thanksgiving in front of her family,” Slaughter says.
Due to the current climate, the couple decided to have a civil ceremony at the Supreme Court. They then had a small garden reception in her family’s home, the place where she and her siblings grew up. Despite having only 12 guests, the newlyweds are happy because Slaughter's parents arrived just in time for the wedding after they did the mandated quarantine. “We always dreamed of having a small, intimate wedding, and we were able to achieve just that given the circumstances,” says Juban. “We plan to have our church wedding when we can travel again and can have more family and friends present.”
Juban wore a gown designed by Rachelle Ortuoste of Atelier Rachelle. “She was the captain of our cheerleading team in high school, so we go way back. She is a Parsons trained designer and has worked for the likes of Marchesa,” The bride shares. Because the gown is a big and personal part of the wedding, Juban went with a designer she was comfortable with. “Having known each other so long, Rachelle already knew my style and what would work best for me. I loved my gown and felt so good it in the entire day." She wore shoes
by Christian Louboutin, in part for their classic look, but also because of her husband’s height. “I had to wear my highest heels,” she says. For the reception, she changed into Christian Dior sneakers.
Margarita Forés and Cibo di Marghi catered the reception. “Greg and I are big on good food, and it was the aspect he was most involved in and we enjoyed creating our menu together,” Juban says. Guests dined on appetizers like squash flowers stuffed with uni mousse, potato crisps topped with lumpfish caviar, and asparagus crusted with pecorino, followed by fresh pasta al Telefono, dinosaur beef short ribs, and Chilean sea bass baked in a salt crust. Upon the suggestion of Forés, Slaughter’s parents also handcarried Virginia ham, a specialty from their hometown, which was served during dinner. "It turned out to be my favorite dish of the night!" Slaughter says. "The Cibo team made sure everything was perfectly prepared."
For desserts, there was a croquembouche tower, white chocolate tiramisu, and panna cotta with Cebu mangoes, chocolate pot de crème, cassava cake, and strawberry shortcake.
According to Juban, the good thing about having a scaled-down celebration is that she and her husband were able to take everything in and enjoy the evening with their families. “We didn't feel the need to entertain our guests a certain way or pressure ourselves into creating any gimmicks. For us, it was all about being able to sit down with our families, enjoy a wonderful meal together, and celebrate the beginning of our new chapter as one,” she says. Because the wedding was in December, they were able to celebrate the entire month of holidays to accompany the occasion. “It was a December to remember.”