LOVE DOWN UNDER
Equine-loving couple Michelle Cojuangco Barrera and Santi Juban seal the deal in Oz
“It was our shared love for horses that made us friends,” says Michelle Barrera-Juban, Secretary General of the Equestrian Association of the Philippines, of her now husband, Stefano “Santi” Juban, Location Manager and Director of Philippine Film Studios Incorporated (PFSI). They met through common friends in 2011 behind (where else?) The Last Chukker at Manila Polo Club. Four years later, the pair would be practically inseparable and in 2017 would go on three dates.“A er that,” she continues,“we were both maybe a little worried about dating again because we valued our friendship so much. However, I knew he was definitely the one when he asked me to be his girlfriend in December 2018, but told me he would ask my dad’s permission first. Keeper!” The couple decided on marrying in Australia since the bride had grown up there.“We also thought it would be nice and more memorable to share a little bit of my second home with immediate family and our closest relatives and friends. For many, it was their first time in Australia, so it was nice to be able to give them a bit of a tour through our cruise on the way to the reception from the church,” she reveals. Most of the couple’s 203 guests flew in from the Philippines and around Australia. “My best friend, Mariana Mayorga, flew in from Chile; and some of my cousins and friends flew in from the other side of the globe too. It was really very special to us both to have our nearest and dearest with us.”
“He asked me to be his girlfriend, but told me he would ask my dad’s permission first. Keeper!” — Michelle Barrera-Juban