As Bozoma Saint John‘s wedding days approach, her best pals are making sure the whole bridal experience is unforgettable. That’s how the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills found herself bride-napped for a five-day escape into the Caribbean sunshine for Boz’s Bach & Bougie, an intimate pre-wedding celebration filled with friendship, joy, and Black women luxuriating in a paradise setting.
She and the crew stayed at Ambergris Cay, a secluded private-island paradise tucked into the southern edge of the Turks and Caicos Islands archipelago, a remote and exclusive location offering an idyllic backdrop for connection and celebration.
Joining Saint John on her surprise tropical getaway were author Luvvie Ajayi Jones, journalist and TV personality Cari Champion, entertainment executive Justina Omokhua, attorney Leander Dolphin, and marketer Erika Priestley. They arrived in coordinated all-black sweatsuits before embracing bold color stories inspired by the Ghanaian flag. Striking shades of red, green, and yellow dominated fashion choices, a stylish nod to Saint John’s heritage, culture, and unity.
“Bach and Bougie is the name for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was only right that we went all out for Boz’s Bachelorette,” Omokhua told EBONY. “Planning this surprise was a welcome labor of love. She is the friend who shows up no matter what. She is the person who pours endlessly from her cup, for everyone.”
The ladies stayed in the aptly named Dream Estate Villa, where they enjoyed a host of amenities, including spa treatments, sailing excursions, yoga sessions, pickleball and tennis lessons, plus a curated chef’s table dining experience. They witnessed a Junkanoo cultural presentation that brought Caribbean rhythm and tradition to the celebration, and experienced a lively dancehall-themed party that kept the group dancing long after sunset.
“Boz and I have been best friends — sisters — since we met as freshmen in the fall of 1995. In those 30+ years, we have held each other’s hands on dozens of occasions, all the good and all the painful, and through all the cackling hilarity and all the thousands of side-eyes that say everything (IYKYK),” declared Dolphin.
“To be able to celebrate Boz’s upcoming wedding and marriage in true Bach and Bougie style at Ambergris Cay was incredible: we laughed, we cried, we prayed, we toasted, we danced, we sang, and we held each other’s hands all week long. Friendships like these are proof of God’s highest favor.”
Behind the scenes, Caribbean-born luxury travel marketing executive Francine Stewart helped orchestrate the experience, introducing the group to the beauty and serenity of Ambergris Cay while assisting with the trip’s activities and flow. Before the flights were booked, the bridesmaids partnered with Minted, the e-commerce design marketplace known for supporting independent artists and creating elegant wedding stationery, to design the invitations and signage for the surprise bachelorette party. Saint John has long been a fan of their work and the invitation had to be as fab as the weekend ahead.
Speaking of the work that went into pulling off this feat, Omokhua noted that it was “months in the making. Coordinating flights for six executives, planning matching outfits and finding the perfect location that would meet and exceed what this group of type A personalities are used to. This trip to Ambergris Cay has been magical. It is the right mix of luxury, laughter and most importantly love.”
Located roughly 600 miles south of Miami, the all-inclusive resort is designed for travelers seeking a more intimate Caribbean escape. The property includes luxury villas, gourmet dining, cocktails, and highly personalized service, with accommodations ranging from three-bedroom residences to sprawling 11-bedroom estates designed for larger groups and multigenerational travel. The destination itself only added to the magic. Known for its crystalline turquoise waters and powder-soft white sand beaches, Turks & Caicos has become synonymous with upscale, low-density luxury travel.
Saint John will marry her fiancé, entrepreneur Keely Watson, this summer in Ghana, and later in the year in the U.S.