Bozoma Saint John celebrates Ghanaian roots with traditional Akan wedding in Accra
TheGrio...
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star married Keely Watson in a ceremony rooted in centuries of Ghanaian tradition.
Bozoma Saint John wanted her wedding stripped of Western influence entirely, and she got it.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star married Keely Watson on Friday, Aug. 21, in Accra, Ghana, in a traditional Akan ceremony she described to Us Weekly as reaching back roughly 300 years’ worth of tradition. Nearly 1,000 guests attended, including some 250 who traveled from the U.S. and U.K.
The setting carried its own weight. Because Ghanaian marriage ceremonies center on family and are traditionally hosted at the home of the bride’s father, and because Saint John’s father is in poor health and unable to travel, former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo stepped into that role at his own residence. She and Akufo-Addo have been friends for about a decade, she told the outlet, calling the arrangement almost unbelievable.
The couple wore Kente cloth for the ceremony, the formal royal fabric woven in Bonwire over a period of months. Guests were asked to wear it as well. Christian Louboutin personally requested two yards of her fabric to construct custom shoes in his Paris atelier. Her Kente was designed by Goba Kente and Naana Adobea, with a couture change into Ghanaian designer Mimmy Yeboah for the reception.
Her castmates turned out in Ghanaian patterns and headdresses, among them Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke and Jennifer Tilly. Other guests included Ashley Graham, Emmanuel Acho, Elaine Welteroth, Quad Webb, Yandy Smith and Yaya DaCosta.
The ceremony structure differed sharply from American conventions. Saint John explained that the bride appears last, entering only after negotiations conclude and the family agrees. That final consent, she said, was the most emotional moment of the day.
Her broader hope was cultural. She told Us Weekly she wants the world to recognize Ghana and Africa for their beauty rather than treating Western traditions as the standard for everything considered fabulous.
The couple will hold a second ceremony in Beverly Hills in November.