It was only this month that former Made In Chelsea star Binky Felstead found herself at the centre of a row over influencer freebies, after she was accused by a bakery of trying to bag a free birthday cake for her son in exchange for an Instagram post.

The Mail has since lifted the lid on some of the industry’s biggest freeloaders, but even by those standards, the latest spectacle unfolding in the Caribbean appears to be in a league of its own.

Because when it comes to extravagant, brand-funded celebrations, Brigette Pheloung – better known online as Acquired Style – has just raised the bar.

The 29-year-old American influencer, who boasts nearly three million followers across TikTok and Instagram, is currently celebrating her upcoming nuptials to financier Mitch McHale with a jaw-dropping hen party on the island of St Barts – one she has aptly titled ‘Acquired a Husband’.

On the surface, it is everything one might expect from an influencer trip: incredibly Instagram-worthy and dripping in designer labels.

But behind the glossy social media posts lies something far more strategic. 

For, while the Caribbean escape looks like a highly expensive affair, I can reveal that insiders say it's likely Brigette has not paid a penny for it.

The trip began in suitably extravagant fashion, with Brigette and her group of 17 friends jetting to the exclusive island on a private Boeing Business Jet – typically valued at upwards of £40million.

But this was no ordinary charter.

The aircraft is owned by the family behind US beauty brand Swan Beauty – which sponsored the flight.

The company is run by Colby Mitchell, wife of wealthy investor Mark Mitchell, whose family office funds the business and reportedly owns the jet itself. In fact, Colby was even in attendance on the trip.

Sources claim a similar private flight could cost at least $100,000 (£74,000) to charter – if not significantly more.

Naturally, Brigette documented the flight for her followers, posing in front of the aircraft before takeoff in a white tracksuit emblazoned with the word ‘Bride’, a Hermes Birkin bag on her arm and Chanel sunglasses perched on her face, alongside the hashtag #acquiredahusband.

Inside, the jet looked more like a five-star hotel than an aircraft – complete with bedrooms and showers as well as unlimited food and drinks. It was, of course, full of Swan Beauty branding.

Once on the island, the branding didn’t stop.

Guests were dressed head-to-toe in pieces from Brigette and her twin sister Danielle’s own label, Phe Phe, while she took to Instagram to encourage followers to ‘download the Swan Beauty app’ – a telling nod to the trip’s financial backers.

The brand’s latest product, a £600 ‘smart mirror’ featuring AI skin analysis and ‘augmented reality make-up tools’ that allow users to virtually try on cosmetics, also heavily featured. Each bedroom in the villa was kitted out with one.

And it seems the strategy worked.

Searches for ‘Swan Beauty Colby Mitchell’ reportedly surged by 750 per cent over the weekend alone, while the brand’s own social media following told a similar story.

On the Friday morning, the first day of the trip, Swan Beauty had just over 2,000 followers on Instagram. By the time the celebrations were in full swing, that number had climbed to nearly 5,000.

As with any influencer getaway, no detail was spared.

Guests were treated to lavish goodie bags worth more than £1,000 each, including products – likely to have been gifted – from beauty brands Wella and Summer Fridays, alongside £170 crystal letter necklaces.

The group stayed in a luxury St Barts villa, the cost of which was also believed to have been covered by Swan Beauty. The villa may even have been owned by the firm.

Their itinerary read like a billionaire’s holiday brochure.

The first evening’s theme was ‘sunset’, while the next was ‘mermaids'. One dinner at the exclusive beach club reportedly came to an eye-watering £26,000, with the group chanting and waving champagne bottles as the bride made her entrance.

They even chartered a yacht, also owned by the Swan Beauty family, for a sunset cruise, dining on blinis and caviar before docking at the famed Eden Rock beach club.

Another evening saw Swan Beauty host a private three-course dinner for guests.

Among those in attendance were a string of huge social media names, including Lauren Wolfe, Cierra Miller, Kit Keenan and Audrey Trullinger, alongside Brigette’s influencer twin sister Danielle and a handful of non-influencer friends.

‘Some of NYC’s biggest influencers are on this trip. It’s marketing heaven,’ a source said.

‘A brand would have been silly not to sponsor these girls, and she would have had several asking.’

But perhaps the most revealing aspect of the trip is not its scale, but the network behind it.

Sources tell me that the idea of partnering with one of New York’s most prominent influencer circles was not purely a corporate decision, but one driven from within the Swan Beauty family itself.

‘Alyssa Mitchell, the daughter of Swan Beauty, is behind all of this,’ one insider said.

This detail adds another layer to what is already a complex web of personal and professional relationships.

Alyssa is not only connected to Swan Beauty but also owns DDAM Clothing, a fashion brand linked to The Leo Group. Brigette’s own label, Phe Phe, operates within that same network.

‘The influencer world is incredibly interconnected, and rarely as straightforward as it appears,’ the source added. ‘This trip was six months in the making.’

Indeed, the origins of the partnership can reportedly be traced back to a meeting half a year ago at one of New York’s most exclusive restaurants, The Polo Bar.

There, Brigette and Alyssa were introduced through Ashley Leo, co-founder of clothing company The Bar and a key figure behind The Leo Group.

What may have started as a casual introduction appears to have evolved into a meticulously planned, multi-brand collaboration disguised as a celebratory getaway.

As with any influencer trip, no detail was spared – but here, every detail also served a dual purpose.

The trip featured four full days of activities, and each was carefully themed and documented.

‘Bachelorette parties are expensive,’ the source continued. ‘And when you’re talking about an influencer like Acquired Style, of course hers is going to be over the top.

‘It might be considered slightly tone deaf, especially with how much she and everyone else is posting online, but does anyone really blame her for saying yes to this all-expenses-paid trip?’

The break also coincided with a major milestone for Brigette, who hit one million followers on Instagram during the celebrations.

The moment was marked with a group lunch at La Petite Plage, a luxury beach club, where staff brought out a ‘one million’ sign as a DJ played Genesis by Grimes, real name Claire Boucher (Elon Musk’s ex-girlfriend) – a track Brigette frequently uses on TikTok.

Clearly her celebration has been a digital success.

Since announcing her engagement in June 2025, Brigette has entered her ‘bridal era’, documenting every step for her ever-growing audience.

Now, with a hen party of this scale, her upcoming wedding is already being dubbed the ‘influencer wedding of the century’.

There have even been calls online for Grimes to play Genesis live at her wedding.

And if the trip is anything to go by, Brigette’s nuptials are unlikely to be a private affair.

Instead, it will almost certainly double as a fully fledged brand platform – one where every detail, from the dress to the decor, has the potential to be monetised.

After all, in the world of influencers, even saying ‘I do’ can come with a price tag. Just not one the bride has to pay.