It’s a Munaluchi anniversary! Where has the time gone? 15 years ago, the 1st Munaluchi Bride Magazine went on sale across the country in Barnes and Nobles and other retails stores. Over 10,000 copies were shipped out to be discovered on newsstands across the country. That was the start of our movement, and we’ve been going strong since then.
This was the premier issue!
It was photographed by our co-founder, Chike Nwobu. Fun fact: The Munaluchi Founders started off as wedding photographers before launching the magazine. You can learn more about their early days in this TedxTalk by Jacqueline Nwobu here.
Over the past 15 years, the landscape of the multicultural wedding industry has changed tremendously. When we launched, there was no Instagram, no Pinterest, no TikTok. Mainstream magazines rarely featured weddings of black and brown brides, and if they did, it was because they were a celebrity or married to one. Wedding blogs were hardly diverse, both in the couples they were featuring, and in the vendors that were featured. We came into the industry to be a source of inspiration for our community — to fill a void.
But being a source of inspiration was just the beginning of our journey as Publishers. As we showcased countless love stories, we also built a bridge that would connect talented multicultural vendors with couples who were seeking professionals who understood their traditions, their aesthetics, and their vision. We witnessed and championed the rise of incredible photographers who knew how to capture diverse skin tones beautifully, makeup artists who specialized in all complexions, hair stylists who celebrated every texture, and a long list of wedding pros that simply understood how to cater to our needs.
Throughout our journey, we’ve seen the industry evolve from tokenized inclusion to what we hope is meaningful representation. Today’s couples can see themselves reflected not just in our pages and social media feeds, but across the wedding media landscape. They can find vendors who don’t just accommodate their cultural traditions but deeply understand and honor them. And while there’s still work to be done, we take pride in knowing we helped pave the way.
Most importantly, we’ve provided a platform where modern couples can reimagine traditions – beautifully blending customs from different cultures, creating new rituals that honor both families, and celebrating love in ways that feel authentic to them, no matter who they choose to love. From Nigerian-Jewish fusion weddings to South Asian-Jamaican celebrations to gorgeous same-sex weddings, we’ve showcased how love transcends cultural boundaries while still respecting and preserving heritage.
Looking ahead, we are committed to our founding mission while embracing new ways to serve our community. The digital revolution that brought us Instagram, Pinterest, and now TikTok has also given us countless opportunities to connect, inspire, and celebrate love in all its beautiful diversity.
And we are just scratching the surface. We look ahead at a bright future for the Munaluchi brand and family of companies, including Coterie Retreat, MunaCoterie, MunaMommy and our most recent project which we are extremely excited about, our boutique resort — Foundry at Bordentown.
We are grateful to you — our community — for your support, dedication, and commitment to our brand. We are only stronger when we are together. Cheers to 15 years and many more to come.
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