Martha Mae Ophelia Moon Tucker of Birmingham, Alabama, got married in 1952 but wasn’t able to pick out her own unique wedding gown due to Black people being largely banned from bridal shops, according to AL.com. After recently sharing with her grandchildren that she never got the opportunity to try on wedding dresses, a tradition that many upcoming brides often share with family and friends, her family decided to make her dreams come true by taking her to a local bridal store and having her pick out her favorite gown.
In the 1950s, the Alexander City, Alabama native received a navy blue “Carmen Jones” dress from a family she was working for at the time, AL.com reported and got married to Lehman Tucker Sr., who unfortunately passed away in 1975. Together, the couple shared four children, along with 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. They also have one great-great-grandchild, according to the news outlet.
According to AL.com, Tucker’s family decided to surprise her by offering her a full face of makeup and a trip to David’s Bridal after she expressed her desire to try on a wedding dress during a watching of Coming to America.
Her granddaughter Angela Strozier told the outlet about the family’s plan, “She said she never wore a wedding dress when she got married. I said, ‘That’s no problem.’ She kinda brushed me off. She didn’t think I would do it.” Adding that the shop’s workers were excited to help after hearing Tucker’s longtime dream, she continued, “Everyone was so elated to help me do that for her. Everyone was catering to her because I told them her story.”
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Tucker then posed for pictures in her selected wedding gown, telling AL.com about the experience, “I felt like I was getting married. I didn’t want to take it off, but I knew I had to. I looked good in it, though.”
She sure did!
What do you think about Tucker achieving her lifelong dream and her family’s sweet gesture? Let us know in the comments below.
