Martha Mae Ophelia Moon Tucker, 94, finally realized her lifetime ambition of donning a wedding dress. This comes nearly seven decades after her wedding, when she was denied the opportunity to wear a wedding dress owing to racial segregation.
When Tucker married in 1952, Black folks were not allowed in Southern bridal shops. According to WVTM13, she donned a borrowed blue mermaid-style dress and her husband, Lehman Tucker, dressed in a yellow sports coat and white slacks.
Angela Strozier, Tucker’s granddaughter, had the concept after hearing her grandmother express her desire to try on bridal gowns while seeing a wedding scene in Coming to America. Inspired, Strozier and his family scheduled an appointment for Tucker at David’s Bridal.
“When I went into the bridal shop, that dress had my name on it,” she said. “It was stunningly beautiful…” “I was in heaven.”
Tucker’s family caught the moving event in images and videos, which show her in a lovely white floral lace gown with a matching veil.
“I’m getting married!” she announced on the video.
Although Tucker did not buy the garment, she was extremely moved by her grandchildren’s efforts.
“I looked in the mirror at myself wanting to know who that is,” Tucker recalled. “Yeah, I was really excited! I felt fantastic! “I told you, it felt like I was getting married!”
Tucker, who had four children, eleven grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, lost her spouse in 1975.
Furthermore, Tucker battled extensively for black rights in Alabama, registered to vote and working as a poll worker in 1963. Martha departed from her position as head poll worker in November 2020, after 57 years of loyal service. The Birmingham City Council and Mayor Randall Woodfin recognized her outstanding commitment.