This 94-year-old grandma fulfilled her lifelong dream to wear a traditional wedding dress, almost 70 years after she couldn’t wear one on her wedding day in 1952.
Martha Tucker was treated with a surprise wedding dress fitting by her granddaughter Angela Strozier after Tucker told her that the racial segregation laws from the 50s in Alabama prevented her and other people of color to enter bridal shops.
The story caught the public’s attention when Strozier shared the story on her Facebook. She recently watched the wedding scene from Coming to America and her grandma whispered something in her ear.
This was the beginning of the surprise.
Grandma Finally Fulfils Her Lifelong Wish
Her grandma told her that she always wanted to try a wedding dress and said how she didn’t wear one on her big day. In those years, the Jim Crow Law was active and segregation was common.
With Martha being a Black American, she wasn’t allowed to go into white establishments. She married her now late husband Lehman in a navy-blue dress or the Carmen Jones dress with a mermaid design.
Strozier said how her grandma relied on the white woman where she worked in at the time to buy this dress for her.
Strozier Decides to Recreate a Proper Wedding Day for Her Grandma
Several days after she heard this story, Strozier decided to recreate her grandma’s wedding day. But, this time, she would wear a real wedding dress.
She also arranged a makeover for her from Pharris Clayton and a dress try-on in David’s Bridal boutique in Hoover, Alabama.
Martha first fell in love with a low V-neck dress that had an embellished waistline but she also tried on a dress she dreamed of forever. This one was with a high collar and long sleeves from lace.
Strozier said how her grandma was overwhelmed with happiness from this experience because she never imagined that trying on wedding dresses would go that far.
Strozier wanted to make this happen for her grandma because she’s a woman who has always put her family and community first. She has made countless sacrifices to give from her heart so being able to give her grandma this gift was priceless.
Martha, a Proud Mother, Grandma, and Great Grandma
Martha is a mother of four, a grandmother of 11, and a great-grandmother of 18. She was active in the fight for civil rights and became a registered poll worker in 1963 with Birmingham’s Civil Rights leaders.
Her work spanned across 11 political administrations. Her granddaughter says she’s always been the one to make sacrifices so that people get to know their rights.
After posting this story on her Instagram, Strozier says how people from around the world shared her grandma in her bride dress.
She told her that Snoop Dog had reshared her photos on Instagram and she was like “Snoop Dog”? They all laughed because she probably has no idea who he is! Her grandma even jokingly asked her if she thinks Oprah will call her.
Sources:
