An Alabama Black woman is finally getting to wear her dream wedding dress after being racist gown shop banned her from entering back in 1952.
Seventy years ago, Martha Mae Ophelia Moon Tucker married the man of her dreams, but her dream wedding dress was missing. But that all changed decades later when her granddaughter overheard her say she always wanted to try on a wedding dress while the two were watching “Coming to America.”
Instead of a traditional wedding dress, the 94-year-old woman explained that because Black people weren’t allowed in bridal shops in the south, she opted to wear her blue mermaid-style dress that someone let her borrow, Yahoo! Entertainment reports.
After hearing their matriarch’s desire, the family immediately set up plans for an appointment at David’s Bridal. She was able to find a dress she loved. “When I went into the bridal shop, that dress had my name on it,” Tucker said. “Oh, it was so beautiful…I was in heaven.”
Tucker told ABC that she didn’t want to take the dress off and noted that she appreciated her grandchildren’s actions. “I looked in the mirror at myself, wanting to know who that is. Yeah, I was very excited! I felt great! I told ya, it felt just like I was getting married!”
