Wedding Locale: Watson Block event venue, Minneapolis
Vibe: An intimate and festive Black Tie celebration on New Year’s Eve
Attire: Custom Tuxedo by Don Morphy
When her daughter announced plans to get married on New Year’s Eve, Angela knew immediately what she wanted to wear: a custom tuxedo. “I had been looking for an excuse to have a custom suit made,” she says. Being a mother of the bride on New Year's Eve felt like the perfect moment.
But for Angela, a typical black tuxedo felt far too boring. She had in her head images of Billy Porter on the red carpet at the 2019 Academy Awards in his jaw-dropping Christian Siriano tuxedo gown. Now, Angela knew a look that over the top might upset her very private, much more understated daughter. Angela didn't want to seem like she was trying to steal the show. And yet, she wanted to show off her style. After all, it's not every day your daughter gets married! She decided a pink tuxedo was the way to go.
Next hurdle: where to find this fabulous, feminine tuxedo of her dreams. “It was important to me to work with a Black designer,” Angela says. Her research led her to Dallas-based custom clothier Don Morphy, who specializes in suiting. They hit it off during a phone consultation, and Angela drove to his Texas studio all the way from her home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. They settled on a design, and six weeks later, Angela returned for a fitting.
“The suit was crafted beautifully, but it wasn't what I had envisioned,” she admits. “As so many women do, I said thank you and we talked about the final touches, and I left the studio. That night I didn't sleep at all, I was spending $2,000 and I wasn't happy. I went back to the studio the next morning and shared my true feelings. The original shawl collar was boring and the pants were more of a bell bottom than a true full wide leg. All of my friends will tell you: 'Angela
loves her some wide-leg pants!' Don's staff agreed—their goal was for me to be ecstatic.”
With little more than a month before the wedding, the team at Don Morphy started over and made Angela a new tux, which was exactly what she wanted, from the bold wide-leg pant to the jacket's strong shoulder and sequined lapel and cuffs. Under it, she wore a matching pink satin shirt. Her family, friends, and even the bride had to agree: the shimmering pink mother of the bride tuxedo suited Angela perfectly on a night that, she say, proved more emotional than she even imagined.
“I can't wait to see what I come up with when I am ‘Grandmother of,” Angela quips. “Maybe I will be able to arrive on a jet pack or something by then!”
