Stories of romance on campus

Woman and man in wedding clothes against a backdrop of white roses

The University has long been a place where people meet their future partners and build lasting relationships. From campus proposals to guild dances and coffee shop dates, alumni reflect on campus as being the perfect setting for romance to blossom.

I met the most wonderful girl in my halls during a Halloween party in 2015, one month after I'd started University. Neither of us drank, so we drained the party's supply of mixer and orange juice and chatted the night away. This year it will be our fifth wedding anniversary! We have two children together (a four year old and an almost two year old) and have settled down in the Midlands in Coventry. We are in Birmingham all the time to see friends and family, and the University holds a special place in my heart for this.
Hasnain Hudda (pictured above)

More alumni love stories

Andy

Meeting my wife!

Pauline Allen (nee Wilkinson)

I met my husband in the French department in 1962. We were married for 54 years.

Tian Zhe

I met my future wife here and learnt how to mitigate air pollution as well as understand how to contribute to the society and inspire the next generation.

Joe Tustain

Meeting my (now) wife at the Medical School interview!

Steve Cort (BEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering, 1992)

We met in University House (when it was a hall of residence) at the end of Freshers week in 1990. We got engaged at the top of Old Joe in 1993 and have since been happily married for 31 years!

Gill

I met my husband here. We've been married 45 years today. First occupier of Maple Bank 1976.

Ian Tait

Meeting my future wife Gill on day one at Birmingham.

Amy Pope (née Cosgriff) (BA Classics and Archaeology, 2006)

Mickey was the first person I met at university, as I arrived in halls. I still tease him about not offering to help me with my bags! We got together in first year and have since travelled the world! We moved around the UK and married in 2012 with Guild Musical Theatre Group alumni singing at our wedding. We now live in Bristol with our three children and still count our fellow alumni among our closest friends. We visited campus for the 125 celebrations and were reminded how lucky we were to have studied at Birmingham.

Alex Fuger

I met my partner at the Lapworth Museum of Geology.

I started University in 2019 moving into Maple Bank. On the first evening I met Lauren who lived in the flat below me. Over our time at the University we fell in love. We are going to get married in September next year. The campus is special and the site of many of our dates, be them coffee shops or late nights studying at the library, including an overnight session to finish our dissertations.
Owain Jones

Jennifer Steele

My grandparents met outside the Christian Union and stayed together during the war.

Bex White

I met my future husband and the father of my three children (the same person in case you were wondering…).

Rachael Vipond

My husband studied Geography 1980-1983 and is now MD of Rolex, UK. I also studied Geography but ten years later and I am now Director of ClubAZ Ltd at AstraZeneca. When we met years after leaving Birmingham, our first conversation that connected us was having both studied Geography at the University, and despite not being there together we shared lecturers and similar experiences!

David Bowcock

I read Law and lived in University House 1986 to 1989. On my first night I sat down at the only empty chair left at dinner next to Verity Lanham who read Sports Science. She and I were male and female co-presidents of UH in 1988 and got married in 1993.

Jane Piggott

Birmingham was a great experience for me and I met my future husband in Freshers Week 1967. We have now been married for over 54 years. The campus and Vale site are lovely and wonderful places to spend time!