The University of Love
University is often synonymous with adulthood. The first throes of freedom and romance, but at Dundee, we have a wonderful history of long-lasting love.
Since 1975, 405 marriages have taken place in our University Chapel. Others, like Andrew and Shona Mason (below) have been married in the idyllic gardens.
From first years to financial accountants, Reverend Dr Fiona Douglas, University chaplain since the 1st of August 1997, has been marrying university lovers for almost 20 years, nine of which with the help of her partner in crime Jill Webster.
Reverend Dr Fiona Douglas
“We are here throughout their highs and lows and everything in-between. We get to build a special relationship with families on campus.
Over the last few years, registrars being able to marry anywhere has meant more ‘In the woods’ betrothals. However, I still think the reason so many staff and students have married here is because it has a special place in their heart.”
Jill Webster
“I’ve been helping Fiona do this for 9 years now and honestly I’d have one every week.
The community is so special here, from principals to farmers, we get to witness people give their strongest commitment of love and it’s really heartwarming.”
Gaby and Martin Beattie
“The University of Dundee was the start of our story in many ways. We felt that the only place we could choose to get married was at the University.
I had been on Fiona the Chaplin’s interview panel as a student member and knew that she would be the person to marry us. The Chaplaincy is the perfect venue as it is so beautiful inside with its pristine clean white walls. As it was out of the academic year there were not many people about as we walked to the beautiful Geddes Quadrangle for our photos.
We had met in the Union so walked between the Union and the Chaplaincy to get to the Geddes Quadrangle which seemed apt! Our wedding party turned out to be only Dundee Uni graduates!
It was a perfect day and marked our 10 years together! It has almost been 7 years since we got married and still live locally with our two perfect little boys.”
Andrew and Shona (below) met in Freshers’ of their first year back in 1985.
Both studying Dentistry, they started going out in the November of that year and got engaged exactly three years later after completing an intercalated BMSc. They tied the knot at the Frankland Building on campus in the March of their final year before qualifying in December 1990.
Andrew and Shona graduated in 1991 as a married couple and celebrated their 25 year wedding anniversary in 2015.
Andrew is now a senior lecturer at the Dental School and Shona teaches there as an NHS dentist and honorary University teacher.
Andrew, like Fiona has given a welcome speech to the new first year Dental students for some years now, which includes the line “Look at who you are sitting beside – I married the person I sat next to at this talk in first year!”
Crispin and Jacqueline (above) were at the University of Dundee in the early 80s, and they were married on 29th November 2003.
21 years, 10 months and 10 days after they started going out at the University of Dundee! It took them a little while to decide to get married but they got there in the end – Crispin says they were simply having too much fun to get round to it.
The wedding was held at Dundas Castle near Edinburgh. Jacqueline (McMenemy) was Crispin’s bejantine, in the days when the Gaudie Night/Raisin Monday tradition was still going strong – he thought he had to look after his bejantine during the first term, not for the rest of his life! They recently celebrated their 12th anniversary of marriage and 34 years of ‘going out’.
Love for modern generations isn’t any different – just digital.
LGBT+ Society President, Sally Melville told us about how she ‘met’ Kat in 2013.
Despite growing up only just a few miles from each other, they actually matched on Blendr, a lesbian version of Tinder, when Sally swiped Kat as she was travelling in Sri Lanka. It was love at first date.
“It was ridiculously lucky,” said Sally. “We lived 15 miles apart growing up but if it wasn’t for the app we would never have met. Going online was not just an escape but easier to meet like-minded people and I guess my love.”
Having just celebrated their three and a half year anniversary in February, Kat and Sally say that despite going to different Universities they couldn’t be happier. In fact, it actually helps increase collaboration between the Abertay and Dundee LGBT+ Societies.
We have so many love stories we just had to share them in an album below.
Email us your love story to be featured now and in the future.
