Couple who met in University of Sunderland student flats marry after love blossomed over essay tweets

Hannah Boozer and Matthew Wear met during their first year at the University of Sunderland, when they both lived in student flats at The Forge in Pallion.

But it wasn’t until an exchange on twitter during their final year in 2017 that love finally blossomed.

Hannah, who studied Fashion Journalism and now leads a team of copywriters, said: “We’ve known each other since first year, we both lived in the Forge, we both lived in the same block of flats.

“But we didn’t really get talking until I’d been tweeting about some essay, and he tweeted me asking how’s it going. Then it blossomed.

“We actually went and picked up our dissertations together. It might have been, if you could potentially call it, our third date.”

The pair both graduated, enjoying happy years together, and in 2022, Matthew, who now works as a freelance sports journalist covering the NFL, popped the question during a holiday in Rome.

“I had to be very sneaky with the ring and I knew where I was going to do it – this place that was not too busy. It was this massive park that overlooked the skyline,” he said.

“On the day, I was like ‘we need to go’ - being really suspicious. And then Hannah was like, ‘why do you want to go to this park so much?’”

Hannah added: “I was literally like, no, we are right by the Spanish steps. Why don’t we go see those?”

Matthew said: “I knew she wouldn’t want to be proposed to if it was too busy, so I found a place that’s not going to be mega busy in the morning. I remember saying to this guy, can you take some pictures of us? Luckily the guy starts recording so we have the whole thing in video.

“I just proposed and thankfully she said yes – and we got some nice selfies with the people who videoed it as well.”

The couple got married on Wednesday, September 18, at Le Petite Chateau on Otterburn, Northumberland in front of friends and family.

The happy pair do have one disagreement, however - which was harder, completing their degrees, or planning the wedding.

Matthew said: “I think the degree personally, but I think I’ve not had as much input in the wedding.”

Hannah added: “If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said the degree.

“After this month, I changed my mind. There have been a few meltdowns, but we are all good.”

Carole Watson, Associate Head of Journalism and Communications at the university, said: “We remember Hannah and Matthew so fondly here.

“They were both fantastic students who went on to their dream careers. I can’t promise we are also a match-making agency too.”