{"id":10989,"date":"2026-07-31T13:38:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=10989"},"modified":"2026-07-31T13:38:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:38:18","slug":"marcus-mumford-says-he-met-wife-carey-mulligan-at-bible-camp-before-a-childhood-friendship-became-lasting-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2026\/07\/marcus-mumford-says-he-met-wife-carey-mulligan-at-bible-camp-before-a-childhood-friendship-became-lasting-love.html","title":{"rendered":"Marcus Mumford Says He Met Wife Carey Mulligan at Bible Camp Before a Childhood Friendship Became Lasting Love"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Fred Duval \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Long before they became one of entertainment’s most private and enduring couples, Marcus Mumford and Carey Mulligan first met as children at a church Bible camp\u2014a chance encounter that eventually grew into a decades-long love story.<\/p>\n

The Mumford & Sons frontman recently shared the sweet origin of their relationship during an appearance on the “SmartLess” podcast, recalling how he and the Oscar-nominated actress crossed paths when he was just 10 years old, and Mulligan was 12.<\/p>\n

The two met at Bible camp and became pen pals afterward.<\/p>\n

Mumford revealed that Mulligan still has the journal entry she wrote the day they met, complete with her childhood ratings of the boys she encountered.<\/p>\n

“My cousin was there, who was two years older, who was age-appropriate for her,” Mumford joked. “He got an eight-and-a-half out of 10. But I, who was definitely not underlined boyfriend material, got a nine out of 10.”<\/p>\n

Although the amusing review didn’t lead to an immediate romance, the pair stayed in touch throughout their younger years before eventually losing contact.<\/p>\n

Years later, they reconnected through Facebook while in their twenties. Around the same time, Mulligan attended a concert by singer-songwriter Laura Marling, where Mumford & Sons was also performing.<\/p>\n

Mumford recalled hearing Mulligan recognize his last name backstage.<\/p>\n

“She was like, ‘Oh, Mumford. I knew a kid called Mumford,'” he said.<\/p>\n

Before leaving, Mulligan wrote down her email address and left it with Mumford’s tour manager. That simple gesture reignited their friendship, which quickly turned into something more.<\/p>\n

After dating for about five months, Mumford proposed. The couple married on April 21, 2012, in Somerset, England, and today they share three children\u2014two daughters and a son.<\/p>\n

Despite their fame, the couple has intentionally kept their family life out of the spotlight.<\/p>\n

“Marcus is the only thing that’s mine that I can keep totally away, so I try to,” Mulligan told Vogue<\/em><\/a> in 2015.<\/p>\n

For Mumford, protecting their marriage has always been a deliberate choice. In a 2022 interview with GQ<\/em>, he said he and Mulligan decided early on to make their relationship their highest priority.<\/p>\n

“We said, ‘The odds are stacked against us. Let’s make that our great work, and everything else can come from that,'” he explained. “The reason I think people don’t stay married is because they don’t realize how much work it takes.”<\/p>\n

Their story serves as a reminder that some of life’s most meaningful relationships begin in the most unexpected places. What started with two children meeting at Bible camp eventually grew into a marriage that has quietly endured the pressures of fame for more than a decade\u2014a testament to commitment, intentionality and the value of building a relationship that lasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long before they became one of entertainment’s most private and enduring couples, Marcus Mumford and Carey Mulligan first met as children at a church Bible camp\u2014a chance encounter that eventually grew into a decades-long love story. The Mumford & Sons frontman recently shared the sweet origin of their relationship during an appearance on the “SmartLess”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":10993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMarcus Mumford Says He Met Wife Carey Mulligan at Bible Camp Before a Childhood Friendship Became Lasting Love<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Marcus Mumford reveals he met his wife, Carey Mulligan, at Bible camp, where a childhood friendship blossomed into a lasting marriage.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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