Before she finished high school, her parents betrothed her to T. L. Yen, who had received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from a German university.
吳舜文出生於江蘇的紡織世家，自小生活優裕，性情和樂開朗，是教會學校裡「愛講話、愛吃零食、愛惡作劇」的學生。高中還沒畢業，就在「父母之命」下，嫁給門當戶對的嚴慶齡。嚴慶齡也出身紡織世家，當時已留學德國歸來，拿到機械工程碩士學位。