Inside Hallmark Star Ashley Williams' Marriage To Neal Dodson

Sparks flew for Ashley Williams the moment she laid eyes on her husband Neal Dodson in 2003 during an acting class. "[It] was in @warnerloughlin's office. He was coaching actresses on their accents for auditions and I was on a sitcom and that day he was wearing a big red @Carnegiemellon hoodie and I just wanted to hug him," the Hallmark star recalled in a 2019 Instagram post. Yet, she wasn't the only one who was instantly smitten. Williams recalled seeing Dodson looking somewhat nervous during their first meeting. "He talked a lot," she said. "But everything he said was interesting, funny, and somehow rang true or resonated in me the way only the sound of a cello ever had before." 

After getting together in 2004, she and Dodson became engaged on Thanksgiving back in 2009. Then, almost two years later, the pair exchanged vows in a quiet ceremony in Nashville in May 2011. Only 50 people close to the pair were in attendance, including Williams' sister, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and her husband, country music star Brad Paisley. At the time, Williams gushed about marrying her "best friend" in an interview with People. "He grounds me. He allows me to laugh at myself and calms me down," she said. "He puts things in perspective." The two have since built their own little family.

Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson announced they were expecting their first child together back in 2014. Explaining that they waited for the right moment to start their own family, Williams said they were elated over the pregnancy news in a brief statement to People magazine. "We couldn't be more thrilled," the actor said. She then took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a photo of her growing baby bump along with the hashtag #babydodson. She and her husband would go on to welcome their son Gus in October 2014 via a home birth. "He's gorgeous and healthy. So far, he's soothable and calm," the "Notes of Autumn" star told People. "His name is Gus. For no other reason than: Who doesn't love a guy named Gus?"

In May 2017, following a heartbreaking miscarriage that she later discussed in an emotional Medium post, Williams and Dodson welcomed a new addition to their growing family with the birth of their youngest son, Odie Sal. Odie happens to have the same birthday as his dad and was named after a great-grandfather of Dodson, according to People, citing the new parents. This time, Williams opted to have a hospital birth at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. where she and the family were based. Explaining her decision, Williams said, "That's where I felt best giving birth this time around. It was very different than a home birth, but the confidence and ease of my doctor... was truly awesome."

13 years since they tied the knot in Nashville, Ashley Williams and her husband, Neal Dodson, are still going strong. Over the course of their marriage, the "How I Met Your Mother" star has never been shy about openly declaring her love for her husband on social media, often sharing posts that are dedicated to the renowned producer on her official Instagram account. Most recently, she wished Dodson a Happy Valentine's Day in a sweet tribute post on February 14. Alongside a photo of the couple smiling against a sunset, Williams said, "I had no idea when we had our first Valentine's Day together twenty years ago. [T]he joy, the mess, the chaos, the tears, the music, the food, the fatigue and pain and work and party and chaos of a life together. ... I LOVE YOU!"

In May 2022, the "Dawson's Creek" actor also penned a touching post for her hubby in honor of his birthday. Sharing a snap of the pair in a tight embrace, Williams gushed about how lucky she and the kids are to have Dodson as head of their family. On their 10-year wedding anniversary in May 2021, Williams also did not forget to shower Dodson with much love on Instagram. "Happy ten years, mister," she wrote alongside a series of photos from their happy day in 2011. "As our four-year-old would say, 'I love you all the way to You Nork. AND BACK.'" Here's to a lifetime more!