You probably know her as Victoria, the "cupcake girl" from How I Met Your Mother, or maybe you’ve seen her in about two dozen Hallmark movies. Ashley Williams has that kind of face—the one that feels like a best friend you’ve known for years. But while her on-screen characters are usually busy navigating meet-cutes and snowy town squares, her real-life romance is a whole lot more grounded.
So, who is Ashley Williams married to?
The man behind the scenes is Neal Dodson. He isn’t just some guy she met at a red carpet event; he’s an independent film producer with some serious industry clout. They’ve been married since 2011, which, in "Hollywood years," is basically a lifetime.
Honestly, their story is kinda refreshing. It’s not a tabloid-heavy drama. It’s just two people who met while they were both still figuring out their careers and decided to build a life together.
How Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson actually met
Forget the scripted romance. They didn't meet on a movie set or at a fancy gala. Back in 2003, Ashley was starring in the sitcom Good Morning, Miami. She went to see an acting coach named Warner Loughlin, and that's where she ran into Neal.
At the time, Neal wasn't a big-shot producer. He was actually working as an assistant.
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They hit it off, but they didn't rush into anything. They dated for about eight years before they finally decided to pull the trigger on a wedding. It’s a long time to wait, sure, but it clearly worked for them.
The wedding itself was pretty low-key, held at the home of Ashley’s sister, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and her husband, country superstar Brad Paisley. If you’re wondering if it was a star-studded affair, sort of. But it was mostly just family and friends in a backyard in Nashville. No massive paparazzi drones. No selling the photos to the highest bidder. Just a normal wedding.
Who is Neal Dodson, anyway?
Neal isn't just "Ashley Williams’ husband." He’s a heavyweight in the indie film world.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Margin Call (the one with Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons about the 2008 financial crisis), Neal produced that. He also produced All Is Lost starring Robert Redford. He’s got a knack for these gritty, intense dramas that are the polar opposite of the lighthearted Hallmark movies Ashley is famous for.
He grew up in York, Pennsylvania, and went to Carnegie Mellon. He actually started out wanting to be an actor—he even did some Broadway work—but eventually realized his real talent was in producing.
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Interestingly, he and Ashley do work together. He executive produced the Sister Swap movies on Hallmark, which starred Ashley and her sister Kimberly. It’s a family business, basically. Ashley has called him the "greatest producer" she’s ever worked with, which is a pretty high bar considering her resume.
A family life far from the spotlight
The couple has two sons, Gus and Odie Sal.
Gus was born in 2014, and Odie followed in 2017. If you follow Ashley on Instagram, you know she’s pretty open about the realities of parenting. She doesn't post "perfect" photos. It's more like messy living rooms, travel chaos, and the occasional post about how "dreamy" Neal is as a dad.
They don't live the typical "Hollywood" life. They split their time between New York and Los Angeles, often living a "nomadic" lifestyle depending on where work takes them.
Dealing with the hard stuff
It hasn't all been Hallmark-level perfection, though. Ashley has been incredibly vocal about a miscarriage she suffered in 2016. She wrote a piece for Human Rights Campaign about it, trying to break the stigma.
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She wasn't looking for sympathy. She wanted to let other women know they weren't alone. That kind of transparency is rare for actors of her level, and it’s one of the reasons people feel so connected to her. Neal was right there by her side through it, and she’s often credited his "unwavering energy" for keeping their family together during the tough times.
What makes their marriage work?
In an industry where marriages last about as long as a TikTok trend, these two have stayed solid for over a decade. Why?
Part of it is probably because they are genuinely fans of each other's work. They aren't competing for the spotlight. Neal seems perfectly happy being the guy behind the camera, making sure everything runs smoothly, while Ashley is the one in front of it.
They also seem to share a sense of humor. Ashley’s social media is full of jokes about Neal’s "bright ideas" and how they navigate life as a "nomadic family."
If you’re looking to follow more of their journey, here are a few things you can do:
- Check out Neal Dodson's filmography: If you only know Ashley from Hallmark, watch Margin Call or A Most Violent Year. It’ll give you a whole new appreciation for the kind of work Neal does.
- Follow Ashley’s "Make Her Mark" initiative: She started this at Hallmark to help more women get into directing. It’s a project she’s incredibly passionate about, and she often talks about how Neal’s experience as a producer helped her get it off the ground.
- Look up the Sister Swap movies: If you want to see the husband-wife collaboration in action, these are the ones to watch.
Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson are proof that you can be successful in Hollywood without losing your mind or your marriage. They’ve built a life that’s about more than just the next job, and honestly, in 2026, that’s the real "happily ever after."