'Nice to meet you' dinner

Wedding Day

Tapestry House by Wedgewood Weddings

Ceremony

Reception

Our Wedding

As many modern couples these days, we met through an online dating service. Kadie still teases Derek about his silly soccer photo he had on his profile (like the kind little kids take, posing in their uniform on one knee holding a soccer ball) and how there was something about that dorky pic and humor that made her want to meet him.&nbsp; After talking online for a couple of weeks we decided it was time to meet and Derek planned our first date at Pinball Jones in Old Town. We later found out that we were both so excited for our date that we showed up early; Derek grabbing a slice of pizza and Kadie wandering stores to kill time before arriving. We awkwardly made our first in-person introductions and then enjoyed several games of pinball, wandering and talking while we played.&nbsp; Even though it was a rather chilly winter evening, we did not want our date to end, and eventually made our way over to The Exchange to grab some donuts at FOCO DOCO, where we huddled under a warmth lamp, eating our sweets and getting to know each other better. When Kadie asked Derek why he got a hot chocolate instead of coffee, he explained that coffee “tastes like hot dirt water.” They immediately knew there was something real here.&nbsp; We had parked on opposite ends of Old Town, so after walking Kadie to her car, she gave Derek a ride over to where he parked. Derek thanked her for a lovely evening and said he got all the way to his car before he was already kicking himself and dashed back over to her open car window and asked if he could give her a kiss. It was sweet and perfect and made Kadie’s heart flutter. Soon thereafter we started to regularly spend our days without children, hanging out, going on adventures and falling for one another. By mid-February we took our first (of many) trips to a hot springs and spent a long weekend in Salida, CO.

By that summer we were feeling pretty good about things. We had successfully made it through the long stretch of winter together, traveled internationally to Mexico, and survived a trip to IKEA! We decided it was time to introduce our kids and start weaving ourselves into their lives.&nbsp; As it turns out, our kids are very close in age: Henry turned 12 (on February 1st), Claire turned 11 (on February 2nd), Kaily will turn 9 (on June 13th) and Ollie will turn 8 (on July 2nd). The kids all have a shared love of video games (mostly Minecraft, Roblox and Zelda), LEGOs, Avatar the Last Airbender, crafts, building forts, stuffed animals, being goofballs and running around outside.&nbsp; By mid 2020, Derek’s lease was up at his house and we were more than ready to combine our households, so we moved him and his kids into Kadie’s house. Within a few months we realized we were bursting at the seams, and started looking for something bigger. In July 2020 we were excited to announce the purchase of our new home (hilariously across the street).

Now a year into our families living together, Derek pulled Kadie aside in our living room to explain that as wonderful as our newly built life was, he felt there was one thing missing. And that was when he pulled out the ring to propose.&nbsp; While this wedding is a celebration of our love, and finding happiness again; we also want it to be a celebration of our families officially becoming blended. We want the kids to understand that this is a big step for all of us as we will both officially become their step-parents.&nbsp;&nbsp; We hope that you’ll join us in celebrating this exciting adventure in our lives! We lovingly call our new family: Ashworth

Quick tidbits about us:

Derek and I both love: gardening, home DIY projects, simple meals, sugary treats (including caffeinated sodas), hot springs, vacation getaways, good web design (we have similar jobs), playing games (board, card and video), wandering on trails, walking our dogs, playing golf, being close with our kids, watching sci-fi movies and shows that make us laugh (30 Rock entertained us through all of our wallpaper removal).

Timeline of big events

Our Story

While the address of the wedding is technically in LaPorte, it feels more like the North edge of Fort Collins. Many of the chain hotels are located on the South end of town along Harmony (which is near our house). If you are looking for something fancier, the Armstrong hotel is an old classic and the Elizabeth is brand new and beautiful. We’ll see about getting a block reserved. Coming soon.

Travel

A pinball lovers dream and the location of our very first date! Stop by for some fun entertainment, on $5 quarters or less. 

Pinball Jones

The downtown area of Ft Collins, and home to lots of wonderful shopping, galleries, restaurants and bars! 

Old Town Fort Collins

An outdoor area with various food places, including FOCO DOCO a small donut place that was location #2 of our first date.Claire and Ollie are big fans of The Churn for some delicious ice cream.And Kadie, Danielle and Sam are big fans of CopperMuse, a local distillery with delicious cocktails.The whole area is fenced in with the ability to wander from place to place and grass for kids to run around.

The Exchange - Ice Cream, Donuts, Food and Drinks

If you're headed to old town and don't want to worry about driving or parking, the Max Bus heads straight from the South end of town all the way to downtown, with stops in campus along the way. The kids all like to ride whenever there is activities in town.

Max line

A fun little nerdy shop full of comics and board games galore! Stop by and find something fun to read or a game to play.

Gryphon Games and Comics

Things to Do

Henry Ainsworth

Claire Ashauer

Kaily Ainsworth

Oliver Ashauer

We want our wedding to be focused on the blending of our families and we are excited to have our children stand up with us as our wedding party. That being said, Kadie wants it to be known that she would not be where she is today without the support of her two best girlfriends. They stood by her side through everything these last few years, providing humor, and much needed moral support. While they may not be an official part of our wedding party, they do have an official-unofficial status.