Who the heck are we?

Katharine Kangas and Oliver Wilderson started dating in 2018, and now they’re getting married (friggin’ finally!) Katie and Oliver met doing Aikido. Oliver is a seasonal gunsmith and handyman, and Katie works in the spending money on plants industry.

Our Story

Oliver and Katie met in 2016 at the Bozeman Aikido dojo, in Bozeman, Montana, where they trained together for about two years before beginning their relationship in June of 2018.

         Initially, their interactions were limited solely to training due to a few factors: Oliver was very quiet and always maintained a neutral expression, and Katie thought that Oliver was maybe, like, 15, or something (he wasn’t). As time passed, and situations changed, Katie became increasingly interested in this “Oliver” fellow who, when participating in after-training banter, would often make a single, straight-faced comment, and leave before anyone had a moment to process how funny it was. Intriguing? Absolutely.

For his part, Oliver had always found Katie to be someone he enjoyed being around. Oliver liked training with Katie, more than with anyone else, and after classes she was fun to hang around and chat with. He even managed to convince her that he was not, in fact, fifteen.

One Saturday, during an after-training brunch, Oliver and some fellow dojo members were discussing “famous Olivers,” and whether there were any. Oliver’s mention of Oliver Cromwell was met with skepticism - did such a man really exist? Katie promptly chimed in: “Yes! Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, born in 1599” to which Oliver responded, “Died in 1658, September.”

Sparks flew.

The other participants in the conversation were left befuddled, unaware that two giant nerds had just found each other by reciting the chorus of Monty Python’s song on that very subject.

After that, Katie and Oliver found excuses to hang out together. These included needing to go to Oliver’s house to study for their next Aikido exam, Katie “needing help” eating a cake she made, and going on a 17-mile hike together, along with Koira, who as Oliver put it, was “the best at dog” (this was true), where they both pretended to totally be morning people (we haven’t left for a hike at 7:30 am since).  

On June 30th, 2018, Katie invited Oliver to go listen to the wonderful Kelly Nicholson play at Red Tractor Pizza. The music was too loud for conversation, so Katie and Oliver spent the meal waiving sheepishly and mouthing “hi” at each other, like idiots. Later that evening, Oliver confessed his feelings, and the rest is history!

Katie and Oliver have spent the past seven years together hiking, gardening, and hitting important adult milestones. Pandemic? Check. Buying large appliances? Check. Doing home repair? Check. Capturing a feral cat to get her out of the cold? Check. Sifting large rocks out of the dirt in the yard in November because Katie bought 650 bulbs (oops), and needed a place to put them? Check.  

Together they have navigated their way through the good times, the bad times, and the weird times. They can’t wait to continue this journey together as a federally recognized couple, and nothing could make them happier than being joined by the wonderful friends and family who helped them be where they are today.

(*Story: Oliver chimed in on a post-practice, alcohol-related conversation, and Katie questioned whether he was even old enough to drink. He exasperatedly informed her that they were actually the same age. Oops.)