‘Dancing with the Stars’ Judge Derek Hough Teases Wedding Plans and Stress-Filled First Dance
Dancing with the Stars judge, Derek Hough proposed to longtime girlfriend Hayley Erbert in June 2022 after seven years of dating. Hough currently sits on the panel of judges for the Disney+ streamer alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli. With wedding planning in full effect, Hough revealed that he and Erbert are readying themselves for their big day, including a stress-filled first dance.
Derek Hough’s wedding will be within one year of his romantic, at-home proposal to Hayley Erbert
Hough and Erbert are adventurers and love to travel the globe. However, when it came to proposing, the six-time mirrorball-winning pro decided to seal the deal in the place the couple felt most at peace, their stunning California home.
“It’s funny; I went back and forth on many different locations. Hayley and I have some special places, and I would bounce around, and I had things planned. Last minute, I just changed,” he told People Magazine.
“I was like, you know what? We already do all these amazing things,” he explained. “We travel around the world and have adventures, so we’re always so happy to come home and be home, and that’s where our relationship strengthened and made concrete.”
Hough proposed to Erbert with a four-and-a-half-carat diamond ring designed by Chau Lui, co-owner of Paris Jewellers, reported E! Online.
Derek Hough talks wedding plans and ‘stress’-filled first dance
The Dancing with the Stars judge told Parade Magazine that plans are underway for an intimate day where family and friends celebrate the couple.
“It’ll be 160 people, I think, something like that, and about 155 of them are all my nieces and nephews,” Derek revealed. “I have a big family.”
When will the happy event take place? We’re looking within the year,” Hough revealed, which means the event could happen anytime between now and June 2023. He said he has chosen to be very involved in his and Erbert’s special day, so it reflects both of their personalities.
“Being a choreographer, a creator, and with everything I do with production, I will definitely want to be involved,” he said, especially regarding his and Erbert’s first dance.
“We’ve seen enough movies where couples take lessons to make the first dance a special moment, but for a couple who met dancing, there has to be an added stress in making that moment memorable,” he shared.
The six-time mirrorball winner didn’t want to feel ‘pressure’ to perform
Hough revealed that he didn’t want to feel “pressure” to perform on his wedding day. However, he changed his mind after thinking through a possible scenario where he wouldn’t dance.
“You know, I didn’t want to have the pressure of having to perform,” Derek admitted. “I was like, ‘You know what? I want other people to perform for us. But after sitting on it for a few months, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I think there might be an expectation. We need to do the first dance.’ So, we’ll probably do the first dance, and it’ll be beautiful.”
The couple will celebrate their long history when they become man and wife. Erbert was a dancer for Hough and his sister Julianne’s 2014 Move Live Tour. While touring, a Dancing with the Stars producer cast her as part of the show’s dance troupe. Just one year later, Erbert and Hough became romantically involved.
Dancing with the Stars streams live Mondays on Disney+. The series’ second live episode of the week airs Tuesday, Oct. 18. Both begin at 8 p.m. EST.
