2nd June, 2022 -
Engagement
Forever dance partners! Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert are engaged after more than six years together.
Derek Hough put a ring on it!
The Dancing with the Stars alum announced the happy news on Instagram Thursday that he was engaged to girlfriend Hayley Erbert after seven years of dating.
“It’s only the beginning ... the beginning of forever ♥️,” the couple wrote via a joint Instagram post on Thursday, June 2, confirming the news. The pair shared an elegant picture photo from the proposal with Hough, 37, holding onto lifts up his now-fiancée Erbert, 27, in an embrace that gives a glimpse of her dazzling engagement ring surrounded by flowers and candles.
Troy Williams of Simply Troy Lifestyle + Events, who helped plan the couple's big moment, called the ring "stunning ... breathtaking," adding that the candles positioned around them as Hough popped the question "reflected the flawless diamond."
Williams tells PEOPLE, "The proposal happened last Monday. Derek surprised her and got her out of the house for the afternoon. He wanted their home transformed. They're an adventurous couple and have seen such big moments, but their home is their sanctuary and it's where they fell even more in love."
In a charming twist, Erbert believed had been planning a special moment for Hough, who turned 37 on May 17.
"She thought she was surprising him for his birthday, but as soon as he got her out, we moved out all of their furniture and completely transformed the space with 202 candles and flowers," reveals Williams. "We used white roses, white peonies, and nude champagne roses that arrived the day of that were all the colors of their home."
He continues, "After she said 'yes,' it was just everything — such a special, beautiful moment and just so them."
Hough and Erbert first met in 2014 when the Kansas native joined Derek and sister Julianne Hough on their Move Live Tour a dancer on the show for seven DWTS seasons and four tours. Things turned romantic for the Emmy winner and the former gymnast one year later in 2015.
The Dancing With the Stars judge initially raised proposal speculation on Wednesday, June 1, after he posted a romantic video collage from the couple’s recent getaway to Monaco, France, where they've taken in the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Top Gun: Maverick premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the video, the lovebirds took in the sights, packed on the PDA on a yacht, and enjoyed what appeared to be an intimate date night on the sea. Erbert kept her left hand and ring finger covered in nearly every clip, leading some fans to assume she was hiding a ring.
"Wow, incredible to experience @f1 Monaco Grand Prix for the first time. Even better getting to experience it with my love @hayley.erbert ❤️," the Utah native Hough wrote on captioned the montage on Instagram Wednesday.
He also posted several videos in a jet hangar on his Instagram Story, plus shots of Erbert enjoying boat rides along the Riviera.
The former World of Dance judge previously hinted at a proposal in December 2019, exclusively telling Us Weekly at the time that “you never know” what the next decade may hold. “2020 vision, we’ll see,” Derek said.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in 2020, Derek and Erbert decided to take their romance on the road — and start dancing together once again. They previously crossed paths on Dancing With the Stars where Erbert was a troupe dancer starting in 2016.
The So You Think You Can Dance alum returned to DWTS in 2020 to perform a sexy paso doble with her love, who became a judge on the show that same year following years as a pro.
“She is joining me on stage, and I’m so excited,” Derek exclusively told Us in July 2021 of his new Las Vegas residency, which kicked off that September. “It’s cool to be able to have people come to see us dance.”
The Hairspray Live! the star later teased his plans to get down on one knee during a September 2021 Derek Hough: No Limit show, playfully fake proposing to Erbert in front of an audience.
During part of the show, the couple joked about not having kids together yet, to which Erbert replied, “You gotta put a ring on it first!”
Derek played along, saying, “We are in Las Vegas. Hold on, there are wedding chapels and you can get divorced on the same day. This is unbelievable information that we need to look into immediately!” He then dropped to one knee before revealing he was just tying his shoe.
Hough and Erbert have been working on their cohabitation skills for a while now.
"My laundry skills? On a scale between zero and 10, I would give myself a negative one," Hough admitted with a laugh in PEOPLE's 2020 Sexiest Man Alive issue. "I'm good at folding though! I love cleaning up the house and I love yard work. I'm an outdoor yard work guy every single day, but laundry, it's not my game."
Erbert happened to call during his PEOPLE interview, so Hough asked for her rating of his laundry skills. "I would rate that a zero," she said, making Hough laugh again.
In 2016, Derek opened up to Ellen DeGeneres about the possibility of marriage and children in his future.
"You know if you would have asked me like a year ago, or two years ago, I'd probably [have been] like: 'I'm not looking [for that].' But I'm kind of in a place now in my life, kind of in a transition, and yeah — I see myself married with kids within the next five years, so, we'll see," he shared.
