derek hayley© Photo: Getty Images

Derek Hough makes unexpected revelation concerning upcoming wedding to Hayley Erbert

The DWTS judge is set to tie the knot with a fellow professional dancer

Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
March 23, 2023

Derek Hough and his fiancé Hayley Erbert may share a love for professional dancing – it is how they met after all – but as they prepare to tie the knot, the Dancing with the Stars judge revealed he would rather dancing not be a part of it.

As their wedding approaches, Derek gave a glimpse of what their upcoming nuptials will look like, and, in a surprising change of pace, revealed he doesn't want to have a first dance with his future bride.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the red carpet for the premiere of John Wick: Chapter 4 in Los Angeles, he explained that it is because of their dancing roots, and how often they do it professionally, that he is opting to not make it a big deal on his wedding day.

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"I kind of wish we didn't need to do a first dance," he confessed, adding: "Because I just want to, like, be in the moment."

Though he then said he would of course have that special moment, he wants to keep it as lowkey as possible, and leave their professional dancing abilities behind.

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Derek further said: "We will have a first dance. But I want to try to make it feel not like a performance. I want it to be a [real] first dance, you know what I mean?"

© Photo: Getty Images

The couple have been together for seven years

The dancer then opened up about some other aspects that he is excited to feature in his wedding, and it sounds like it is going to be a hell of a party, dancing or not.

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"I better have fireworks!" Derek insisted, adding: "I'll be so disappointed. Listen, California, we've had a lot of rain. We're good. We can have fireworks!"

Derek's proposal to Hayley looked magical

The couple first met in 2015 – Hayley was formerly a troupe dancer on DWTS – and got engaged in the summer of 2022. 

Derek proposed on June 2nd, in their shared home in California, after spending a day out in neighboring Yosemite National Park, a place they both hold near and dear to their hearts. Announcing the news on Instagram, he wrote at the time:"It's only the beginning…the beginning of forever."

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