Anée Atelier
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 ♥️,” he wrote.
Erbert also shared the post with the same caption on her Instagram. In the elegant picture, Hough lifts up his now-fiancée in an embrace that gives a glimpse of her dazzling engagement ring.
Troy Williams of Simply Troy Lifestyle + Events, who helped planned the couple’s big moment, called the Paris Jewellers ring “stunning … breathtaking,” adding that the 250 oversized 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.”
Anée Atelier
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 1600 roses, orchids, white peonies and pampas grass 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.”
John Sciulli/Getty
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Hough — who curated a playlist that included Richard Walters’ “Unconditional,” Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s “Someone To Stay” and Ben Platt’s “Imagine” — and Erbert, 27, began dating in 2015 after meeting on DWTS. Erbert was a dancer on the show for seven seasons and four tours.
The couple have recently been vacationing in Monaco, where they’ve taken in the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Top Gun: Maverick premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
“Wow , incredible to experience @f1 Monaco Grand Prix for the first time. Even better getting to experience it with my love @hayley.erbert ❤️,” Hough wrote 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.
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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 actually 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.
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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 really 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.
