NEED TO KNOW
- Dancing with the Stars pro Britt Stewart and deaf actor Daniel Durant tied the knot at Riata Ranch in Santa Margarita, Calif., on Aug. 23
- Hayley Erbert was the maid of honor
- Erbert recited her maid of honor speech in American Sign Language (ASL)
Hayley Erbert went above and beyond to make her best friend’s wedding memorable.
Nearly a month after Dancing with the Stars pro Britt Stewart and deaf actor Daniel Durant tied the knot at Riata Ranch in Santa Margarita, Calif., on Aug. 23, Erbert’s husband, Derek Hough, revealed what she did to make the day extra special.
In a video posted on TikTok on Monday, Sept. 22, Hough, 40, filmed his pregnant wife as she practiced her maid-of-honor speech in American Sign Language (ASL).
The DWTS judge explained in the caption that Erbert — who is expecting her first child with Hough — wanted to “learn a bit of ASL so she could speak directly to Daniel in her speech.”
The video showed Erbert practicing her speech at the gym, in their bedroom, and finally saying it emotionally in front of the bride and groom’s friends and family.
“Daniel, you make Brit shine brighter than ever,” Erbert said. “You are her perfect balance, steady and grounding. Yet you let her [Stewart] be all of who she is. You even brought out a sporty side. I never thought I’d see it in a million years. Thank you for loving my best friend the way she deserves to be for her beautiful soul.”
Fans in the comment section applauded Erbert, who underwent an emergency craniectomy in December 2023.
Erbert had the procedure after being diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel while on her and Hough’s Symphony of Dance tour. Later that same month, she underwent surgery to replace a “large portion of her skull” that was removed during the emergency craniectomy.
Many of Stewart’s past and current DWTS costars were at her wedding, including co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro; Stewart’s DWTS season 29 dance partner Johnny Weir, who was a bridesmaid; and professional dancers Jenna Johnson, Rylee Arnold, Ezra Sosa, Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Daniella Karagach, Brandon Armstrong and Witney Carson.
“We want to feel the connection between both of us, our family, our closest friends and the nature that will surround us,” Stewart told PEOPLE about the wedding. “Our vision for our wedding was to really celebrate and experience the love that we have created and continue to create with each other.”
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Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and PT on ABC and simulcast on Disney+. The show streams the next day on Hulu.
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