Derek Hough Says He Was Surprised by Wedding Cost: 'When You Add Everything Up, It's Pretty Wild'

The Dancing with the Stars alum and his fiancée Hayley Erbert opened up about planning their upcoming wedding in a new interview with Brides

Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert are headed towards the altar, while balancing expectations of their wedding day.

In a new interview in Brides magazine, the Dancing with the Stars alum, who turns 38 on Wednesday, and his fiancée, 28, revealed that the price of planning a wedding has come as a bit of a shock.

"It's a very eye-opening experience, and when you start to add everything up, it's pretty wild," Hough said.

As the pieces for their ceremony and reception come together, the couple revealed that they have already chosen a venue, and that fireworks and a first dance — naturally — are in the cards.

Related:Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert's Relationship Timeline

For the choreographer and actor, and his dancer bride-to-be, the wedding isn't so much about "perfection" as it is about a "vibe," which is important when it comes to the guest list.

"A rule that we've set is that we don't want to catch up with people on the day of the wedding," Erbert said. "We're inviting people that maybe we haven't seen in a while, but every time we get together with them, it's like we pick up right where we left off, or they're people that have been consistently in our lives throughout the years. We're not going to catch up with people, we're just gonna have a blast with people."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The couple, who got engaged last June after a seven-year courtship, intend to have a wedding celebration that perfectly reflects who they are.

"We're fun!" Hough said. "What we gravitate towards isn't always the most lavish option. We're playing with different approaches to certain things so that the day still feels elegant and beautiful and magical, but grounded and down to earth and just approachable."

He added, "We want the entire day to be a blast."

Related:Derek Hough Reveals He Doesn't Want a 'First Dance' at His Wedding: 'I Just Want to Be in the Moment'

And as for that first dance, Erbert revealed that it will be a special moment, even if Hough wasn't so interested in the wedding tradition at first.

"We perform for a living, so we just want this dance to be for us," she said. "We don't want to perform for anyone else."

Adds Hough: "We want to feel good and comfortable, but we don't need to be perfect… That's a lot less important to me than just looking into her eyes as we're rocking back and forth. I want to feel truly present in that moment."

As the big day draws near, Hough said that the couple has remained grounded and focused on what's really important.

"At the end of the day we come back to, 'Why are we doing this? What is the reason for this?'" Hough said. "And the reason is for the two of us. That's really it."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.