Lainey Wilson is opening up about her engagement to her longtime boyfriend, Devlin “Duck” Hodges. The former professional football player popped the question on February 12, after four years of dating. Although it might have taken Hodges a while to propose, Wilson reveals that they had been talking about it — and her gorgeous ring — for a while.
“Years ago I was just joking and being like, ‘Oh, check this out,’” Wilson recalls on Apple Music Country‘s The Kelleigh Bannen Show. “He was like, ‘Oh shoot.’ I think he started saving four years ago when we first started dating … But he went in and he designed it. And so he took a couple of the rings that I showed him years ago and put them all together and he outdid himself.”
When Wilson showed the photos of the proposal, eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed that it took place at George Jones’ former estate, leaving fans to speculate if she had purchased the massive estate. While Wilson reveals that she does not actually live there, she does share how Hodges managed to secure the historic place for the proposal.
“We’ve been trying to go see it for a while, and one of Duck’s buddies was listing it for sale,” Wilson explains. “He had it all staged. Mandelyn [Monchick], my manager, and her boyfriend were supposed to be meeting us and all this stuff just to go look at it because I was like, ‘I want to go see where George Jones lived.’ And then we showed up and they weren’t there. And he had in front of the door, it was candles and picture frames and it was beautiful.”
View this post on Instagram
Wilson is known for her bell bottoms that she wears every time she takes the stage. But for her wedding, the Louisiana native reveals she is ditching her signature look, albeit for one day.
“I’m going to wear a dress,” Wilson says. “I hadn’t done the whole dress shopping. We haven’t even picked a date or anything like that. We got some time, but I figured, you know what? I hadn’t worn a dress for him yet, and I guess that would be the day to do it.”
The Grand Ole Opry member has been vocal about her gratitude for Hodges, and how supportive he is of her and her career.
“He is a brave man,” Wilson boasts. “First of all, anybody who is okay with this lifestyle and being in the business so much and being gone all the time, he was plucked from the sky for me …I can’t imagine doing this and being where I am now and then trying to find somebody who I feel like is okay with this lifestyle but also has the right intentions and everything. And Duck is just as true blue as they come. So the Lord has blessed me.”
Wilson is spending a lot of the remainder of the year on the road, including headlining her own Whirlwind World Tour, plus playing fairs and festivals. Find music and tour dates at LaineyWilson.com.