Country music power couple Lainey Wilson and Devlin "Duck" Hodges have been making headlines since their February engagement.
The pair dated quietly for four years before Duck popped the question at the George Jones estate.
And Lainey Wilson's fiancé just revealed what they did on their first date that shut down a bar.
Country Star's Love Story Started With Five-Dollar All-You-Can-Drink Beer
Wilson and Hodges knew from the start they had something special.
The couple met through mutual friends and went on their first date about four years ago when Duck was still playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Duck appeared on the Like A Farmer podcast where he spilled the details about that memorable first night.
"Our first date, she's actually got a song about it, it's called 'Yesterday, All Day, Every Day.' It kind of tells a story," Duck explained.¹
The former NFL player picked up Wilson in Nashville and took her to dinner at Moby Dicky's in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
But the real story happened at the bar they hit afterwards.
"We went to this bar that shut down about a month after we went on the first date, and you'll see why here in a second," Duck said.¹
The bar had an unbelievable deal that would make any budget-conscious dater's dreams come true.
"You pay five dollars a person, and it's all you can drink beer, all you can drink wine," Duck revealed.¹
Wilson and Duck brought along about 10 of her friends to the bar for their first date.
"We might have shut it down," Duck admitted.¹
The group made the most of that five-dollar cover charge.
"Because if you get free beer, you're not just drinking five, you're drinking about 15 or 20," Duck explained.¹
The bar only stayed open for about a month after their first date, but Wilson and Hodges managed to return four or five times before it closed.
Wilson even immortalized the memory in her song "Yesterday, All Day, Every Day" from the deluxe edition of her Whirlwind album.
"Catfish shack, feeding ducks on the water / Alabama son and a Louisiana daughter / Summer heatwave don't get much hotter / Than the burn in that first kiss / Wondering on downtown to Silverados / Crowd was line dancing and we were clinking bottles," the lyrics read.²
Duck knew pretty quickly that Wilson was the one.
"I was like, 'This boy likes to ball on a budget too. This is gonna work out,'" Wilson previously told People about that first date.³
Former NFL Quarterback Proposed At Legendary George Jones Estate
After four years together, Duck planned the perfect proposal for Wilson in February 2025.
He convinced Wilson they were going to visit the George Jones estate in Franklin, Tennessee with her manager and a songwriter friend as a casual outing.
Duck's real estate agent buddy had the property listed, which gave him the perfect cover story.
"We had been wanting to go see the George Jones Estate for quite some time," Wilson recalled.⁴
Wilson actually suspected something was happening that day and called her sister to share her hunch.
But she talked herself out of it to avoid disappointment if she was wrong.
"As we pulled up, I realized there were different plans," Wilson explained.⁴
Duck had decorated the front porch with candles, red roses, and framed photos of the couple.
"He had it all set up. He had the candles and the picture frames. It could not have been more perfect," Wilson said.⁴
The ring Duck designed was anything but budget-friendly this time.
He worked with Hollie Winter Fine Jewelry to custom design a ring combining several styles Wilson had joked about texting him early in their relationship.
"Honestly, as a joke, right when we first started dating, because we knew pretty much immediately we were like, 'okay, we're going to be in each other's lives,'" Wilson revealed.⁵
The engagement ring features at least three diamonds in a cluster setting on a thick, diamond-encrusted band.
Brilliant Earth experts estimate the ring to be worth between $50,000 and $80,000.⁶
Duck presented the ring in a cowboy hat-shaped ring box, staying true to Wilson's country roots.
Award-Winning Singer Balancing Wedding Plans With Massive Career Success
Wilson hasn't started planning the wedding yet due to her grueling 2025 Whirlwind Tour schedule that runs through November.
"We need to sit down and make that a priority. I'm sure it will be something that's just very simple," Wilson said in April.⁴
The 33-year-old superstar is having the best year of her career.
Wilson won Entertainer of the Year at the 2024 and 2025 ACM Awards, Female Artist of the Year, and three other trophies in May 2025.⁷
She's nominated for six CMA Awards in November 2025, including Entertainer of the Year for the third consecutive year and Female Vocalist of the Year for the fourth time.⁷
Wilson will also host the 2025 CMA Awards solo after co-hosting with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning in 2024.
Her album Whirlwind debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums and is nominated for Best Country Album at the 2025 Grammys.⁷
Duck has been Wilson's biggest cheerleader throughout her rise to stardom.
"He's one of my biggest cheerleaders. I always say that he's the kind of dude that will high-five you on the way in the door and high-five you on the way out," Wilson previously told Fox News Digital.⁸
The former Steelers quarterback now works in real estate and understands what it takes to chase a dream.
"He knows what it's like chasing a dream because he's done that for himself," Wilson said.⁸
Wilson found someone who makes it easy to separate her professional life from her personal life.
"He knows just enough about the music business to not drive me insane. It's nice to be able to go home to somebody who really doesn't have a dog in the race," Wilson explained.⁵
The couple hasn't announced a wedding date yet, but Wilson revealed they're looking at late spring or early summer 2026.
That five-dollar bar might not have lasted, but Lainey Wilson and Duck Hodges built a relationship that's clearly going the distance.
¹ Whiskey Riff, "Lainey Wilson's Fiancé, Duck, Says They Closed Down The Bar On Their First Date," November 13, 2025.
² Music Mayhem Magazine, "Lainey Wilson Reflects On Engagement, Talks Wedding Planning And Why Devlin 'Duck' Hodges Is The Perfect Muse," April 29, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Taste of Country, "Lainey Wilson Dishes on Her Engagement Story — and Wedding Plans?" April 11, 2025.
⁵ Country Now, "Lainey Wilson Spills The Tea On Her Surprise Engagement And Wedding Plans," April 3, 2025.
⁶ The Knot, "Lainey Wilson is Engaged to Boyfriend, Devlin 'Duck' Hodges," February 14, 2025.
⁷ Biography.com, "Lainey Wilson Is Up for Six CMA Awards. Here's How She Keeps Dominating Country Music," September 9, 2025.
⁸ Fox News, "'Yellowstone' star Lainey Wilson wants 'very simple' wedding with Devlin 'Duck' Hodges," April 3, 2025.
