Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s Dolores Catania is engaged to Paulie Connell, after nearly 5 years of dating.
Dolo and Paulie made their announcement through PEOPLE. “I’m ecstatic!”
The happy couple:
“You know when you feel that happiness down in your gut? That’s where this excitement stems from for me. I feel so blessed, I almost feel guilty! Like I don’t deserve to be loved this way.”
Their happy news is a long time coming for Bravo fans who had been anxious to see the reigning Traitors champ and Paulie walk down the aisle. But, the RHONJ star insists the timing is perfect.
“I’ve never been so sure of something ever.”
Timing is everything:
“Patience is a big thing for us. When we first met, Paul wasn’t used to being in the public eye. He wasn’t used to the pressure that the audience can put on relationships. There were things in his life that he needed to sort through, and that took time.”
“Our bond is stronger now because of that. As a couple, we were able to naturally progress. So this engagement means more to us than it would if it were just something we were doing just for the sake of doing it.”
“Oh, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” Paulie added. “I really feel that everything that has happened has brought me to this moment. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, from the streets of Dublin, and feel lucky to have Dolores in my life. She’s made me a better version of myself.”
The big moment:
Paulie popped the question on Monday, Nov. 10, at the place where he and Dolores first met: the Apple Store in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
“I could have proposed on a yacht in Greece. I could have rented a grand hall, invited 400 people and asked her to marry me with fireworks in the background. But that’s not who we are,. I didn’t want anything over-the-top and staged because we’re a humble couple. I wanted it to feel grounded, natural, and organic. Plus, I wanted the element of surprise. And believe me, I had the element of surprise.”
In fact, Dolo was completely clueless as to what was happening, as seen clearly in her expression captured by PEOPLE’s photographer, Jennifer Sofia. “Oh, I had not a clue at all. In fact, I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance for him!”
“He was sweating so bad, his T-shirt was soaked, his face was beet red. And you know how people say weird things when they’re having a stroke? He started saying these sweet, beautiful things to me out of nowhere. I was like, ‘Paul, are you okay?’ And then I realized he was proposing.”
When Paulie finally pulled a box out of his pocket, that’s when Dolores realized what was happening.
“I immediately said yes,” Dolo boasted, looking back on the happy moment. “The whole thing was so sincere and so thoughtful. And then when I came home, there were over 1,000 roses waiting for me. I mean, he really hit it out of the park.”
“Go big or go home,” Dolores laughed.
