NEED TO KNOW
Dolores Catania and Paul “Paulie” Connell are engaged after five years of dating
Connell popped the question at an Apple store in New Jersey with an impressive engagement ring boasting an 11-carat center stone set in silver
In his interview with PEOPLE, Connell revealed that he bought a new sparkler for Catania before the proposal after he had secured a stone in the early stages of dating the Bravo star
Dolores Catania is entering her bridal era with an impressive sparkler on her finger.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 54, got engaged to her longtime partner, Paul “Paulie” Connell, after five years of dating — and let’s just say, the impressive rock may have been worth the wait.
Connell’s showstopping ring for Catania was designed by John Anthony Jewelers in Edgewater, New Jersey, and boasts an 11-carat centerpiece stone framed by four more carats of sparkle and a band lined with princess-cut diamonds. All the gemstones are set in sleek silver.
The Traitor winner’s reaction? “Go big or go home” — and she’s absolutely right.
Jennifer Sofia
Dolores Catania’s engagement ring, which boasts an 11-carat center diamond
Although Connell’s taste in bling aligned exactly with his bride-to-be, he tells PEOPLE that he went back and forth about the design.
“If you remember, there was an episode of RHONJ [that aired in 2023] where I said, ‘I have the ring,’ ” he explains. “Well, I didn’t have the ring, but I had bought a stone early on into dating Dolores, thinking, ‘If we get engaged, I’ll use this.’ But then, over the years of getting to know Dolores better, she started talking to me about what she liked, and I realized it was the opposite of what I got. So I went back to the drawing board.”
Connell, 51, purchased a new ring over a year and a half ago and had his plan set in stone — that is, until his plan was slightly derailed by the other joyous moments happening in their lives. First, it was Catania’s ex-husband, Frank, getting engaged. Then, it was her son, Frankie, Jr., popping the question to his girlfriend this past February. Connell, of course, had a hilarious reaction to the setbacks. “I was like, ‘Get the f— out of here!’ ” Connell jokes to PEOPLE. “I kept saying to myself, ‘Maybe no one wants me to marry Dolores!?!”
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Jennifer Sofia
Dolores Catania flashing her John Anthony Jewelers engagement ring
The pair eventually ended up getting their happy engagement on Nov. 10, celebrating the milestone at Rocco’s steakhouse on Madison Avenue, where they had their first date.
Connell’s overall proposal is a true reflection of the “humble couple” he feels he and Catania are. “I wanted it to feel grounded and natural and organic. Plus, I wanted the element of surprise. And believe me, I had the element of surprise,” he said of choosing the local spot for the moment, which he much preferred over “a yacht in Greece” or a “grand hall.”
As for Catania, she tells PEOPLE that she had “not a clue at all” that Connell was about to become her fiancé. “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, and I was like, ‘Paul, are you okay?’ And then I realized he was proposing.”
Catania and Connell are in “no rush” to start wedding planning, especially as they set their eyes on other exciting events, including Frankie’s wedding and potentially moving homes. “The way we’ve set our life up, we can do things however and whenever we want to do them. And I don’t do things based on what people think I should do. I’ve never done that. Just ask my friends!” quips Catania.
Read the original article on People
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