Dolores Catania, who you might recognize from “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” recently got engaged to her now-fiancé, Paulie Connell. While the proposal ended up with a “yes,” it was almost ruined before it even began.
While appearing during 2025’s BravoCon, Paulie revealed that prior to asking Dolores to marry him, he almost spoiled the surprise.
“Two weeks ago, I had [the engagement ring] out, because I kept looking at it. I was trying to get the courage to go do it,” he said in front of the event’s crowd. “I left it on the bed and she walked in.”
He added, “I was like, ‘No [expletive] way!'”
Paulie Originally Had Another Stone for Dolores’ Ring
Fortunately, it seems like Dolores didn’t see the ring ahead of time, which is amazing considering it’s so eye-catching.
“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,” according to People. “All the gemstones are set in sleek silver.”
Paulie has opened up about choosing a ring for his love, saying, “If you remember, there was an episode of RHONJ [that aired in 2023] where I said, ‘I have the ring.'”
“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,'” he explained. “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.”
Paulie’s Plans for a Proposal Kept Getting Derailed
Although Paulie ended up buying a new ring over a year ago, per People, he kept postponing the proposal to Dolores because other events kept popping up before he could pop the question.
“First, it was Catania’s ex-husband, Frank, getting engaged,” People notes. “Then, it was her son, Frankie, Jr., popping the question to his girlfriend this past February.”
“I was like, ‘Get the [expletive] out of here!'” Paulie said. “I kept saying to myself, ‘Maybe no one wants me to marry Dolores!?!”
Finally, the time was right and the pair got engaged on Monday, November 10. People explains, “When Dolores Catania walked into the Apple Store in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey …, she thought she’d be just getting her new iPhone. Instead, she got an engagement ring when Paulie Connell dropped down on one knee and popped the question in the same location the two met nearly five years earlier. ❤️🥹”
