Life has been a “whirlwind” for Dolores Catania since she got engaged to her fiancé, Paulie Connell, in November 2025. So much so that she hasn’t even had time to start planning her upcoming wedding to the Irish businessman.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey mom of two went from getting engaged to attending BravoCon 2025 to celebrating the holiday season, which she hasn’t even had the time to plan an engagement party. The couple spoke with The Daily Dish on Jan. 22, where they admitted that they would like to plan that party first, before getting a start on planning their wedding.
“I would like a really intimate engagement party,” Dolores explained, noting that she got engaged in front of “strangers at the Apple store.” “So I told Paul to surprise me and plan something like that. So, we don’t really know yet when we’re squeezing that in.”
Both Dolores and Paulie agreed that they want to give Dolores’ son, Frankie Catania Jr., whom she shares with her ex, Frank Catania, “his moment” to shine with his upcoming wedding to his fianceé, Nicole Perricho. That wedding, which is happening in Portugal, will take place later this year. “Then we can have our time, and then it’s like, something to look forward to,” Paulie said.
Dolores also revealed that her niece is getting married “the month before” Frankie. So, she would “like to plan within the upcoming month some type of engagement party” for herself and Paulie.
Where will Dolores Catania and Paulie Connell get married?
There are so many destinations for Dolores, a New Jersey native, and her fiancé, who was born and raised in Ireland, to get married in. Paulie admitted to The Daily Dish that they have to have a party in Ireland for their wedding, “because I would never be able to go back if I didn’t have a party there,” he said.
Dolores Catania reveals she wants to get married in a castle
Dolores has also toyed with the idea of having their wedding in a castle abroad. “Our first Valentine’s Day, he took me to Dromoland Castle, and that was the first time I had ever stayed in a castle in Ireland. It was so amazing and beautiful,” she explained. “And I was like, ever since that day, I’m like, ‘Wow, if I ever got married, I would love to get married in a castle in Ireland.'”
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But this is a hard-to-reach destination for Dolores’ New Jersey family. “However, my family’s never leaving Paterson, so there is definitely like — even Frankie’s getting married in Portugal,” she noted. “So it would be opposite in Ireland. Like, we’d get married here, and I’d have a party for his family there.”
When do Dolores Catania and Paulie Connell want to get married?
Although they have not yet made a move with their wedding planning, Dolores and Paulie already have two dates in mind for their nuptials. “Paul wants to get married on November 10th because that’s when we got engaged and that’s a significant date for him cause that’s when I moved in,” she explained. “And I wanna do a New Year’s Eve party.”
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Get new details on Dolores’ “beautiful cut” engagement ring from Paulie.
— Additional reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
