Dolores Catania and Paulie Connell are officially engaged, and the ladies of The Real Housewives of New Jersey are over the moon.
Over BravoCon 2025 weekend in Las Vegas, The Daily Dish caught up with Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, and Margaret Josephs to celebrate the happy news. “I’m so happy for her,” Teresa said, for one. “Like, I mean, finally. I can’t wait; I’m so happy for her.”
Teresa touched on her own three-year marriage to Luis “Louie” Ruelas, stating both she and Dolores started dating their significant others “around the same time.” She continued, “Yeah, so she’s with him probably five years, and I’m with Louie — it was five years in July — so, yeah. I’m so happy for her. And she was in my wedding, like, I love that.”
As for Margaret, she said, “Oh, my God, I am so happy for Dolores and Paulie’s big news. I know everybody’s been waiting, so I’m just so happy for her.” What’s more, Margaret was especially taken by the Irishman’s choice of the 11-carat engagement ring. “And the ring’s beautiful. I said, ‘I’m gonna have to hold your hand up the whole time we’re here.”
The rounds of congratulations continued to Melissa — who recently spilled behind-the-scenes secrets behind her own engagement at BravoCon 2025 — when she told The Daily Dish, “It’s about time. That’s my reaction. I’m so happy for the couple; they’re amazing, and they work really well together. I’m happy for them.”
Dolores Catania and Paulie Connell share details about their engagement
Dolores said she had “not a clue” that Paulie would get down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage on Nov. 10. It was a special occasion, taking place inside a Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Apple Store, where the couple first met nearly five years earlier.
Related: Dolores Catania Opens Up About Teresa Giudice’s Reunion With Melissa Gorga
Paulie told People, “I didn’t want anything over-the-top and staged because we’re a humble couple. 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.”
For Dolores’ part, she recalled Paulie’s nervousness when visiting the location: “He started saying these sweet, beautiful things to me out of nowhere and I was like, ‘Paul, are you OK?’ And then I realized he was proposing,” she said.
After half a decade as girlfriend and boyfriend, Dolores and Paulie’s news delighted their Garden State castmates, including Jennifer Fessler, Rachel Fuda, Danielle Cabral, and Dolores’s (now-remarried) ex-husband, Frank Catania. And although there is “no rush” to the altar, the mom of two looks forward to the upcoming wedding of her son, Frankie Catania.
Paulie Connell describes picking out Dolores Catania’s engagement ring
Dolores gave a close-up of the stunning engagement ring on Instagram, a radiant-cut diamond surrounded by matching Princess-cut stones atop a silver band. According to Paulie in his People interview, he picked out the gem several years ago, as seen in Season 13, Episode 14, but pivoted along the way.
“If you remember, there was an episode of RHONJ where I said, ‘I have the ring,’” he explained. “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 opposite of what I got. So I went back to the drawing board.”
Related: Dolores Catania’s Blonde Hair Makes a Jaw-Dropping Statement: “Just Be Yourself”
With the help of the family-owned John Anthony Jewelers in Woodcliff Lake, he gave Dolores the most “perfect” engagement ring there was.
As details continue to spill about Dolores and Paulie’s wedding plans, learn more about the bride-to-be’s life on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island.
