Well well well. I did it. I sealed the deal. Put a ring on it. Great advice from Beyoncé by the way. I felt like I was so close to being on the wrong side of the meaning of her put a ring on it jam. Key elements to the proposal were surprise, not just for Katie but for everyone present, the perfect ring, great friends and a little quirk with the decoy proposal. The ring was really my anchor though. My ace in the hole. Even if I would have completely botched the proposal, the ring was so perfect that I couldn't have failed. Kyle Chan was absolutely crucial in helping make this ring come to fruition and I want to give him a special thank you. Couldn't have done it without out you friend.

Sitting down with Lisa was a special moment for me as well. I haven't had a lot of proud moments with her so to sit down, confidently and proud and tell her my intentions it felt real swell. Tom was also very generous in letting my steal his birthday glory. He is a class act and has been there for me since the beginning. Him and Jax have both been instrumental in my transition here. Thanks for taking a chance on me Sandoval and passing on the more financially stable stripper that was up for roommate status. I truly appreciate it. Also I know Ariana had some other special things planned for Tom’s birthday that got stepped on, sacrificed for my big moment so shout out to her as well.

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It's funny watching it back. The way I remember it, I really wasn't that nervous. Usually people look cool on the outside and are sweating underneath in high pressure situations. I didn't necessarily feel a lot of pressure. I looked nervous on the outside but I felt at peace, kind of a bliss inside. At one point I was literally short of breathe due to my vest being way too tight haha. It was stifling me. I'm not trying to be too cool about in retrospect or anything, I'm all about being vulnerable but truly the vest was making me sweat. All the hard work was in preparing for this night so really once I was at the dinner I felt in the zone. Cruise control. I'm a little fidgety by nature so there was some squirellyness. Timing was crucial so that did pull me out of the moment a few times during our group conversations.

The look on Katie's face was priceless. This moment could have easily been one of those old MasterCard commercials. Maybe they'll bring back that campaign for Katie and I. Did you guys see that viral Extra gum commercial that was really romantic? Pffffff. Ain't got s*** on me. Just kidding it was pretty sweet. Anyways. Part of me wanted to include Jax on the set up but even he will admit, it was a good idea not to. Not only did I want him to get to share in the shock, surprise of the moment, but he has the loosest of lips and is like a whistling teapot on the stove when he has a juicy secret. Same goes for everyone else not in the know. I just wanted a genuine surprise for all. Katie and I had been through a lot up until this point. Highs and lows. We almost broke up several times last year. I just want to say I'm so happy we worked through everything. Going into this, it felt so good to WANT to do it. To be electrified and passionate about it. If it had happened before I feel like I would have been doing it just because it's a thing you do, ya know? Instead we were both ready and finally on the same page. ARE on the same page. I caught up. I manned up. Minnesota just reissued my man card and said I should be receiving it any day now. Shout out to the violin players as well. They were so good. Violins are romantic as s***. That was "it's now or never" playing. What better way to celebrate than going to friggn Hawaii with the love of your life, your fiancé with your friends. We are going to romance the s*** out of that place. Redemption is sweet. I'm not tooting my own horn but I'm just saying, it's sweet.

Much love,

Tom

P.S. I loved Jax's idea about Lisa jumping out of a cake for his and Tom's bday.