A Marriage ‘Situation’: Mike Sorrentino Proposes to Lauren Pesce on ‘Jersey Shore’

Gym, tan, they’re engaged! After episodes of planning the perfect proposal, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino finally popped the question to girlfriend Lauren Pesce on Jersey Shore Family Vacation.

In Thursday’s all-new episode, Sorrentino set up a stunning display in the background of the MTV stars’ Miami mansion, enlisting the help of his co-stars throughout the day to both keep Pesce busy and pick up everything from matching outfits to dozens of flowers. (Ronnie Ortiz-Magro was absent for most of the day, crying about his issues with baby mama Jen Harley in bed instead of helping).

Although Sorrentino was worried that his drunken female roommates Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Deena Cortese and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi might spill the beans after a few cocktails, they managed to keep things a secret. (Either that or Pesce is an incredible actress.)

When it was time, Pesce and Sorrentino headed out for a massive meal while the rest of the Shore cast transformed their messy home into something straight out of a romance movie (although the setup was more of a romantic comedy).

Upon returning home, Pesce was shocked at what awaited her, where a massive screen played a video dedicated to their relationship.

“Lauren is the light at the end of my tunnel. Lauren is everything, Lauren is my best friend, she’s my soulmate, she’s my better half,” he said, before asking her to become Mrs. Situation.

Crying tears of joy, Pesce immediately agreed, and everyone (viewers included) shed at least one tear.

The couple has been together for more than 15 years, meeting in college after Sorrentino became a household name on Jersey Shore.

“She was the only real relationship I ever had, and I kind of craved that substance of something real,” he told his roommates earlier in the season, revealing that she helped him stay sober, even seeing him through a tough relapse.

“That really meant a lot to me,” he continued. “At any particular time, she could have been like, ‘I don’t need to stay here and help him fix himself, I’m gonna go and find somebody who’s already a finished product, so to speak.’ …She stuck by me the whole time. She just made me a better person.”

The couple originally announced their engagement on Instagram in April, and have since revealed that they’re already wedding planning.

“Mike and I have always, always wanted to do a destination wedding with our close family and friends,” Pesce said in an interview with PEOPLE at the time. “Our dream was always to go to the motherland and get married in Italy and have it be an experience with the people closest to us — our immediate family, his closest friends from the cast.”

“I think we’re going to try to do the best of both worlds and hopefully we’ll be able to do that with family and friends, and then we’ll be able to have a big reception and celebration in New Jersey — you know, Italian-American style, with the whole family and every acquaintance to celebrate,” she added.

The two are also looking to start a family soon!

“We are hoping to probably get that going within the next year or so, hopefully,” Pesce said. “We are both one of four kids, so I think we definitely think the more the merrier, but it gets expensive! So we’ll have to see. Definitely more than one.”

“But one at a time, for sure,” Sorrentino interjected.

Jersey Shore Family Vacation airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.

Photo credit: Twitter/Mike Sorrentino