RHOM's Dr. Nicole Martin Is Engaged: "It Was a Total Surprise!"

Big mazels go out to The Real Housewives of Miami cast member Dr. Nicole Martin, who is engaged to her longtime partner, Anthony Lopez. She confirmed the news to PEOPLE on Wednesday (January 12), revealing that Anthony proposed on New Year's Eve during a vacation in Aspen with their son, Greyson, 2.

"We've talked about marriage before. I think we both knew it would happen one day. I just didn't know that day was coming so soon. It was a total surprise!" Nicole told the publication. "It was simple and private, and nothing short of perfect."

Nicole and Anthony have been together since 2015. Still, as she's also noted during Season 4 of RHOM as well as during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (clip above), getting married again (she was previously married when she was younger) hasn't been a top priority for Nicole.

"I've never been opposed to the idea of getting married, I just think a lot of people put too much pressure on the concept of marriage and use it as a means of creating security and happiness. Those things don't come from marriage, they come from inside you," Nicole explained to the publication.

She added, "In my own personal experience, marriage did not mean happily ever after. So instead of focusing on getting married again, I focused my time and energy on what truly matters — being happy and creating a life I love. That has really been my priority these past few years — Anthony and I have a great relationship, we wanted a family and have an amazing son we adore, we are established in our careers, we remodeled our dream house, we traveled and have made incredible memories. Neither of us has prioritized marriage because we have been busy enjoying our lives."

Nicole mentioned that they are "not rushing anything" when it comes to wedding plans. She did reveal why she said "yes" when Anthony popped the question.

"You hear people say 'Find someone that makes you happy,' and I always laugh to myself and wonder why? You lose all your power when you rely on someone else for your happiness. First and foremost, you have to be happy with yourself, and once you have that, then you should find someone that adds positively to your life," she said. "Anthony has always respected me as an individual. He's never tried to change me. He has been incredibly supportive of me and my career. He pushes me to grow and be better. We have grown together over the years and I've loved every moment of it. Plus all the other obvious points — he's funny, he's witty, and he's handsome."

Now that they are engaged, Nicole noted to PEOPLE that "honestly, nothing has really changed in my eyes," adding, "I'm always looking forward to spending time together as a family and making new memories."

And when you take a look at Nicole's Instagram, it's clear that she, Anthony, and Greyson love hanging out together. Nicole even shared some recent family photos from that trip to Aspen, as well as some other sweet snaps to Instagram.

New episodes of RHOM are available on Thursdays exclusively on Peacock, where fans can also catch up on Seasons 1 through 3.