Reality star Gretchen Rossi reversed tradition when she proposed to her long-time boyfriend Slade Smiley, which will play out on-screen in the next episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County.

The 34-year-old, in a white dress with her hair in a curled bob, presented Slade with a wedding band and asked the radio host to marry her. The proposal took place on the roof of the AT&T building in Los Angeles.

In the upcoming episode, which airs Monday, July 29, Rossi had Slade flown in on a helicopter to meet her on a rooftop. She asked Slade, while fighting back tears, 'With this ring, I hope you say "yes." Smiley accepted the proposal.

"We have gone through hell and high-water to get to where we're at," Rossi said to the cameras in the upcoming episode.

Earlier in the episode, Rossi displayed doubts when she asked her mother, "You think he's the right man for the rest of my life, forever and ever and ever?"

The couple dated for four years before getting engaged, with the proposal taking place off-camera back in April. Smiley brought up the topic of marriage many times in past Housewives episodes, but Rossi was always reluctant because he was unemployed and in debt. He was also accused by the mother of his son, 11-year-old Grayson, of owning $160,000 in unpaid child support.

Rossi hinted in the past that is comfortable taking on the role of proposing when it comes to an engagement, according to In Touch.

"A guy doesn't always have to do it," she said. "He can still do it, but maybe I might too. If he doesn't do something soon, I might have to!" 

This will be the first marriage for Slade, who was previously engaged to original Housewives of Orange Country star Jo De La Rosa. Their engagement ended in 2007. Rossi was married to Chris Rossi but they divorced in 2007. She was then engaged to Jeff Beitzel, but lost him to cancer in 2008. 

Tags: Real Housewives of Orange County Gretchen Rossi Slade Smiley