Melissa Gorga, Joe Gorga Skipped Teresa Giudice's Wedding After 'Unforgivable' Betrayal: Sources

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Teresa Giudice and Louis Ruelas's wedding on Saturday wasn't attended by her brother and sister-in-law Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga due to a troubling blowout the foursome had at the Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 taping days prior.

PEOPLE previously confirmed on Friday that the Gorgas wouldn't be attending Giudice and Ruelas's nuptials, though questions as to just what happened remained up in the air at the time.

Two sources now tell PEOPLE exclusively what was behind their absence, explaining that Joe and Melissa had been planning on attending the wedding up until Thursday night, when false rumors about their marriage surfaced as the cameras rolled. Teresa's part in the matter and Luis's behavior amid their back and forth ultimately changed the Gorgas' minds.

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"Teresa betrayed them in a way that's unforgivable," one source reveals. "They're not going to celebrate Teresa's new marriage when all she does is try to tear apart theirs."

"It's telling that Teresa didn't have one relative at her wedding," notes the source, pointing to the absence of estranged cousins Kathy Wakile and Rosie Pierri too. "But that's the choice Teresa made."

RELATED: Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas Are Married! Inside the RHONJ Couple's Romantic and Starry Wedding

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: In this image released on June 5, (L-R) Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga attend the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and broadcast on June 5, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV); SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: In this image released on June 5, (L-R) Luis Ruelas and Teresa Giudice attend the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and broadcast on June 5, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV)

Jeff Kravitz/Getty for MTV; Jeff Kravitz/Getty for MTV

RELATED: Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga Will Skip Teresa Giudice's Wedding to Luis Ruelas

Reps for the Gorgas, as well as Giudice and Ruelas did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment, but another insider says that the Gorgas decision was driven by a desire to protect themselves from the ongoing attacks they've received from Giudice over the years.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 12: (L-R) Teresa Giudice, Luis Ruelas, Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga of The Real Housewives of New Jersey attend the 2021 Battle for Brooklyn celebrity softball game at Maimonides Park, Coney Island on August 12, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 12: (L-R) Teresa Giudice, Luis Ruelas, Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga of The Real Housewives of New Jersey attend the 2021 Battle for Brooklyn celebrity softball game at Maimonides Park, Coney Island on August 12, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)

Rob Kim/Getty

"Viewers will see, but after the continued attacks, it's clear the healthiest thing for Joe and Melissa to do is walk away," the insider says. "They just want to find peace, especially for their three children."

"Melissa and Joe's efforts to make family a priority with Teresa are exhausted," the insider adds. "Sometimes removing the toxic energy from your life is the only way forward."

Teresa Giudice
Teresa Giudice

Teresa Giudice/Instagram Teresa Giudice and Luis Ruelas with Melissa and Joe Gorga

RELATED: Teresa Giudice Sends Sweet Message to Former RHONJ Costar Dina Manzo After Father's Death

The Gorgas weren't the only ones who skipped Giudice and Ruelas's wedding. Her best friend Dina Manzo was also absent, the former RHONJ star — once said to be a bridesmaid — and her husband Dave Cantin missing the big day.

Rumors have been flying about a possible fallout between the two, others speculating that Manzo, who famously quit RHONJ, simply didn't want to be on camera.

No official reason has been given as to their absence but as the wedding bells chimed, Manzo shared a cryptic post on Instagram about having "the courage to know when to end things."

teresa-giudice-1
teresa-giudice-1

Dina Manzo/Instagram

Giudice and Ruelas tied the knot on Saturday in front of 220 guests at the Park Chateau Estate & Gardens in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The event was filmed for a special set to air on Bravo.

The reality star's four daughters — Gia, 21, Gabriella, 17, Milania, 16, and Audriana, 12, whom she shares with her ex-husband Joe Giudice — were all by their mom's side, as were Ruelas' two sons, David and Nicholas, from his previous relationship.

Attending the black tie event also were a sea of Bravo talent including RHONJ costars Jennifer AydinDolores CataniaMargaret Josephs, and Jackie Goldschneider, plus Real Housewives of Dubai breakout Chanel Ayan, Real Housewives of Miami's Alexia Nepola, Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley DarbyReal Housewives of New York City alums Dorinda Medley and Jill Zarin, and past and present Real Housewives of Atlanta talent like Kenya MoorePhaedra Parks and Cynthia Bailey.

The Real talk show host Loni Love, recently a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen alongside Giudice, also made the cut.

Aydin, Catania and the Giudice girls were all bridesmaids, but Teresa famously made a point not to include Melissa, explaining at the RHONJ season 12 reunion "we're not close. ... we don't have a relationship."

"It's sad for me," Melissa told Teresa there. "We have a lot of memories, even if we're not close. ... You remember who's been here through all the s--- for the last 20 years. Me. ... We have history, me and you. And I love you very much and I'm happy for you but I think you should remember what family is."

Teresa Giudice, Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga
Teresa Giudice, Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga

Paul Zimmerman/Getty Teresa Giudice, Joe Gorga and Melissa Gorga

Joe is Teresa's only sibling. Throughout the years on RHONJ, viewers have seen the ups and downs between Teresa and the Gorgas, which began well before the Bravo cameras even started rolling (who could forget Teresa's infamous retelling of her decision to throw Melissa's sprinkle cookies in the garbage?).

Tension was at an all-time high when Melissa and Joe joined the show in season 3, the premiere capturing a huge brawl between Teresa and Joe as his son's 2010 Christening which started after he called his sister "garbage." Joe blamed the issues on fame changing his sister. Teresa later said she felt blindsided by Melissa and Joe's casting on the show, claiming they never told her they were auditioning.

The Gorgas have long denied that, Melissa saying in the recent tell-all Not All Diamonds and Rosé that casting producers reached out to her with an inquiry and she talked with Teresa about it before she ever even interviewed.

Melissa Gorga, Teresa Giudice
Melissa Gorga, Teresa Giudice

Karolina Wojtasik/Peacock/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice

It only got worse from there, escalating each season. The first year, Teresa accused Melissa of being a gold-digger only interested in her brother for money. The second, Melissa was accused of being a former stripper and the third, cheating on Joe — two sets of false rumors that Joe and Melissa alleged Teresa was behind (Teresa denied being aware of either).

As that all went down, Teresa had conflicts with Wakile as well as sisters-in-law Caroline Manzo and Jacqueline Laurita, lamenting that Melissa and Joe sided against her. Joe Giudice also played a role in the family problems, Joe Gorga claiming his brother-in-law put a wedge between his relationship with his parents. That only added to problems between Teresa and Melissa, the two standing by their respective husbands in their disagreements.

At the height of their troubles, in season 5, a physical fight broke out between the two men while at a family retreat meant to mend their relationship after Joe Gorga called his sister "scum" during a therapy session. "Please stop hurting us," Melissa famously pled to Teresa, who insisted that Melissa had turned her brother against him. "Stick with your blood," Teresa told him.

Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga
Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga

Astrid Stawiarz/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga

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But before Teresa went away for an 11-month prison sentence, the family seemed to bond, Joe and Melissa stepping in to help the Giudice girls in Teresa's absence. Upon her return home in 2015, the two women agreed to put their disagreements behind them and made a pact not to fight. "I just want us to get back to how we were when you first met Joey," Teresa told Melissa in season 7, Melissa saying, "I feel the same way."

Whether or not that pact was genuine, it lasted for years. Sure, the two had some disagreements, like when they opened a since-closed family pizzeria together or when Teresa criticized Joe for not spending enough time with their parents. But mostly, any back-and-forths never broke them apart until the season 12 reunion when it was revealed the two still had underlying resentments that they weren't addressing.

It's unclear how those bonds will play out in season 13. Melissa revealed in April that she and Joe hadn't spoken to Teresa since the reunion, stating on WWHL that her sister-in-law has "a harder time being accountable for her actions."

Teresa's wedding special is expected to air on Bravo next year, following the finale of RHONJ's 13th season.