Real Housewives stars arrive in style for ‘TV’s royal wedding’ as Teresa Giudice marries Luis Ruelas

The tans may be fake, but the love is real. That’s the message from reality TV’s royal wedding today as Teresa Giudice says, ‘I do’ to Luis ‘Louie’ Ruelas, the man whom she calls her soulmate.

The guests have arrived, and the flowers are in place. The final touches have been put to the décor and the string quartet has struck up.

Now the Real Housewife of New Jersey, 50, and her lover of two years, businessman, Ruelas, 46, are on the cusp of standing up in front of 200 of their closest friends, and a Bravo camera crew, to exchange vows that they have penned.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com Miami housewife Alexia Nepola said: ‘I believe in love, and I know this is real love. I’m very happy for her.’

The guest list is a Who’s Who of the Real Housewives franchises from New York to Beverly Hills, Miami, Potomac, Dubai and, of course, New Jersey. And it’s all about big hair, high heels and high hopes.

The ceremony itself is due to take place at 6.30pm. 

Real Housewife of New York Dorinda Medley looked ravishing as she arrived wearing black sequined catsuit and fuchsia pink jacket, her hair freshly blonded for the event.

Ashley Darby from the Potomac off-shoot look fresh and glamorous despite a seven-hour Amtrak delay that saw her arrive in New Jersey well after 2am Saturday morning.

New Jersey housewife, Margaret Josephs, looked stunning in an orange silk column dress, paired with chunky necklace and topped off with her long peroxide hair pulled back and poofed high. Her husband Joe Benigno accompanied her, looking sharp in his tux for the black-tie affair.

Real Housewife of Atlanta and former Miss USA, Kenya Moore, looked resplendent in a long turquoise gown with her clutch purse a bright pop of yellow. 

Ex-model and former Atlanta housewife, Cynthia Bailey, herself a relative newlywed having married beau Mike Hill in October 2020 two years after she was set up by friend Steve Harvey, cut a predictably glamorous figure.

Among the more surprising guests was supermodel Chanel Ayan who made her housewife debut on the newcomer to the pack, the Real Housewives of Dubai this season. She also joined the bridal party at their intimate rehearsal dinner last night.

But of course, amid the flurry of arrivals lurked the drama of some notable absences.

Friends and castmates Jennifer Aydin and Dolores Catania are among the bridesmaids but Giudice’s sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, 43, is not and neither she nor her husband Joe, 42, are present today.

Frank Catania, Dolores’s famous ex husband, arrived with his new girlfriend Brittany. 

Giudice may be determined not to let anything burst the ‘love bubble’ she shares with Ruelas, but the fact that her brother and sister-in-law chose to snub the wedding must smart.

Both Melissa, 43, and Joe Gorga,42, rejected their wedding invitation after a fiery blow-out during filming of the season finale when Giudice encouraged rumors that Melissa had cheated on Joe.

Similarly former close friend Dina Manzo and her husband David Cantin were absent after Manzo was disinvited following a major fall-out with Giudice.

The women who were once so close that Giudice and Ruelas were vacationing with them in Greece when Ruelas proposed are no longer on speaking terms.

Teresa Giudice stepped out this afternoon ahead of her hotly anticipated wedding with Luis ‘Louie’ Ruelas as an entourage of helpers ushered her out of the hotel. 

Just before 3pm, the bride and groom-to-be were seen shuffling across the venue with just hours to spare before their glamorous nuptials are set to take place in New Jersey.  

The marriage entourages were well-covered by Bravo security, who are keen to maintain the exclusivity of the multi-episode special that this wedding will become.

Glimpses of the groom showed him wearing shades and clutching a cocktail – perhaps to steady any pre-wedding jitters.

Guidice wasn’t far behind him, screened by a canopy of open umbrellas. 

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jennifer Aydin looked stunning as she wore an ostrich feather trim of a robe.

The bridesmaid was in the glitzy attire ahead of the entourage.

Another person walking in the party behind the concealment sheet wore white hotel slippers – suggesting that the time had come to get down to the business of hair and make-up and dresses. 

DailyMail.com can reveal that Ruelas and Giudice will exchange vows before intertwining hearts, which have been placed on a raised rotunda, overlooking manicured lawns on which white chairs were yesterday set out in serried ranks.

With the countdown to his wedding to Teresa Giudice well underway 

Earlier today, Luis Ruelas took a moment to relax at the fair with his son and to exclusively share with DailyMail.com that he’s ‘winning big’ today.

Ruelas, 46, took a stroll to Middlesex County Fair, being held across the street from the Grand Chateau hotel where he and his bride-to-be stayed Friday night along with several members of their bridal party.

Clutching a cuddly toy, won at the fair, when DailyMail.com asked how he was feeling about his wedding he said, ‘I’m winning big today!’

Ruelas wore a trey tank and white shorts for his brief lunchtime excursion and smiled and waved as he made his way back to the hotel on Park Chateau Estate where his wedding will take place Saturday evening.

Large floral arrangements of white rhododendrons and roses were delivered shortly after noon as preparations for the hotly anticipated wedding got under way.

Moments later he stood on the balcony of the bridal suite where he and Giudice spent last night. He hugged his father, Luis Ruelas Sr and appeared relaxed and in good spirits as the two men enjoyed the sunshine ahead of the big event. 

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com Real Housewife of Miami Alexia Nepola, who is attending the wedding with her husband Todd, said how happy she is for her friend, Giudice. 

She said: ‘I believe in love and I know this is real love. I’m very happy for her.’ 

Just before 3pm, Ruelas set out again along with his groomsmen and Bravo security, who are keen to maintain the exclusivity of the multi-episode special that this wedding will become.

Glimpses of the groom showed him wearing shades and clutching a cocktail – perhaps to steady any pre-wedding jitters.

Guidice wasn’t far behind him, screened by a canopy of open umbrellas. 

An ostrich feather trim of a robe was seen in the entourage, while another of the party wore white hotel slippers suggesting that the time had come to get down to the business of hair and make-up and dresses. 

DailyMail.com can reveal that Ruelas and Giudice will exchange vows before intertwining hearts which have been placed on a raised rotunda, overlooking manicured lawns on which white chairs were yesterday set out in serried ranks.

The ceremony itself is due to take place at 6.30pm. 

DailyMail.com has exclusively obtained a copy of the elaborate invitations sent out by the couple. 

Printed on Lucite and delivered on top of a gift box Real Housewife of New York, Ramona Singer described it as the most beautiful invite she’d ever received when she accidentally leaked some of the details in an excitable social media post.

Last night, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star hosted a gorgeous rose-filled rehearsal dinner ahead of their their hotly anticipated wedding weekend.

Stunning pictures give a glimpse into the opulent evening where the happy couple were joined by their guests. 

Many spent the glitzy night at the dazzling Grand Chateau hotel in East Brunswick on the Park Chateau Estate – where the wedding is due to take place Saturday evening.

Clusters of baby pink roses from Rose Box NYC decorated the tables of tony New Jersey restaurant The Highlawn which boasts panoramic views over New York City.

Candles were set on a white runner and each menu, adorned with a leaf holder, was topped off with a thank you note from the loved-up couple.

Guest enjoyed a five-course dinner rounded off with a trio of chocolate desserts – tiramisu topped with a shard of tempered chocolate, a chocolate napoleon and a mascarpone filled cannoli.

Yesterday, Giudice, 50, and Ruelas, 46, arrived shortly after midday for a run through the closely guarded ceremony that is destined to become a multi-episode special for the network that made her a reality star.

Bravolebrity, Giudice laughed and exchanged embraces with fellow cast-member and bridesmaid Jennifer Aydin, 45, there with her husband Bill, 42.

Her three younger daughters Gabriella, 18, Melania, 17, and Audriana, 13, dressed casually and looking happy and relaxed, were also there to support their mom. Gia, 21, was expected to join the party later.

Cast and crew congregated at East Brunswick’s lavish Park Chateau Estate the venue for the weekend long celebration.

Covid tests were administered before the group moved through to the immaculate, Versailles inspired gardens where the ceremony is due to take place Saturday evening.

White chairs were set out in serried ranks Friday morning, on lawns facing a raised rotunda where a microphone was set up in anticipation of the couple’s exchange of vows.

At one-point Ruelas’s sister, Veronica, dressed in flowing white dress and wearing a heavy silver cuff on her wrist stood at the microphone, apparently rehearsing her own role in the ceremony.

Giudice’s brother, Joe Gorga, 42, and sister-in-law Melissa, 43, were notable by their absence. The always fractious relationship between the siblings has grown increasingly tense with Giudice confirming that Melissa will not be one of her bridesmaids.

Speaking recently, she stated, ‘It is what it is. I’m not her best friend, she’s not my best friend. We’re family. I loved her. She’s my sister-in-law, and vice versa. And I’m sure she loved me because I’m her sister-in-law. But do we hang out like best friends? No, we don’t, and I’m okay with that.’

A chapel, its aisle strewn with petals when DailyMail.com visited Friday, is also on the site as a fallback venue should the thunderstorms that are forecast for Saturday break.

Giudice wore a white Chanel tank top paired with a thigh-skimming skirt embellished with ruffles, her husband-to-be wore white shorts and a white T-shirt. With ‘FREE MAN’ emblazoned across the front and ‘Lions Not Sheep’ written across the back it was perhaps a tongue-in-cheek reference to his impending marital state, or a thinly veiled dig at his predecessor, Joe, 50, who spent 41 months in prison for fraud in 2016 and was deported from the States on his release.

He is currently living in the Bahamas where his daughters are frequent visitors.

Joe has insisted there is no bad blood between him and his ex. For what it’s worth, he said, he has given the couple, ‘his blessing.’

Meanwhile all four of the fiercely loyal daughters he shares with Giudice have welcomed Ruelas into the family despite eldest daughter, Gia, once expressing concern that the relationship was moving too fast.

Giudice got together with the man she now calls her soulmate in July 2020 – two months before her divorce from scandal-ridden Joe was finalized. The couple didn’t go public with their relationship until later that year.

Even by the standards of reality television Giudice’s love-life has been turbulent embracing as it has her own stint in prison when she was found guilty of mortgage fraud alongside Joe.

She served 11 months of a 15-month sentence in 2015 with the judge staggering her sentence and Joe’s allowing one to remain with their children while the other did their time.

But while she was initially determined to stand by her man, Giudice’s 20-year-marriage to Joe quickly crumbled on their mutual releases, with hotly denied rumors of infidelity on both sides. They separated in December 2019 and their divorce was finalized in September 2020.

By then Giudice had already found romance with Ruelas. The father of two sons, Louis Jr and Nicholas, has had his own brushes with controversy in the form of allegations of domestic violence against his ex-wife Marisa DiMartino.

On one occasion he allegedly pushed DiMartino into a metal pole. DiMartino refused medical attention and declined to press charges though a police report was filed.

In another report filed by DiMartino on New Year’s Eve 2010 she claimed that a ‘verbal dispute’ with her then husband had forced her to leave the family home. Again, no arrests were made, nor charges pressed.

For her part, Giudice had no hesitation in saying ‘yes’ when Ruelas popped the question on a vacation in Greece with former housewife Dina Manzo, 50, and her husband David Cantin, 42.

Speaking to People magazine when news of their engagement broke in October 2021 a source said, ‘It was absolutely exquisite. The choreographed fireworks display illuminated a ‘Marry Me’ sign as Louie got down on one knee. Teresa was completely surprised.’

The group celebrated until 5am drinking champagne and dining on lobster, sea bass and lamb chops in the Amanzoe Resort in Porto Heli’s restaurant, Nama.

As their Friday afternoon rehearsal came to an end Giudice and Ruelas shared a tender kiss before hopping in his G-Wagon together for the quick spin round to the on-site hotel, the Grand Chateau, where they and other members of the bridal party, all in high spirits, checked in.

On Saturday, between 150 and 200 guests are expected to join them to celebrate their marriage with the after-party expected to last into Sunday morning.