As far as I know, Louie's phone call actually occurred before the Gorgas informed Teresa and him about not attending the wedding rehearsal party. I don't think the decision was solely a storyline to perpetuate the family feud. The Gorgas' absence from various family events could have been due to other commitments or personal reasons, at least it is a real option.
As for Rachel and the potential adoption of Jayden, it's important to remember that we're observing edited episodes that condense a lot of content. And I think it's possible that Rachel explored adoption options before becoming a Housewife, but the show chose to highlight it as a storyline later on (I mean many Housewives and Househusbands have shared their desires to adopt or have already adopted stepchildren, so it's not uncommon for such storylines to emerge).
Cheers,
Elianora