Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Advise Against Having Big Weddings

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are advising couples to host smaller weddings.

Live with Kelly and Mark is currently on its annual summer break. Through Labor Day, those tuning in will see never-before-aired host chat segments that were taped before the break, paired with encore celebrity interviews from throughout the past season. During the chat segment on Thursday, Aug. 20, which was centered on weddings, the married co-hosts explained why they believe guest lists should be scaled down.

As Ripa and Consuelos, both 55, were discussing wedding trends, they shared their support for “micro weddings,” which are a smaller version of a traditional wedding. Couples often choose these intimate celebrations for lower stress and budget flexibility.

“Weddings are having a micro trend in 2026,” Ripa said. “Tiny. A quirky cake. No big ceremony. Candles over flowers. Cost effectiveness. This is the year of the cost-effective wedding. Ceremonies are out, parties are in.”

She explained, “So they’ll do a small ceremony and then a big party. Buffets are back on the menu, for cost-effective reasoning. They’re cheap, they’re cheerful and they’re returning to wedding venues. Brides are opting on buying secondhand wedding dresses. Because let’s face it: nothing’s been worn less than a wedding dress. Unless it’s my wedding dress, which now doubles as a beach cover-up. And they’re saying they’re getting rid of the wedding ring slash engagement ring. You know how a man would propose? Now just one ring, one nice ceremony ring.”

Consuelos said he agreed with all of the cost-effective reasons for having a micro wedding. Ripa then jokingly asked him, “So your second wedding will be a micro wedding? Because I want to show up to that!”

“No no, it’s just… The money spent on these parties and flowers and rings and dresses, it just doesn’t make sense to me,” he said. “It never made sense to me, which is why we eloped. At the time, it didn’t make sense to either one of us. We’re like, ‘That’s ridiculous.’ ”

Ripa and Consuelos eloped in Las Vegas on May 1, 1996, after one year of dating. They’ve opened up about their wedding expenses before, sharing that it was “$179 in total.” Ripa’s wedding dress is still an everyday staple in her wardrobe. She previously told PEOPLE she got the most bang for her buck with her “off-the-rack” dress from Barneys New York because she wears it “all the time now as a beach cover-up.”

“I loved our wedding,” Ripa said during the host chat segment, with her husband agreeing, “Me too!”

“Our wedding was great. $179, including airfare, thank you!” she continued, joking, “We should start a wedding service.”

He replied, “I’m not sure the margin’s big enough for us to make money on that.”

Ripa clarified that it wouldn’t be for making money, but rather helping people.

“Oh, I like that. They want a big wedding and they come to us for counseling. We’re like, ‘Don’t do it,’ ” Consuelos said as Ripa chimed in, “You could buy a house, you could have equity in your future.” He continued, “I smell a show. Podcast!”

“You can’t turn my wedding idea into a show,” Ripa said.

Consuelos pushed, “Come on, let’s do it!”

In May, the longtime couple — who share son Michael, 29, daughter Lola, 25, and son Joaquin, 23 — celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

Elsewhere during the segment, the duo shared their support for cruise ship weddings, with Ripa calling them a “destination, cost-efficient glamorous wedding.” She joked, “And listen to this, if you’re unhappy with your spouse, you just toss them overboard. And guess what? Nobody’s responsible. Because international waters, nobody gets involved!”

New, live broadcasts of Live with Kelly and Mark will return for the season 39 premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 8.