Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos share blunt advice for couples planning a big wedding

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who have been married for 30 years, are urging people to avoid having a big wedding.

"Weddings are having a micro trend in 2026," Ripa said in a prerecorded segment that aired Thursday, according to People magazine. "Live with Kelly and Mark" is currently on summer break, with live episodes returning after Labor Day.

"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," Ripa said.

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"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."

The couple’s May 1996 Las Vegas elopement cost under $200.

"I loved our wedding," Ripa told Consuelos, who agreed. "Our wedding was great. $179, including airfare, thank you!"

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Ripa then joked that they should start a "wedding service."

"Oh, I like that," Consuelos said. "They want a big wedding, and they come to us for counseling. We’re like, ‘Don’t do it.’"

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Ripa added, "You could buy a house, you could have equity in your future!"

After Ripa joked that Consuelos’ "second wedding" would be a micro affair, Consuelos added, "The money spent on these parties and flowers and rings and dresses, it just doesn’t make sense to me. 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.’"

In June, Ripa revealed her only regret from their inexpensive wedding.

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"I'm still sorry that we didn't spring for flowers because I always think my hands look awkward," the 55-year-old said on the June 12 episode, according to E! News. "Flowers are extra. And somebody didn't want to spring for flowers."

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Ripa continued, "The one photo that I never show is the photo where I'm awkwardly posing with my hands because I don't have flowers. It's a very awkward photo."

Ripa and Consuelos frequently joke about their marriage on the show, with Consuelos quipping earlier this month that he would rather stay in a "loveless marriage" to his former "All My Children" co-star than risk losing their dog, Lena, in a divorce.

Consuelos said he would "stay up all night wondering what she was doing."

"Wondering if there was some other man petting her," Ripa joked.