Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.Photo:John Argueta/ABC
John Argueta/ABC
Kelly RipaandMark Consuelosare taking a walk down memory lane.
Nearly 28 years after tying the knot, the couple will once again visitthe Chapel of the Bells, the Las Vegas wedding venue where they eloped a year after meeting on the set ofAll My Children.
All will take place whenLive with Kelly and Markheads to Sin City to tape a week of shows.
The parents of three — who share sonsMichael, 26,Joaquin, 21, and daughterLola, 22 — wed on May 1, 1996. The wedding, including airfare, cost them $179 (thanks to miles they cashed in).
“It was really romantic, though. It was very sweet,” Ripa, 53, says. “We cherish those memories, still to this day. It’s been 28 years and we still can remember every minute of that wedding. And I mean, it was really minutes. It was like two minutes!”
“We were very present,” she adds.
Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa at their 1996 wedding.Courtesy Kelly Ripa
As they’ve explained in the past, Ripa and Consuelos decided to elope because they had two consecutive days off of work — a rarity for them at the time — and knew they didn’t want to plan a large wedding. They chose Vegas because the winter of ‘96 had been “endless” and the weather that day at City Hall was still “cold and miserable.”
“It was like, ‘Let’s go to Vegas and get married and it’ll be fun,’ " Ripa recalled on an episode ofLivein August 2022. “It really is such an efficient way to get married. And it was fun. We were like, ‘Now,thisis gambling! Woohoo!’ "
Picking the Chapel of the Bells happened on a whim, Ripa and Consuelos tell PEOPLE.
“We checked into the hotel and I remember going through theYellow Pages, because they hadYellow Pagesback then,” Consuelos recalls. “And I looked up ‘Wedding Chapels’ and the Chapel of the Bells had the biggest, biggest ad. It was one of the first ads, and it was right in the right position of the page.”
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC, on April 29, 2023.Stefani Reynolds / AFP via Getty
Stefani Reynolds / AFP via Getty
Consuelos was told that the Chapel of the Bells had two times available that day: one at 12 p.m. local time and one at 2 p.m..
“The funniest thing was… I was like, ‘Hey, which one do you want to do?’ " Consuelos remembers. “She’s like, ‘2!’ I go, ‘Noon. We want noon.’ Because I wanted to make sure I didn’t get cold feet.”
“You didn’t make sure you didn’t get cold feet?” Ripa asks Consuelos.
“I wanted make sureshedidn’t get cold feet,” Consuelos teases.
Ripa had another reason to wait. “I just wanted to shave my legs and maybe, I don’t know, put on some mascara before I got married!” she jokes.
“‘Nope, we’re going right now,’ " Consuelos repeats. “In the next 45 minutes, we’re going to do this!' "
Live with Kelly and Markepisodes will tape Feb. 26 and 27 fromthe BleauLive Theaterat the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The hotel property is known for its luxury rooms, convention space, world-class collection of restaurants and shops, exquisite pools, vibrant nightlife and spa and wellness offerings.
“We’ve not been inside the theater yet, and we cannot wait because apparently it’s gorgeous and impressive, just like the hotel itself,” Ripa says. “We’re going to give our viewers a behind-the-scenes tour of the VIP suites, and what movie stars that stay there experience. We’re going to go into the spa. And we’re going to taste what we’ve been told is amazing food — which, whenever I can order anything from room service and eat it in my robe, I’m a happy camper.”
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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Disney General Entertainment
Lorenzo Bevilaqua/Disney General Entertainment
Guests include Emmy winnerSheryl Lee Ralph(Abbott Elementary),Howie Mandel(America’s Got Talent), comedianJim GaffiganandAmerican Idoljudge and Grammy winnerLionel Richie.
Performances for the week of shows come from Rogue, REO Speedwagon, Carrot Top and DJ Steve Aoki with rapper Lil Jon. There will also be a special performance from DJ Pauly D.
Live with Kelly and Markairs weekdays on ABC (check local listings).
source: people.com
