Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Explain Why They're ‘So Glad’ Their Proposal Happened Before Social Media
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Explain Why They're ‘So Glad’ Their Proposal Happened Before Social Media
Erin ClackTue, March 24, 2026 at 5:35 PM UTC
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Kelly Ripa and Mark ConsuelosCredit: Eugene Gologursky/Getty -
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos reminisced about their 1996 proposal on the March 20 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark
They shared why they are "so glad" it happened before social media
Consuelos proposed to Ripa on April 30, 1996, and they eloped the very next day in Las Vegas
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are sharing why they are "so glad" their proposal happened before social media.
"People don't just propose anymore. They propose for social media," Ripa, 55, explained during the March 20 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.
The longtime couple and TV co-hosts went on to reminisce about the moment they decided they wanted to marry each other.
"I remember our proposal," Consuelos, 54, said, before Ripa interjected, "Well, I mean, was it a proposal? It was more of an idea. You were like, 'We have the day off from work tomorrow. Should we get married tomorrow?' "
Consuelos then chimed in: "And you said, 'Ask me when you're serious.' And I said, 'I'm dead serious.' "
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on 'Live with Kelly and Mark' in 2024Credit: DISNEY/Lorenzo Bevilaqua
He went on to declare that he's "so glad we didn't have Instagram and that stuff back then," adding that proposals for social media are "so annoying."
The longtime couple met in 1995 when Consuelos filmed a screen test with Ripa for All My Children. The two had instant chemistry, and Consuelos landed the job of playing Ripa's love interest in the daytime drama. Their working relationship soon turned romantic.
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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos at the 2025 OscarsCredit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty
Consuelos spontaneously proposed the idea of marriage to Ripa on April 30, 1996. The very next day, they jetted off to Las Vegas to elope at the Chapel of the Bells.
The couple went on to welcome their three children, sons Michael, 28, and Joaquin, 23, and daughter Lola, 24.
Ripa revealed on Live in 2022 that her and Consuelos' impromptu wedding cost just $179.
"$179 for a wedding, including airfare, cause we had miles and we had a canceled trip or something. But $179 in total — total with everything," she said at the time, adding that if she and Consuelos "had to endure a large wedding, the planning and the seating charts and the venue — we would not have made it."
Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa's 1996 wedding; the couple recreates their nuptials in 2024Credit: Kelly Ripa/Instagram
In February 2024, the co-hosts celebrated 28 years of marriage by recreating their Vegas nuptials at the very same chapel. Ripa shared a photo on Instagram of the ceremony, alongside a throwback shot of their 1996 wedding. She captioned the post, "Viva Las Vegas ✨ Then ➡️ Now."
Ripa also told PEOPLE at the time, "We cherish those memories [of our original wedding] 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!"
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
