Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Are 'Masters of Reception'

They've been married (several times) on-screen as co-stars on 'All My Children,' which led to the real-life coupling of 'Live With Regis & Kelly' co-host Kelly Ripa and her actor hubby Mark Consuelos. Now, the duo is working together on another project: TLC's new wedding planner reality series 'Masters of Reception' (Aug. 18, 10PM ET), which Ripa and Consuelos are producing via their MiLoJo Productions company (named after their three children, Michael, Lola and Joaquin).

Ripa and Consuelos talk to AOL TV about their new wedding series, their own DIY nuptials and how Regis is likely to be on TV a lot longer than they are. – By Kimberly Potts

Mark, you got the idea for 'Masters of Reception' while you were at a wedding?
Yes. We went to a wedding a couple of years ago and it was just crazy. It was a huge, amazing wedding. I went to the restroom, and when I came back and sat down at a table, I realized I was at the wrong reception. I was at a different wedding! And I started talking to the people who were running things, and they do this all the time, multiple weddings on the same day. It's organized chaos, is how they put it ... The idea of a family-run business is fascinating to us, because we kind of think of ourselves as a family business. And then we found out about the Frungillos in Mountain Lakes, NJ ... They have four venues, they do 16 weddings a weekend and they never say no to what the brides and grooms ask them to do.



What are some of the unusual requests they've gotten from the wedding party?
Kelly: They deal with the elements, they deal with rain, they deal with winter, with brides who want flowers that aren't in season ... wild animals! One bride asked them to train her cats to walk down the aisle.
Mark: One couple wanted a wedding up in the mountains, which meant they were going to have to cook in an area where there were a lot of bears. They also had this humongous African wedding where part of the tradition was that people were going to crash the wedding. They just show up. There may be five or 10 people there, and all of a sudden, 60 or 100 show up.

The two of you eloped to Las Vegas. Does seeing 'Masters of Ceremony' and being around all this wedding business make you think about renewing your vows and having a big ceremony?
Kelly: No. You know, we're really happy that we did our wedding that way. It was perfect for us. It's not for everybody ... Some people have that dream of that big party and that fancy day. That's just not us at all.
Mark: Maybe that's why we're so fascinated with this whole thing. We didn't do it and we couldn't picture ourselves doing it ... And you know, when we worked together on 'All My Children,' we were married like five times, so we've had our big wedding, many, many times.

Speaking of 'All My Children,' are you both sad about the news that the production is moving from New York to Los Angeles?
Kelly: I really am. I'm sad for the actors and the crew in New York, because that show has employed so many actors and camera operators, production guys and sound technicians over the years. And, I just saw ['AMC' creator] Agnes Nixon's daughter last weekend, and I was thinking about how without her and ['AMC'], Mark and I wouldn't have met, wouldn't have gotten married, wouldn't have our three kids. We wouldn't be doing the show, or 'Live,' maybe none of the things that are happening with us. This interview wouldn't even be happening, and I think we can all agree that would be a very sad thing.



Does MiLoJo Productions have any other shows in the works?
Mark: We have another show we're doing with TLC. It's untitled so far, but it's where we find women who have these great ideas, and just need a little help in launching them. Like, maybe they have a great product idea, and we get them to, let's say, Home Shopping Network, and they could actually make it.
Kelly: The thing is, I would be in my dressing room at 'Live' and I would receive hundreds and hundreds of products from women who had come up with them, and asked if I could plug it on the show, help them get it into the right hands. A lot of them were really good things, and we thought, wouldn't it be nice to help alleviate some of the financial concerns these women have?

Kelly, you recently said in a 'Life & Style' magazine interview that you would never get a boob job ... have you felt pressure to undergo plastic surgery?
Kelly: You know what's so funny? I used to always think, "I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it," and then I just started thinking, you know, someone's got to represent the small girls. I mean, there are a lot of us out there ... they're not making all those small cup sizes just for me. Plus, I would think, why tamper with something? What if something went wrong?
Mark: It's more than [whether or not] something went wrong ... I think it's just, you're very happy with the way you look. And your husband really likes the way you look.
Kelly: And there it is.

Do you guys plan to work together again on camera, on a sitcom maybe? Mark, would you like to fill in more often on 'Live' when Regis is out?
Mark: We had blast when I guest starred on Kelly's 'Hope & Faith' ... that was a lot of fun. The schedule was insane, but it was really fun, so we're always open to looking at things like that, different stuff we can do together. As for 'Live,' Regis isn't going anywhere. He'll be there long after we are, as Kelly says.
Kelly: When people ask me who I'd like to see replace Regis when he retires, I always tell them they should be asking him that, because I'm going to retire way before he does.



Mark, you're also starring in Kevin Smith's next movie, 'A Couple of Dicks,' with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan ... that sounds like a fun cast. What can you tell us about the movie?
It was so much fun! I play a waiter named Manuel, and my scenes are with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan in a restaurant. It's just a few scenes, but those guys are hysterical. Kevin is a great director and the script is really, really funny. As always seems to happen, I got the call about the part when we were on a family vacation, but I couldn't say no to this. Bruce and Tracy play two cops who sort of come upon a damsel in distress, and Tracy Morgan is hysterical, when the cameras are rolling and even when they're not.

Kelly, you've always joked about how little you use the computer, the Internet, but you seem to really enjoy using Twitter. Are you hooked?
Well, you know, we had Ashton Kutcher on our show, and he's like, the king of Twitter, and he was showing me how to use it. It was amazing how many thousands of people tuned in then just to hear their [Tweets] read. The whole process is interesting. I mean, it's a good way to reach people, quickly.

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5 Tips for Planning a Fabulous Wedding on a Budget, from the Frungillo brothers, stars of TLC's 'Masters of Reception'
1, The most important thing is the date. Be flexible and have your wedding on a Sunday or Saturday morning, or in December, January or February.
2. Change your entree and menu. Serve a nice stuffed chicken vs. filet mignon and sea bass.
3. If you can plan your wedding on three to five months' notice, you will save 30-50 percent with all your vendors. You lose flexibility on choices, but vendors with open dates will fill their schedule with last-minute jobs at a huge discount.
4. Cut back on decor. Pick a venue with natural beauty, where little is needed to make the reception look nice. And use candles instead of flowers to create a romantic mood.
5. Opt for a DJ, versus a band, for entertainment.