Masters of Reception on TLC
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Talk about Their New Show
Executive Producers and real-life married couple Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos say that their own wedding experience was not like anything this company puts together. In a recent interview with the Television Critics Association, they spoke about their own wedding and their new TV venture.
"We had what I would consider to be the opposite, the exact opposite of everything Masters of Reception stands for. We had an elopement in Las Vegas where our entire wedding cost $200 including airfare," Ripa confides.
"So you ask why people who eloped are doing a show about a family-run business that puts on weddings?" chimes in Consuelos with a chuckle. "I think we are just fascinated with the idea of it because we could never do that. We knew ourselves well enough that we could never have a huge wedding. And the fact this family-run business [is] in New Jersey ... was fascinating to us."
A Family that Makes Dreams Come True
Ripa is excited about the actual work the family business does. "The fact that they are able to make people's dreams come true so efficiently and so seemingly effortlessly to the brides, and the grooms, and their families, it's something that really we wanted to show everyone because we've been invited to mega weddings and we're kind of fascinated at how they are made, because, again, we lack the capacity to [personally] do such a thing."
They found the Frungillo family who has made wedding receptions their business.
Consuelos originally came up with the idea for the show when he and Kelly attended a large wedding. There was another large wedding taking place in the room next door and he accidentally wound up in the other room before realizing his mistake. He was amazed and amused by the whole thing. "Anyway," he explains, "it got us thinking, who does this? Who puts on these huge weddings? And sometimes a wall is separating the other wedding that is going on right next door. And it just got us thinking. So we started doing research in New Jersey and Long Island, Stanton Island, Queens. There are famous wedding halls in all the areas. And we just loved what we found in the Frungillos. Again, they are a family-run business, which we absolutely love, because ... they work together as a team. … They are producing events of a lifetime for these people."
The couple is not only excited about the show, but the Frangilo family fascinates them. "What we love about this family also, is their story - they literally started in a 15-by-20 little deli store. Their parents started this little business. And now it's grown into this huge empire, their wedding empire. And they reference their parents and how they started constantly throughout the whole [show]; it is really the foundation for them. And I think that's what spoke to us too and why we love them so much," explains Mark.
Ripa and Consuelos Unite with TLC
Both Ripa and Consuelos are excited about this new show and their relationship with TLC. "We like TLC very much," says Ripa. "We like the way they show just the humanity of people, just people, living their lives. And there is nothing produced about it, it is just people in their lives." Regarding the show, Kelly exclaims, "We're passionate about it."
Both Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are hoping the viewers will embrace their new show with the same enthusiasm they do. There are so many reality shows on television these days, the public might be getting tired of them, but they are diverse and do offer viewers a smorgasbord of viewing options.
Masters of Reception premiers August 18, 2009 on TLC.
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