Kelly Ripa returned to her post on "Live With Kelly and Michael" Tuesday morning equipped with a well-executed statement about the drama surrounding the show over the past few weeks, a loving message for soon-to-be ex co-host Michael Strahan and most importantly, vacation photos.

The host and former soap opera star shared a photo from a vacation she took with husband Mark Conseuelos and some friends (that she assured everyone was planned before Strahan announced he was leaving the show last week).

ABC / Live With Kelly and Michael

The couple went away to celebrate their 20th anniversary in the Caribbean, and Ripa wore a pretty fitting outfit for the occasion.

"See that dress? That's my wedding dress. And guess what? It still fits," she gushed to the audience.

She continued: "I bought it at the Barneys Warehouse Sale, and the dress is actually 25 years old. My marriage is 20 years old. I didn't buy it as a wedding dress. I just bought it because it was really pretty and I wanted to buy something from the Barney's Warehouse Sale. I was working on the soap, I wasn't making a lot of money, it was $199 on final clearance sale and I was like, 'Do I eat this week or do I get this dress' Literally that was the thought process. And I said to myself, 'I bet if I buy this, maybe it will be an investment piece. Maybe I'll wear it more than once.'"

Omg. Here it is. 5/1/96 pic.twitter.com/xL79Qzdalv

- Kelly Ripa (@KellyRipa) May 1, 2013

Consuelos and Ripa met in 1995 on the set of "All My Children" and eloped in Las Vegas just one year later. The lovely dress was a far departure from the elaborate gown her character Hayley wore to marry Consuelos' character Mateo on the show they co-starred in at the time.

Apparently her real-life wedding dress, which she says she now wears as a beach cover-up "constantly," paid off.

"It was the best $199 I ever spent in my life," she said.

h/t People StyleWatch