Would you fork out £896, just to attend a wedding? Clive Smith is outraged

Basically, the wedding was going to cost more than  £35,000 and because the couple couldn't afford it, guests were expected to pay. The cheek of it.

And coming out in the media about it suggests to me the bride actually thinks she was in the right.

Imagine being that deluded. You'd think no one wanting to come to your '˜big day' might make you reassess a few things. Obviously not.

I understand why some people say '˜all we really want is your attendance, but if you are thinking of buying us a gift, then money towards the honeymoon would be great.'

Or even providing a list of what they want. I've got no problem with that because who really wants eight toasters, 15 picture frames and a load of commemorative Champagne flutes?

It's common to ask for money nowadays. Most couples have been living together for years anyway and will have most of the stuff they need already.

But to ask for money to pay for the actual wedding is outrageous. The RSVP from me would be a curt '˜sorry can't make it'.

Having a wedding that costs nearly £40,000 doesn't make you any more married than if it set you back £4,000.

Having swans as ushers and bowling up at the church in a diamond-encrusted chariot is all very well, I'm sure we'd all like a bit of that, but it's no good if you can't afford it.

Keep within your means or don't expect others to foot the bill.

This story sounds like a case of '˜bridezilla' gone wild. I can imagine her being one of those Made in Chelsea wannabes, but it's more like Bit Fat Gypsy Wedding. 

The groom's probably delighted the wedding's been cancelled. He needs to take this as a sign and run for the hills.

If you're marrying the right person the cost should be immaterial. Not getting yourself in debt for the rest of your lives simply to keep up with the Joneses.'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹

I'd rather go camping in the rain than swing from trees

The things you do for your kids. I'd booked a week off work and we had planned to go camping, but with the weather looking less than ideal we opted for days out instead.

Before I'd really thought about it, I mentioned Go Ape, the outdoor adventure place. The kids jumped at it. I regretted it immediately.

See, I've never been a fan of heights, so spending a few hours up in the tree tops was wasn't my greatest idea.

As the day approached a fear of impending doom built and looking up at the tall trees outside my house didn't help.

Well, I made it around the course, clinging on for dear life as I went. The kids loved it, they want to go again.

So camping in the rain it is.'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹

I'm glad karma has caught up with payday loan company

Payday loan company Wonga has collapsed and brought in administrators. Oh the irony.

Let's hope they can't '˜salvage' their finances and go bust. I find it hard to believe it's even legal to charge that much interest on a small loan.

To take a loan that charges 1,286 per cent you'd have to be desperate. And those are exactly the type of people these companies want.

So I'm glad karma has finally caught up with it. You'd be better going to a loan shark from the local estate.

Yes, you might get your hands broken if you miss a payment but you'd still pay back a lot less in the long run and you're not going to get your house repossessed.