AS A

general rule of thumb, the more elaborate and expensive the wedding, the shorter the marriage. So I was amused by a couple of matrimonial stories this week.

Conservationists are concerned about the growing practice of releasing butterflies at weddings, instead of throwing confetti. Apparently, you can buy a box of ten for £120. Who knew?

The last time I remember anyone releasing butterflies was Mick Jagger at the Stones’ free concert in Hyde Park in 1969, a few days after Brian Jones died.

In other developments, there’s a growing trend for selfish couples to hold their weddings in exotic locations, which can cost their guests a small fortune in hotel and travel costs.

Ben Farina and Clare Moran think they have come up with a compromise. They’re charging their friends £150 a pop for a three-night stay at a hotel and spa in Derbyshire’s Peak District, telling them to look on it as a mini-break as well as a wedding.

You do wonder why they’re bothering, since they’ve already been together for six years and have two kids.

Maybe they’ve been saving up for the butterflies.