JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - An angry South African groom set fire to a wedding venue after the facility cancelled his reception party over unpaid fees, a news website reported on Thursday.

Jean Greyling, 28, admitted to starting the fire that burnt down the reception hall near the central town of Bloemfontein, causing damage worth over 3.5 million rand (S$450,000), according to the Afrikaans news website Beeld.

The July 27 reception was cancelled a day before because he still had not paid the fees.

The fire started shortly after midnight on July 28 and Greyling had been spotted in the area a short while earlier, the news site reported.

Greyling was charged with arson and released on bail. No one was hurt in the blaze.

Other creditors - including the cake baker and florist - said they also had not been paid by Greyling for their services.

Meanwhile, his bride Lianne appeared in court last week on unrelated charges for fraud worth over 5.2 million rand.