go over the top with the hospitality

[minhduc]

Hello.
This is an extract of going dutch by Katie Fforde. In this situation the mother is cooking a nice meal to welcome her daughter coming home.

‘You've gone to so much trouble, Mum. You needn't have.'

‘Well, it's not every day your runaway daughter comes home, is it?' Sukie's eyes were bright, and Dora realised that while she might have gone over the top with the hospitality, it was for all the right reasons.

Please give me the meaning of "go over the top with the hospitality". Thanks.

 

[GreenWhiteBlue]

When something is described as "over the top", it is an extremely abundant, and possibly excessive, example of whatever that thing may be.

An "over the top" wedding, for example, would have a bride in a gown that cost an enormous amount of money, surrounded by a bevy of bridesmaids, with a reception that featured more of the best food and the best drink and the best music than even the enormous horde of guests could absorb.

A performance by an actor that was "over the top" would be very dramatic or outrageous, with no theatrical trick left unused.

In this case, the "over the top" hospitality probably includes decorations and food of a fine quality and large quantity that one would not normally expect on such an occasion.