Ostentatious displays of wealth?

As you say, it is different for everyone but two things for me that would say "they have more money than sense" would be a big firework display, and a free bar all night - both of which are incredibly expensive non-essentials.

Hmmmm....this is a tough one as generally, I either like something or not, I don't think of it in terms of 'showy-offy-ness'...I can't think of anything in terms of weddings, but in the rest of my life I can't bear branded designer handbags/clothing - but I wonder whether this is because I am so used to seeing piles of fakes in Singapore and Bangkok...but anyway, LV branded luggage/handbags etc are about the pinnacle of this trend, and I really don't like them!

Our free bar isn't costing as much as you might think... perhaps because it's a free bar in a venue with no corkage charge where we've bought the alcohol in ourselves and soft drinks are provided free by our caterers. Completely different to a wedding in a hotel where the bride and groom are just picking up the bar tab for the expensive hotel bar drinks! Even then, I don't find that "ostentatious"... unnecessary perhaps (although I've always been brought up to think that you should never let your guests pay for anything), but a nice thing to do if you have the money and it's hardly like people in that situation would have a big neon flashing sign saying "come and get your free drinks, they're on us because we're SO RICH!"

I can't really think of anything wedding-related that I would say was "over the top" in an ostentatious display-of-wealth way... surely your wedding day is the one day you're allowed to go a bit over the top? And things like, I don't know, putting your bridesmaids in dresses covered with a designer logo just says tacky to me, rather than "ostentatious display of wealth" if you see what I mean.

I don't think there is anything which I would consider 'too much' in terms of weddings, as long as the bride and groom have paid for it debt free. (or the family of the B&G if they are very lucky).

I can see somethings are un-necessary, but I don't think they are booked to show off wealth, more-so because that is what the bride or groom wants.