Pizza at weddings is becoming a popular option, and for good reason! Everybody loves pizza, and it’s super affordable. Here’s how much it costs to serve pizza at your wedding and other key details you need to know about switching up the traditional wedding dinner for something cheesier.
Pizza for a wedding can cost anywhere from $3.33 to $6.66 per person. With an average guest count of 100 people, you can expect it to cost anywhere from $333-666 total to serve pizza at your wedding.
The cost depends on the quality of the pizza and doesn’t include any other sides or drinks you want to have. Nor does it include staffing and delivery. Here’s a break down of some popular options I found near me for a plain cheese pizza.
Type of Pizza | Cost Per Person | Cost for 100 Guests |
Standard Delivery Pizza | $5.33 | $533 |
Dominos Delivery Pizza | $3.33 | $333 |
Wood Fired Pizza from a Pizza Truck | $6.66 | $666 |
As you can see from the above, ordering pizza from Dominos is the cheapest option with the cost of a large pie being only $9.99. And ordering 1 pie for every 3 guests in attendance. While a pizza truck is the most expensive option at $6.66 per slice. No matter how you slice it, pizza is a pretty affordable option when it comes to wedding catering or even an after-party snack.
Curious how pizza will fit into your wedding budget?
You can check out my free budget guide if you sign up for my newsletter. It automatically calculates what you should spend where based on your budget and guest count and helps you stay on track. It’s like the fairy godmother of numbers.
How many pizzas should I order for a wedding?
You should order 1 large pizza for every 3 guests you plan to have at your wedding. For the average wedding of 100 people, you would need 34 large pizzas, rounding up for any fractions. Each person will eat 2-3 slices of pizza for dinner.
If you plan to serve pizza as an after-party or midnight snack, then you can order 1 pizza for every 8 guests since most people will only eat about 1 slice after a full meal and cake.
Here’s a chart that shows you exactly how many pizzas to order for your wedding:
Number of Wedding Guests | Number of Pizzas Needed for Dinner | Number of Pizzas Needed for a Snack |
30 | 10 | 4 |
40 | 14 | 5 |
50 | 17 | 7 |
60 | 20 | 8 |
70 | 24 | 9 |
80 | 27 | 10 |
90 | 30 | 12 |
100 | 34 | 13 |
125 | 42 | 16 |
150 | 50 | 19 |
175 | 59 | 22 |
200 | 67 | 25 |
250 | 84 | 32 |
300 | 100 | 38 |
As you can see from the chart above, you’ll need a lot of pizzas if you have hundreds of guests! If you’re planning on catering this yourself by calling up a local pizza joint, make sure you call them in advance to plan your order. An average pizza joint can’t whip up dozens of pizzas on the fly within an hour of calling them. They may have additional service fees if you’re ordering above a certain amount.
So how do you serve pizza at your wedding? Here’s everything I found out about how brides are dishing out their favorite slices.
How to serve pizza at your wedding
Depending on your guest count, budget, and personal preferences, there are several ways pizza can be served at a wedding. From food trucks to delivery services, here are some popular options for how to do it.
Wood fired pizza food trucks
There are no shortages of food trucks in the country now, and pizza food trucks are making their mark. You can probably find a great food truck in your area that offers pizza, and some even have a woodfire oven on the truck. This option is great for backyard or outdoor weddings that are smaller, but food truck style anything can cause guests to wait in long lines.
Buffet style from a traditional caterer
Having your caterer drop off the slices and having a few people man the stations is another great option for serving pizza at your wedding. Unlike the food truck, it can get people through the line quickly and they can better see their options.
Have a pizza at every table
This one can get a little more complicated, but it can also be fun! Have your guests give you their order ahead of time – cut down the options to 3 or 4 types of pizza so there isn’t too much for the caterer to figure out – and have pizzas delivered to their table. This makes the experience more classic but also keeps the fun and uniqueness of having pizza as dinner at your wedding.
Pizza bites as the appetizer at cocktail hour
If you really love pizza and want it at your wedding, but aren’t sure you want it to be the main course, you can serve it as an appetizer at cocktail hour. This is a fun way to incorporate pizza without making it the main course.
Kids table activity to make their own pizza
This great idea comes from The Knot – have a pizza-making table for the kids at your wedding! This would be a fun way to keep kids occupied at the wedding. Put some parchment paper down and have someone there to help the kids through making their very own pizza.
Late-night delivery for the after party
If you don’t want to have pizza as the focus of the reception, but you want to have pizza involved, have it delivered to the after-party! Pizza can really make the after-party feel fun and celebratory. If you’re not going to be at your after-party, get you and your new spouse a pizza for the wedding night.
Cater it from a local pizza place
Calling up your favorite local pizza place can be a great option for smaller weddings. If you’re planning to cater your entire wedding yourself, make sure you check out this article by a bride who catered her own wedding for tips and tricks.
Benefits of having pizza at your wedding
Believe it or not, there are a lot of benefits to doing pizza at your wedding. Besides just that it’s delicious!
You can adjust for guests’ diets easily
The nice thing about pizza is that it can be whatever you and your guests what it to be. Think about how many vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free, and other special diet folks you might have at the wedding, and make sure there are options for them. This is easy, as most caterers can change the toppings and dough type very easily.
It’s cheaper
For the budget-conscious bride, pizza is a great catering option. Pizza can be made very cheap, so most places will not be charging you an arm and a let to serve it at your wedding.
One of my favorite tips to cut down on costs is to use an affordable wedding stationery option. Zazzle has some of the best quality and beautiful designs for the price. You can check out my favorite styles on Zazzle here. And don’t forget to check out my review of Zazzle to see why I recommend them.
It’s easy to prepare ahead of time or on-site
Especially if you have a venue that doesn’t have an area to prep food, pizza is one of the best foods you can get on any occasion if you’re pressed for time. It doesn’t take long to cook and can be delivered hot without much trouble. If you want the food to be cooked on-site, food trucks are a great option.
It’s easy to serve
Whether you’re serving it plated, family-style, buffet style, or out of a food truck, pizza is an easy-to-serve meal that doesn’t require a lot of fuss. Caterers who know what they’re doing will get people their food in a timely manner and it will be hot and fresh.
Should you serve pizza at your wedding?
Pizza is a really fun and modern way to feed your guests. It’s especially a great idea if you and your future spouse love pizza. There are a lot of ways to get creative with it and it’s definitely something you’re guests will remember forever. And after all, the big trend with weddings nowadays is to create a unique experience for your guests, and pizza is sure to add to that.
Whether you choose to serve it as the main course, an option among a few foods, an appetizer at cocktail hour, or a late-night bite, it will be a great addition to your day.
Looking for other fun ideas to serve at your wedding? Check out this article for how to serve lobster at your wedding. Or this one for ideas about steak.