All the Details on Serving Pizza at Your Wedding

If there are two things we love, it's weddings and pizza. We know we're not alone—we've seen so many couples throw a pizza wedding over the past several years. Want one for yourself? We don't blame you. It's one of several good wedding food ideas on a budget, and a crowd-pleaser at that. The beauty of pizza is that it effortlessly fits in with a casual wedding, but it can also have a refined take with the right sides and serving style for a more formal affair. That is all to say: Pizza is always a good idea for a wedding.

We're sure you have a local favorite pizza joint that you'd love to serve at your wedding, but you can find additional pizza wedding catering at The Knot Vendor Marketplace. After you enter a location, filter by food trucks, chef stations, buffets and the like, depending on how you want your pizza cooked and served, as well as various cuisines, like Italian. You can even filter by price! Whether you want pizza for a wedding dinner or a late-night snack, here's everything you need to know.

In this article: Pizza Wedding Cost | How Many Pizzas to Order | How to Serve Pizza at Your Wedding | Wedding Pizza Ideas

Pizza Bar Wedding Cost

Pizza is a new wedding food trend, and it's easy to see why—not only is it delicious, but it can be pretty budget-friendly. While pricing depends on guest count, location and service style, you can expect to pay $30 to $40 per guest. A wedding pizza buffet from Itsa Pizza Truck, based in High Falls, New York, typically ranges from $35 to $40 a head. Isabel Romero, the head of operations, says this includes four styles of wood-fired baked pizzas with an organic local greens salad, all served buffet-style over the course of two hours.

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For base-level catering of pizza and salad from Basic Kneads Pizza near Denver, which caters pizza at about 50 weddings and rehearsal dinners a year, pricing starts at $30 a person. This includes unlimited salad and pizza for an hour, says event coordinator Christen Bakken. Total pizza bar costs for a local wedding with 100 people typically come out to $4,000 to $4,200, including tax, travel and gratuity costs, she adds. That'll cost you more the further away you are, but less if you just want late-night pizza instead of a full meal—Bakken says guests typically pay $2,500 for that.

But if you're opting for a full pizza wedding reception, it's an affordable move considering that it's half the price of the average wedding catering cost. To get a better idea of how much pizza catering for a wedding near you will cost, you can always head to The Knot Budget Advisor. The free tool helps you customize your budget and showcases catering costs in your area. And don't forget to consider these DIY wedding food cost factors.

How Many Pizzas Should You Order for a Wedding?

When it comes to pizza, it's easy for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach. So just how many pizzas should you order for all your guests? Bakken says it's hard to say since their hour-long service is unlimited, but on average, they serve about one-third to half of a large pizza per guest. "There are some folks who have just two slices and some folks who eat eight slices, or a whole large pizza themselves," she adds.

But how many pizzas do you need for a late-night wedding snack? Both Bakken and Romero agreed that late-night bites have a different consumption rate than a pizza buffet wedding. "Less food is typically needed, but we leave that decision up to the client based on how substantial they'd like the offering to be," Romero says.

Bakken adds that guests typically eat a slice each, but caterers often have a minimum for catering of any kind. "So sometimes for budget reasons, it can be more affordable to have late-night pizza delivered from a local pizza restaurant rather than paying for a caterer to do that work."

How to Serve Pizza at a Wedding

"There are a few great ways to serve pizza at a wedding, depending on the style of the event," Romero says. These pizza ideas are some of the best ways to have warm food at a wedding:

• Buffet-style: Pizzas are sliced and placed out for guests to help themselves. "It's a relaxed, efficient option that works especially well for casual or outdoor weddings," Romero says.
• Food truck: Hiring a pizza truck for a wedding promises fresh pizzas made on-site. It's a fun option that doubles as entertainment.
• Family-style: "Staff bring fresh, pre-sliced pies directly to each table, creating a communal, shared experience that feels more intimate and seated-dinner appropriate," Romero says.
• Pizza station: Create a display table boasting a variety of pies for guests to peruse late at night when they're feeling snacky.
• All-you-can-eat: An unlimited service style allows guests to try several different flavors and allows for faster service, Bakken says. "In this service style, we serve one person every 15 to 20 seconds, and in other set-ups, it takes about 60 to 90 seconds between pizzas," she adds.

What to Serve With Pizza at a Wedding

Whatever you typically like to eat with pizza at home or out to dinner is exactly what you should serve when catering pizza for a wedding. But it might also depend on what vibe you're going for. For a more elevated and chic wedding, pair your pizza with whipped ricotta dip, grilled bread or antipasto platters of marinated or grilled vegetables. For a more casual wedding, think comfort fare: garlic rolls or knots, buffalo wings or sliders. Either way, add in a fresh salad for a dose of greens!

Wedding Pizza Ideas

If you're wondering how to display pizza at a wedding, don't worry—we've got you. From a pizza truck for a wedding to a wedding pizza bar, we've rounded up a handful of yummy ideas for inspiration.

1. Pizza Bar at a Wedding

Photo: Tifani Lyn Photography

,Catering: Standard Pizza Company

Much in the same way you'd create a dessert table for your wedding cake and other sweets, create a designated pizza table so guests can grab a pie or a few slices and go. It's an easy, efficient serving style with minimal wait time.

2. Wedding Pizza Boxes

Photo: Felix Feygin Photography

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Catering: Joe's Pizza

There's nothing better after a night of dancing than a slice of za. Order a stack of pies from your local pizzeria as a wedding after-party idea; your guests will love you forever. For a special touch, have them delivered in custom pizza boxes at your wedding.

3. Pizza Oven Wedding Catering

Photo: Cactus and Lace Weddings

For fresh, hot pizza, consider having a wood-fired pizza oven right on site. Bonus: It adds a rustic touch to your wedding.

4. Pizza Station at a Wedding

Photo: Lana Trayser Photography

Want a late-night snack, but wondering how to keep pizza warm at a wedding? These newlyweds figured it out—they created a pizza station complete with heat lamps.

5. Pizza Menu

Photo: Julia K.

We're in love with this beautifully illustrated pizza menu that evokes the elevated vibes of an Italian destination wedding. It sets the tone while letting guests know exactly what they have to look forward to on their plates.

6. Pizza Truck For a Wedding

Photo: Anais Possamai Photography

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Catering: Pizzeria Marzano

Food trucks for weddings are always fun, especially when they're serving pizza. It's a casual, engaging way to serve up some slices for a backyard wedding—plus it adds to the outdoor vibes.

7. Pizza Serving Boards

Photo: Bo Shim

For a cozy, rustic feel, display your pizzas on wood serving boards. They can be delivered to the tables for a sit-down dinner or passed around casually during the reception.

8. Pizza Favors

Photo: Alison Conklin Photography

If we were leaving a wedding and spotted these pizza wedding favors, we'd be over the moon! A mini pizza is an ideal send-off for guests, and it's a favor they'll actually use.