Just imagine: melty, cheesy goodness, crunchy crust, toppings galore and fresh-from-the-oven taste. Your mouth is watering, and your taste buds are ready to devour a slice — or three — of pizza. But pizza for late-night Friday nights and parties is not the only reason to order a few delectable pies.

Whether in the form of food or décor, brides and grooms across the United States are increasingly incorporating pizza into their special day, and it has become a growing trend. Weddings often follow tradition with particular hors-d’oeuvres and reception food like chicken, salmon and salads. However, if you decide you want to break from conventional practices and try something different, pizza can be a fun and creative idea — not to mention delicious and cheesy for all guests to enjoy.

You have the freedom to infuse a variety of pizza options into your wedding’s food selection, and it’s also an alternative to expensive catering fees. Whether you are planning a low-key ceremony with close family and friends, or one with more elegance and hundreds of guests, you can integrate pizza into either style of wedding with a few unique touches. For example, pizza can be the central theme of your venue, or you can incorporate subtle hints of pizza using catering or décor techniques.

And if you’re worried about your guests, let’s face it — who doesn’t love pizza? Even those who don’t prefer traditional toppings may enjoy pizza with more creative and sophisticated options. Pizza isn’t always about tomato sauce and cheese. You can order specialized pizzas with different flavors by using ricotta cheese, hummus or even fruit. You can also accommodate guests with gluten and dairy allergies by having gluten-free crust and vegan “cheese.”

While classic menus may not be what everyone is craving, wedding pizza can offer hundreds of toppings and styles. Depending on your wants and needs, and those of your guests, you can get creative with the kind of pizza you serve, as well as using different serving techniques.

Benefits When You Have a Pizza Wedding Reception

It’s no secret the cost of planning a wedding has risen each year, and will most likely continue to do so. The average price of a wedding is $35,329 in the United States, and that number doesn’t include the cost of your honeymoon. According to The Knot, brides and grooms are excited to “create the ultimate guest experience complete with out-of-the-box entertainment and exceptional amenities, including everything from food trucks, lawn games and photo booths.”

Additionally, the national average cost of a wedding cake in 2016 was $582, and catering averaged $71 per person. Yes — that’s almost $100 worth of food for each guest.

Weddings are becoming more extravagant, but if you do not want an over-the-top reception and desire a more casual wedding day, there are hundreds of ways to reduce the cost of food and decorations.

Pizza is the perfect alternative to expensive catering menus, and you can even swap out your traditional wedding cake for a few tiers of cheesy delight. Incorporating pizza into your wedding also allows you to please your guests, as they will have more options and can choose when to eat.

Continue reading to learn how pizza can become a part of the food and decoration options for your special wedding day.

Pizza Wedding Ideas

If you want to serve pizza at your wedding, you’re not confined to buying a party pizza and calling it a night. There are more than a dozen ways to include pizza in your upscale reception or relaxed after-party. Ordering pizza is also more straightforward than organizing different meals for each person, and pizza is the ultimate comfort food to celebrate your perfect day.

On average, annual revenue from pizza sales is $32 billion in the U.S., accounting for 3 billion pizzas sold per year. Americans love pizza so much, we eat 350 slices of pizza every second, and people consume an average 46 slices of pizza each year.

With so many pizza lovers in the world, why not add the perennial crowd-pleaser to your menu? Refer to the following suggestions on how to incorporate pizza into your wedding.

1. Rent a pizza truck for your rehearsal dinner. Comfort food is always a big hit for hungry people in your wedding party. As a great way to relax after nailing each step, eating a few slices will keep your party in good spirits and ready for the next day. You can either make an entire night out of the pizza-themed rehearsal dinner by renting a pizza truck, or by offering pies as people are heading home for the night.
2. Eat pizza as you get ready for the big day. As the bride and groom are putting on makeup, fixing their hair, tying their tie and putting on their gown, nothing calms jittery nerves like a piece of pizza topped with your favorite things. But, of course, don’t spill any sauce on your dress or suit!
3. Replace the traditional wedding cake with a tiered pizza cake. Yes — that’s right. If you are not a fan of classic wedding cakes and want to make a cheesy statement, choose a tiered cake made of the most delectable pizza. It’s becoming a popular trend for couples who don’t particularly enjoy cake to begin with, and is the perfect way to start off a fun evening.
4. Serve pizza during cocktail hour. Cocktail hour doesn’t always require fancy hors d’oeuvres. Serving formal finger food is a thing of the past when you can eat bite-sized pizzas.
5. Incorporate a reception buffet. A buffet gives you the opportunity to design a self-serve pizza wedding bar where you can offer gourmet flavors. For example, you can include ricotta and honey, berry, arugula and prosciutto, butternut squash and sage, hummus and grilled zucchini — and of course, classic cheese and pepperoni. You can even have a pizza shaped like a heart if you so desire.
6. Include a kids’ table for pizza making. Kids can often become antsy during a reception, so let them customize their own pizza! As a more exciting option than coloring books or having their parents watch them, children can entertain themselves and get creative at their pizza-making station.
7. Have a DIY pizza bar. Children aren’t the only ones who like to have fun and get their hands dirty. Allow your guests to pick their toppings, cheese and sauce as a main dish or continuous choice throughout the night. Some may be meat lovers, while others may prefer veggies. Either way, your guests will appreciate eating their unique pizza creations.
8. Offer made-to-order eats. Hiring a pizzeria to set up shop in your reception area will give people the freedom to customize pizzas without getting their hands dirty. If you hire a pizza caterer, they will come prepared with all the necessary equipment and food.
9. Suggest a pitch-in dinner where everyone brings homemade pizza. This suggestion may be ideal for smaller parties and those who are obsessed with pizza. A pitch-in dinner is similar to a potluck, but in this case, with more tomato sauce, cheese and crust. It’s a smart way to cut back on costs while also allowing people to make and enjoy different types of pizza.
10. Serve mini slices of pizza, instead of pieces too large to fit on a plate. With bite-sized slices, people can enjoy a quick snack, while still having room for a full meal later in the evening. Mini pieces also let guests try more than one flavor.
11. Use a brick oven. If your venue has a brick oven, it’s perfect for making fresh, hot pizza. Instead of waiters bringing over traditional plates of chicken, they can deliver plates of piping-hot pizza. Tables can serve themselves with one or two pies.
12. Serve pizza as a late-night snack. The after-party may go longer than expected, or exactly as planned. Either way, a midnight snack is a perfect way for you and your guests to get the energy boost you need to keep dancing the night away. You can offer different slices to please everyone’s cravings, while providing guests more calories for continuing with their killer dance moves.
13. Offer to-go boxes. Instead of handing out traditional wedding favors, give pizza. You can place miniature pizzas in decorative boxes for people to take home.
14. Replace dinner rolls with cheesy pizza. Spice up your menu by substituting boring rolls with cheesy slices of flatbread pizza. No one will complain as they indulge in pizza bread before their main meal.
15. Desserts are no longer for cupcakes and cookies. Forget about the tomato sauce and cheese — serve cookie dough or caramel apple pizza, or even use a chocolate base and layer it with fresh fruit. Besides, everything is better drenched in chocolate.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to wedding pizza, as you can customize the type and how you want it served. Instead of ordering large pieces of pizza, consider creating flatbread pizzas or mini pies to make eating more accessible and convenient for your guests.

Pizza Wedding Decorations

If you want to incorporate pizza into your wedding, but aren’t too keen on the idea of serving it for guests to eat, you can decide on a pizza-themed day, or infuse the night with a few pizza wedding decorations. While you might initially be concerned your Aunt Sally will see your pizza décor as tacky, there are ingenious ways to use pizza to spice up any ceremony, reception or after-party.

Here’s how you can get started.

1. Have your groomsmen wear pizza socks. Purchase several pairs of decorated socks as a subtle way to incorporate your favorite food without overshadowing their outfits.
2. Photo booth props, such as pizza boxes, hats, masks, balloons and other items, are a fun addition for your guests to get creative.
3. Create a custom wedding pizza logo. When people print out their photos from the booth, you can include a pizza logo at the bottom of the strips. They are the perfect souvenirs for guests to remember your big day. You can also place the design on your wedding programs, menus or napkins.
4. Wear pizza accessories. Aside from pizza socks for groomsmen, you can infuse your wedding party’s wardrobe with accessories like pizza bow ties, handkerchiefs, earrings and T-shirts. Pizza T-shirts for your bridesmaids or groomsmen can have phrases such as, “After this, we’re getting pizza,” or other clever pizza ideas.
5. Pizza signs throughout your reception area are a clever way to use pizza puns or show people what you are serving. For example, you can decorate a sign saying, “I love you with every PIZZA my heart.”
6. Give portable pizza slicers as gifts. How fun, right? After a fantastic night filled with love, laughter and good memories, you can provide your guests nontraditional wedding favors. Portable pizza slicers with your wedding logo will not only give people a useful kitchen tool, but also serve as a remembrance of your big day.

Wedding reception pizza décor is a way for you to infuse your favorite food into the day without overpowering the overall theme. With trendy pizza shirts or accessories, your guests will enjoy your creativity.

Giordano’s Wedding Pizza Catering

Whether you are looking to have a pizza wedding reception or pizza wedding decorations for your special day, choose Giordano’s to cater your every request.

Based out of Chicago, we operate several locations spanning throughout downtown Chicago into the suburbs. Other sites include shops in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Nevada. But here at Giordano’s, we make pizza little different than your average pizzeria.

Our chefs create a Chicago-style stuffed pizza, which is a type of deep dish. It consists of crust, toppings and cheese, along with a thin layer of crust and sauce to top it off. Different than the standard deep dish, ours takes about 45 minutes to bake because of our unique process. It allows for a flakier crust and for the flavors to combine into one delicious pizza.

We also offer gluten-free crust for your wedding guests who have gluten allergies. However, not all our toppings are gluten-free.

Learn more about our wedding catering services so we can help you make your food menu stand out from the traditional food categories. We provide an excellent selection of food for all your guests, and of course, we offer our famous deep-dish stuffed pizza.

You have the option to pick up your food, or we can deliver it to your wedding venue for convenience. Most of our locations deliver, but some have pickup availability only, so make sure to check out our locations page. Our catering prices are the same as our menu pricing, so you won’t be caught off-guard with extra fees.

If you want to incorporate pizza into your wedding, we suggest placing an order at least 24 hours before your big day, but with even more notice, we can better prepare. Place a catering order from Giordano’s by contacting us online, or by placing an order with our catering sales manager.

Rely on Giordano’s to create the perfect pizzas for your wedding — get started today!