Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Pizza for Reception?

Hey guys. I'm sorry if this has been answered before. I looked through and didn't see anything. Anyway, my fiance and I LOVE pizza. It is our most favorite thing in the world. lol We are having a reception that will probably have about 175 - 200 people in attendance. This is, if everyone shows. Would it be super tacky to get pizza and salad catered from our favorite restaurant? We both love the idea but aren't sure if we would seem cheap. We have also looked at other options such as a full dinner or just hor dourves but keep coming back to the pizza idea.

I would really appreciate your opinions.

Thank you,
Devon

Re: Pizza for Reception?

  • ivyrose13ivyrose13 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    What if you offered mini-pizzas during your cocktail hour? 


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  • edited December 2011
    Like personal size pizzas? I guess when I think mini-pizzas I think of bagel bites. lol
  • edited December 2011
    Is your ceremony going to be formal or casual? That really decides what kind of food should be served. I agree with Ivy about the mini pizzas during cocktail hour. FI and I slice french bread and put sauce, mozzarella, and pepperonis on it and put it in the oven. It tastes amazing and is a little more classier than ordering pizza. But really, it's up to you.
  • edited December 2011
    The reception is semi-formal. We weren't thinking we would just order pizza from Papa Johns. Our favorite italian restaurant has several different kinds of gourmet pizza. That is what I was envisioning.
  • HaylaCHaylaC member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    personally i would love this at a wedding, however some of your guests might not be as keen on pizza as you and your FI.  I would consider one other alternative dish they can choose from, like a meat or pasta dish.
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  • edited December 2011
    Thats a good idea! Thanks!
  • edited December 2011
    I would definitely do it if you guys love it. I'd add salad, and pastas and make it a real italian buffet type thing. I would also make sure to order a wide array of the gourmet pizzas. I think it would be cute! Especially if you put a little note on the buffet in a frame or something explaining why it's so important to both of you!
  • Beachy730Beachy730 member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I would love it, but I'm sure there are many guests who wouldn't be happy with pizza for dinner at a wedding.  What if you had pizza delivered for a late night snack during the dancing? 

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  • Ashes_3Ashes_3 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think it is a great idea. It sounds good and I think a lot of ppl would enjoy it!
  • edited December 2011
    I'm with dnbeach - I think it's great to incorporate it some how (a late night snack is a great idea - seriously, how much fun is that?), but for a semi-formal event I don't think it jives. For a casual, backyard thing, it would be awesome, but semi-formal, not so much. Lets be honest, for those people who paid for a new dress, spent money on a great gift for you, etc, etc... some of them (especially the older generation who are more in tune with this kind of dining etiquette) will probably feel a bit put out, and probably would think it was cheap.
  • edited December 2011
    I think it is a great idea.  Gourmet pizzas, salad, bread, pastas... yummy! 
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  • flamingtwig72flamingtwig72 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Sorry, but there's no way to serve pizza for dinner and have your reception be semi-formal. It would come off as cheap, very casual, and some may be quite put off at having to eat something so messy in their nicer clothes. Why couldn't you have a casual rehearsal dinner and serve pizza at that? Having it as a late night snack is another option. Or, if you're dead set on the idea, you could change your reception to something outdoors and extremely casual, but if you've already done much planning, this may not be the best option.
  • edited December 2011
    I would love going to a wedding that served pizza. How cool is that? Very unique too. I don't know how much planning you have already put into the other details of the reception, but decorating the place to have kind of a Littly Italy vibe and serving gourmet pizzas, pasta, bread, and salad would be really cool for the guests.  
    It's a big day for you and your FI and it should ultimately be what really makes you both happy. Good luck! 
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  • Simply FatedSimply Fated member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    I LOVE pizza, and it doesn't have to be less than semi-formal.

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  • mica178mica178 member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I think you can do upscale pizza.  I went to a great event with beautiful antipasti, gourmet pizzas (made in stone ovens) with exotic/gourmet toppings, and as part of the dessert course, there were dessert pizzas (marscarpone cheese with champagne grapes, goat cheese with pear).   
  • kelseydjameskelseydjames member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I LOVE the idea! And I agree, doing a Little Italy deco theme would be too cute! And would tie it in incase anyone had the "this is cheap" feel. If I went to a wedding serving pizza, I'd be ecstatic that there's finally an option amoungst the hoitty toitty oods that are always served.
  • edited December 2011
    Pizza for an appetizer or late night snack? Definitely.  Pizza as entree, no way in hell.  Even if it's not Papa John's, it's still not classy enough for a semi-formal reception.  People at semi-formal weddings don't want to eat their dinner with their hands.  I'd be very offended if I'd traveled, bought a gift, and had to stay in a hotel and I was given a slice of pizza for dinner.  Yes, pizza tastes good, but so do a lot of other things that suit the occasion. 
  • edited December 2011
    Wow thanks for all of the opinions. We really have a lot to think about where the dinner is concerned. I think this part is going to be the biggest pain in my butt. lol I want the dinner to feel elegant but it also needs to be realistic because we don't have a huge budget. My FI has a friend who said he would do the catering for us. (He has his own small  catering business.) Unfortunately, he doesn't set up or even have chafing dishes available. I absolutely do not want the food sitting in aluminum trays on the buffet table. To me, this would be worse than the thought that some of my guests wouldn't like the idea of gourmet pizza. I know that I can rent chafing dishes but when would we transfer it to the chafing dish and who would I ask to do it? So confused.....
  • DanielleZZDanielleZZ member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Sounds delicious! I like the idea of having a pasta as well though.
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_pizza-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:cb93d8b3-af59-43fd-9de0-204fc319e93fPost:47854b94-7eff-477f-8470-4106cd453b0a">Re: Pizza for Reception?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Wow thanks for all of the opinions. We really have a lot to think about where the dinner is concerned. I think this part is going to be the biggest pain in my butt. lol I want the dinner to feel elegant but it also needs to be realistic because we don't have a huge budget. My FI has a friend who said he would do the catering for us. (He has his own small  catering business.) Unfortunately, he doesn't set up or even have chafing dishes available. I absolutely do not want the food sitting in aluminum trays on the buffet table. To me, this would be worse than the thought that some of my guests wouldn't like the idea of gourmet pizza. I know that I can rent chafing dishes but when would we transfer it to the chafing dish and who would I ask to do it? So confused.....
    Posted by dkorn78[/QUOTE]

    Not to be a PITA, but how many of your guests are lactose incompetant? I know that was our most common dietary concern that we had to deal with (I'm a lactard myself). An all pizza meal is hell on earth for me.

    Anyway, it sounds like keeping the pizza hot would be a problem too then... I say leave that up to your friend and his catering crew to work out! Get him to provide you with a list of the things he needs, and give him the money to go deal with it himself. He's the one with the business, so he should know how to take care of it, right?

    FWIW, there are lots of great ways to do a semi-formal reception(and have it feeling semi-formal, as you seem to want it to) on a budget. A lot of girls here go to local restaurants to check out what they can do on the cheap. If you haven't already, swing by the budget brides board and see what suggestions they have. I think you can see by the responses here that you would probably offend some guests. I agree with IWantCake - if I was an OOT guest, I would definitely be offended to. As the reception is really the way to thank your guests for being a part of your lives and supporting your marriage, AND given the efforts I would have made to be there for you as an OOT guest, it would feel to me like you hadn't put as much thought into my comfort as I had into your feelings.
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_pizza-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:cb93d8b3-af59-43fd-9de0-204fc319e93fPost:8bb5d3f6-ee84-4d66-8919-98d0ba6da684">Re: Pizza for Reception?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Pizza for Reception? : Not to be a PITA, but how many of your guests are lactose incompetant? I know that was our most common dietary concern that we had to deal with (I'm a lactard myself). An all pizza meal is hell on earth for me. Anyway, it sounds like keeping the pizza hot would be a problem too then... I say leave that up to your friend and his catering crew to work out! Get him to provide you with a list of the things he needs, and give him the money to go deal with it himself. He's the one with the business, so he should know how to take care of it, right? FWIW, there are lots of great ways to do a semi-formal reception(and have it feeling semi-formal, as you seem to want it to) on a budget. A lot of girls here go to local restaurants to check out what they can do on the cheap. If you haven't already, swing by the budget brides board and see what suggestions they have. I think you can see by the responses here that you would probably offend some guests. I agree with IWantCake - if I was an OOT guest, I would definitely be offended to. As the reception is really the way to thank your guests for being a part of your lives and supporting your marriage, AND given the efforts I would have made to be there for you as an OOT guest, it would feel to me like you hadn't put as much thought into my comfort as I had into your feelings.
    Posted by kaesha[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Oh my goodness! I didn't even think about people who are lactose intolerant! You make a really good point and I am starting to agree about the pizza thing. I just really want it to feel elegant but also be affordable for us. I really appreciate everyones input. Thank you so much. :)

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  • Habs2HartHabs2Hart member
    Combo Breaker First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    Do pizza as a late night snack!
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  • shadowkat08shadowkat08 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    See if your restaurant can do individual gormet pizzas. They may seem a little more "up scale" than regular triangle shaped pieces. Also, for those who are lactose intolerant, perhaps a "cheeseless" option could be arranged.

    Also, the sauce may be a problem with those with acid reflux. A 'white' or sauceless pizza would avoid that.

    All in all though, I think it's an interesting idea. Good luck!
  • peanutty2peanutty2 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    hmmm... while i looove pizza too i'm not sure if i'd want it at a wedding... even if it was a casual backyard wedding (you may of answered that i have to go back and read through more thoroughly) i still don't know if that's what i'd want... kind of messy too... maybe you could incorporate pizza as an appetizer... like individual mini pizza bagels or something like that. 
  • Girlie1030Girlie1030 member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    We were planning having our rehearsal dinner at our favorite pizza/Italian restaurant (where we had our first date actually), but now I'm thinking we need to steal the idea of a late reception pizza delivery instead!

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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_food-cakes_pizza-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:23Discussion:cb93d8b3-af59-43fd-9de0-204fc319e93fPost:44965687-d8b2-4b4f-a5b0-6dff0bf3f694">Re: Pizza for Reception?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think you can do upscale pizza.  I went to a great event with beautiful antipasti, gourmet pizzas (made in stone ovens) with exotic/gourmet toppings, and as part of the dessert course, there were dessert pizzas (marscarpone cheese with champagne grapes, goat cheese with pear).   
    Posted by mica178[/QUOTE]

    This. I also think a modern/wine bar sort of atmosphere could make it classy/semi-formal, but incorporate pizza.
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  • cbvcru67cbvcru67 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I agree that pizza probably could be done very well, but I personally feel like Papa Johns, "gourmet" pizzas or not, would not be the vibe you want for a wedding.  I get that its a food you love and the price is right, but to me it comes off as being cheap with your guests and very very informal.  I mean, we used to order Papa Johns in college when we had money to splurge, not to celebrate one of the largest milestones of your life.  To be fair, I don't even consider Papa Johns "gourmet"  among my normal pizza options.  I dont mean to come across as snotty, but I think you could probably do better.  The Italian idea is great and usually you can do a great salad, some pasta options and a grilled chicken breast  via a buffet for pretty reasonable with some of the restaurant caterers or local restaurants.  Also, these same places should have their own chafing dishes to use.  I think the idea of Papa Johns as a late night snack is an awesome way to incorporate your personal style into the reception, or do a casual rehearsal at someones home with it the night before.  HTH!  good luck!
  • edited December 2011
    cbvcru67:

    She said she was not thinking of Papa Johns, but an upscale Italian restaurant they both love.  Just fyi.

    to OP, as someone with acid reflux and lactose intolerance (albeit minor) and a love for pizza... I think if personal gourmet pizzas were made (in the 4-6" diameter range) in many styles to cover taste, and salad and pasta were offered as well, then it could be possible to pull it off.  But it might just be wishful thinking on my part, as the last wedding I went to, I munched on salad and dessert, because I either didn't like or couldn't eat the main course offered.

    As a lactose afterthought:  gourmet pizzas tend to have less cheese than the typical Pizza Hut or Papa Johns pizza.  this is a big plus in the lactose department.
  • edited December 2011
    It's your day! Do what you both want! People are there to see YOU both happy, and if Pizza from this restaurant reflects your personalities...then do it! You are not there for your guests...your guests are there for you. Too many brides forget this.

    I think you've just inspired some ideas for my wedding now. THANKS!
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