Evening wedding reception food - Dominos!?

[Discolady123]

I’m having an evening only wedding reception in a few months and we are really struggling with the catering side of things. We will be having a ceremony around 3/4pm for 1 hour, then onto photos at the church grounds, and people will go straight to the venue from there. We aren’t doing a sit down meal as we want a more relaxed vibe.

We are seriously thinking about ordering a large quantity of dominos pizzas to the venue and having a pizza buffet. We LOVE pizza as a couple and feel like it’s a bit different to the standard wedding hot buffet. (the venue doesn’t really have outside access so a pizza truck wouldn’t work, hence a takeaway option).

We were thinking of having sides at the start of the buffet table (pasta, salad, coleslaw, crisps, cocktail sausages & breadsticks) & then the rest would be pizza.

What is your thoughts on this? Would you be mortified if you turned up to a wedding reception and had pizza? Or would you prefer a standard finger buffet?

Also how many people would you say could share a large dominos pizza? This will help up with quantities etc.

I’m afraid I wouldn’t do this - birthday party/even an engagement party but definitely not wedding evening.

What is your catering budget?

If you think about a pizza truck instead then check that they really can effectively cater for 110 - I went to a wedding with one and it was a disaster because they couldn't make pizza anywhere quickly enough for a crowd that size (which was quite a lot smaller) so some people spent the whole evening waiting for pizza.

How many children are there? 110 plus kids could be quite a lot of people to feed on 65 pizzas. Also, how are you going to serve them? With that many people you can't just stack up boxes and let people help themselves I don't think. I worked in hospitality till really recently and I can't see that working all that well

I wouldn't mind. I've never eaten anything nice at a wedding tbh anyway.

I think if you use an independent pizzeria with plenty of salads, pickles and antipasti vegetables, some kind of carbs like pasta or potato salad and sliced meats/sausage, everyone should be able to eat something.

I think also, people like the whole burger, pizza, bacon bap thing if they have been there all day, had a sit down meal, drank and danced all night and then need something greasy to soak it all up. Most people don’t care what they look like at that stage. But bit different is this is the only food offering.

@LovelyRita1

Hmmm I'd need some warning as I frigging hate pizza, especially domino's. But that's my personal taste and I'm not against it because I think it wouldn't be appropriate. I just realy don't like it

I'm the same.

Please please don’t go this! I went to a party catered with pizza. It was ice cold, congealed and greasy. I was starving as was everyone else. You’d be better going to Costco and just buying trays of food for £650. You’d get everything you need.

I think it's a great idea OP. Can I come?

You’ll never get 65 pizzas delivered hot. As much as I love dominos I wouldn’t be doing this.

I’m not sure greasy pizza eaten with fingers goes with wedding finery.

And I had a bbq at my not-quite-a-wedding party, so I’m no traditionalist…

It's a no from me. I like pizza but I don't think it's wedding food. However you know your guests best.

An hour long ceremony

We have 10 children

So that's 120 people, so the 65 pizzas would be half a pizza per person. We didn't actually ask for 65 pizzas, when we spoke to them they suggested this amount, we're willing to have more.

The venue doesn't offer catering so everything needs to be brought in from outside caterers. Because the wedding is in the next 3 months we are struggling to find caterers that are available for our date hence the pizza option, but we will have a think!

If food is a big problem, an option is to change the timings to everyone arriving at 7.30pm or later, for drinks, cake / nibbles only, and a small wedding party eat at a restaurant before that.

I’d be grateful as usually we end up starving.
Pizza would be warmly welcomed. Lots of paper napkins tho please.

Cold pizza - errr no. Revolting. Your local dominos just won't be able to cater for that. They're wet up to deliver half a dozen together at best (and usually luke warm). And £650 is a ridiculous amount to spend on cheap crap food.

If you're providing cold buffet just provide hot as well if there are cooking facilities, or get a caterer in that knows what they're doing and can deliver.

Does the venue have facilities to serve the hot food, and/or a kitchen?

No to calling out for a pizza. The last wedding I went to were on a bit of a budget so hired a bbq catering company which went down really well.

@VariationsonaTheme

You’ll never get 65 pizzas delivered hot. As much as I love dominos I wouldn’t be doing this.

I agree with this. Nowhere has capacity to cook that many pizzas at once - you'll probably find the local Italian can cook about 8 at once - so some of that pizza will have been sat about for ages and ages when people eat it.

If I was getting all dressed up to go to a wedding and had bought a nice present I'd be so disappointed to find out there was a pizza buffet. If I knew in advance I'd eat before I went to the wedding. I think pizza is ok but not for a wedding.

Would pizza be in keeping with the rest of the wedding?

It’s not a question of snobbery, but if people are going to be buying a new dress, spending on a wedding gift, wearing heels and fascinators - then I don’t think pizza is acceptable really.

If it’s all much more relaxed, no need for fancy clothes, children shrieking and running around, local band, basically a slightly more glam Saturday night at the pub - then pizza is fine. Maybe add in a few trays of different types of pizza, mixed salad, breadsticks etc. Bottled beer and Prosecco rather than wine and champagne.

The venue doesn't offer catering so everything needs to be brought in from outside caterers.

Do they have any facilities for keeping food warm, or cooking on site?

I don't understand how dominos think they're going to cook and deliver 65 + pizzas. That's madness and you'll end up being remembered as the wedding that served freezing cold pizza.

@TunnelOfGoats

You could see if you could get a pizza chef with portable wood fired oven to make pizzas to order for your guests on site? That would also allow for smaller, personal sized ones for those who eat less. You could make nice mock menus and ask people to order in advance too so quicker and no wastage for the caterers

There is no way this would work for over 100 people

Pizzas are a great idea! But, sorry, I know a lot of people who agree that Dominoes pizzas are absolute yuck!