Wedding porta potty or restroom trailer: how to choose
How many units a wedding needs, what each option costs for 120 guests, and what a standard unit leaves out at an evening reception.
· Restroom Ranch, Westfield, Indiana
Can you use porta potties at a wedding?
Yes. Fixr’s national cost guide lists standard units, deluxe or flushable units and restroom trailers as wedding options, from $125 to $175 for standard units up to $3,000 for a trailer. What decides it is the reception. A short daytime wedding can run on standard units and a hand-wash station. An evening reception with dinner and a bar, with guests dressed up and the sun going down, is where a restroom trailer earns its price.
For restrooms, we rent trailers only, starting at $1,420 per event with delivery, setup and pickup included. If you choose standard or deluxe units, book them from a sanitation company. The counts and costs below work either way.
Three ways to do the restrooms
All three get called a porta potty, and they are different products.
Standard units and a hand-wash station
A plastic cabin with a toilet, ventilation, a mirror and a paper dispenser, as Fixr lists it. It does not flush and has no power. Guests wash their hands at a separate station, which Fixr puts at about $155 a week.
Flushing or deluxe units
Still single cabins, with a foot-pedal flush and usually a sink. Fixr’s deluxe units add hot and cold running water and cost $200 to $350 a day each. Our flushable porta potty guide explains how they work.
A restroom trailer
Private rooms with flushing porcelain toilets, a vanity with hot and cold water, mirrors, lighting, heat and air conditioning. It needs firm, level ground and two power circuits within 100 feet.
How many porta potties for a wedding
Two published rules of thumb get you close. The sanitation company makes the final count.
One unit per 50 guests for four hours
That is ZTERS’s figure for special events. It says to add more if alcohol is served or the event runs longer, without saying how many.
15 to 20 percent more with food and drinks
Fixr’s rule. A wedding with dinner and a bar qualifies.
One accessible unit and one hand-wash station per four units
Also from Fixr’s guide.
For 120 guests, 120 divided by 50 is 2.4, so three units. Adding 15 to 20 percent for dinner and drinks gives 3.45 to 3.6, so four units, plus one accessible unit and one hand-wash station. That is arithmetic on the published rules, not a quote. A reception longer than four hours needs more, so ask the sanitation company to size it against your hours.
Round up rather than down. PolyJohn, a portable restroom manufacturer, rates its standard tank at about 120 uses and its flushing tank at about 75, and its usage notes say weather, food, drink and alcohol can raise use by 30 to 40 percent.
A trailer is sized differently. Our 3-Station serves up to 225 guests and our 5-Station up to 300, and how many restrooms you need works through wedding examples.
What each option costs for 120 guests
Unit prices are Fixr’s national one-day figures, labor included. The trailer price is our own.
| What you rent | Published price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Four standard units | $320 to $500 | $80 to $125 a day each |
| One accessible unit | $150 to $225 | a day |
| One hand-wash station | about $155 | a week; Fixr gives no day rate |
| Or four deluxe units | $800 to $1,400 | $200 to $350 a day each |
| Or our 3-Station trailer | from $1,749 | per event, delivery, setup and pickup included |
So standard units come to about $470 to $725 with the accessible unit, plus the hand-wash station. Deluxe units, which have their own sinks, come to $950 to $1,625 with the accessible unit. Our sizing guide puts a 120-guest, five-hour reception with beer and wine on the 3-Station.
Fixr’s figures were last updated on January 31, 2025, and some companies add weekend delivery or mileage on top. Our porta potty rental cost guide lists the fees to ask about.
Our trailers are not ADA accessible. When a wedding needs an accessible restroom, we arrange one through partner companies and quote it separately.
What standard units leave out at an evening reception
None of these rules them out. Each one needs a plan if you book them.
- Light. A standard unit has no power, so after sunset guests need light at the units and along the path. United Site Services offers solar lighting as an option on its flushing units.
- Hand washing. Without a sink, guests use sanitizer or the separate station. Fixr says a two-person station gives about 600 to 700 hand washes.
- Room to get ready. A single cabin has a mirror but no vanity or counter to set anything on.
- Tank capacity. At PolyJohn’s ratings of about 120 uses for a standard tank and 75 for a flushing one, a long reception can fill them, which is why the count above rounds up.
- Heat and cooling. No power also means no heat or air conditioning. Our air conditioned porta potty guide covers a July date.
Which one fits your wedding
Our recommendation, not an industry rule.
Standard or deluxe units
A daytime ceremony with a short reception, a casual backyard party, or a tight budget. Add the hand-wash station and light the path.
A restroom trailer
A reception that runs past dark, an open bar, guests in formalwear, a July or December date, or a reception longer than about four hours.
If you go with a trailer, our guide to restroom trailers for weddings covers where to put it and when it arrives, and the wedding bathroom basket covers what to add inside.
Questions couples ask
Can you have porta potties at a wedding?
Yes. Fixr lists standard units, deluxe or flushable units and restroom trailers as wedding options. Standard units suit a short daytime wedding with a hand-wash station. An evening reception with a bar is where a restroom trailer is worth its price.
How many porta potties do I need for a wedding?
ZTERS suggests one unit per 50 guests for a four-hour event, and more with alcohol or longer hours. Fixr adds 15 to 20 percent when food and drinks are served, plus one accessible unit and one hand-wash station for every four units. For 120 guests that works out to four units, one accessible unit and one hand-wash station.
How much does it cost to rent porta potties for a wedding?
Fixr puts wedding restroom rentals at $125 to $3,000, depending on the type. For 120 guests, four standard units and an accessible unit come to about $470 to $725 at Fixr’s day rates, plus about $155 a week for a hand-wash station. Restroom Ranch trailers start at $1,420 per event, and our sizing guide puts a 120-guest, five-hour reception with beer and wine on the 3-Station, at $1,749.
What is the difference between a porta potty and a restroom trailer?
A porta potty is a single plastic cabin over a holding tank, with no power. Deluxe versions add a flush and running water. A restroom trailer has private rooms with flushing porcelain toilets, a vanity with hot and cold water, lighting, heat and air conditioning, and it needs level ground and power.
Do you rent porta potties for weddings?
No. For restrooms, we rent trailers only, in 2-, 3- and 5-station sizes. If you choose standard or deluxe units, book them from a sanitation company.
Are your restroom trailers wheelchair accessible?
Our current trailers are not ADA accessible. When a wedding needs an accessible restroom, we arrange one through partner companies and quote it separately, so tell us early.
Price the trailer for your wedding
Send the date, the venue and the guest count. We will tell you which trailer fits and what it costs, with delivery, setup and pickup included.