If you have even a trace of Scottish blood there’s nothing like the sound and sight of a bagpiper to rekindle your pride and enthusiasm for all things Scottish. Pipers have been at central to special occasions in Scotland for centuries and, although the bagpipes may not have necessarily originated here, this is where bagpipe music has reached high level of refinement and where the standard of pipe music is consistently very high among hundreds if not thousands of pipers.
In Scotland there’s always been a tradition of hiring a wedding bagpiper where they have several well defined roles. The first is to welcome your guests by piping them into the ceremony as they arrive. This works equally well whether you’ve chosen a church or a civil venue and sometimes even helps guests to find it if they’re new to the area since a set of pipes can be heard up to a mile away with the wind in the right direction, they’re designed to be played outside! Even so, well-played pipes are not too loud for most people unless you stand right beside them for several minutes at a time and are a pleasure to listen to even if the music is not that familiar to you.
Piping Processional Music
The most popular task for a wedding piper is to pipe in the bride and there are literally hundreds of tunes that are perfect for processional music. Unfortunately many people know only a very few pipe tunes so pipers get more requests for Highland Cathedral, Amazing Grace and even Mull of Kintyre than any other tune. They’re fine melodies but much the same as the last and the next wedding so ask your piper and he’ll be happy to suggest a range of pieces to suit the different parts of your ceremony.
The bagpiper can play a piece during your signing of the register and in some cases it’s possible to have them stand outside the venue or in the hallway if it’s not a large room or suite but the next big moment is when the newlyweds are piped out, the recessional. Again thee are a wealth of joyful, triumphant, stirring pipe tunes so go to your piper for suggestions, most have repertoires in excess of 200 separate melodies.
Your Personal Piper
That comes in useful when you decide to have your piper stay on and play as requested through your champagne or cocktail reception and there’s no better way to underline key moments such as announcement, cutting the cake, even just getting your guests attention so you can marshall them for photographs and a properly dressed piper is always a favourite subject for photos, whether alone or posing with the couple and individual guests. This echoes times past when the laird or chieftain would call upon his personal piper to underscore the special day with his unique dignity, style and drama.
Often the wedding bagpiper‘s last task is to pipe the bridal party into the dining hall and up to the top table and this can be topped by proposing a toast to the bride. This longer option will last for about three hours whereas the pre-ceremony and ceremony will take about one hour.
Cost of a wedding piper
The price of your piper will depend upon where you’re getting married, how long you want them to be in attendance and which uniform the wear. Within Scotland you should be able to find a piper fairly local to almost any location whereas, in the rest of the UK, availability will depend very much on how close you’ll find a quality piper. We’ve supplied pipers from Newcastle and Cumbria to London, Cornwall and Wales and the price depends upon who’s free on your date and how far they have to travel. Remember that the main work for a piper is traveling to you, dressing properly and preparing his equipment, the length of playing time is less important since they’ve already given you their day. A fair price in Scotland would be £110 for one hour and £160 for three hours if no extra travel is incurred.
Piper’s uniform
When it comes to uniforms most pipers prefer to play in No.2s which is Kilt, Sporran, kilt hose, shirt, tie, Glengarry cap and often a black jacket. This is smart, practical, easy to play well in and wont upstage the bride for visual wow factor. No.1s on the other hand are sometimes call “Full Highland Regalia”, it what you see at the Edinburgh Tatoo and very formal events. This uniform costs thousands, is fairly stiff and uncomfortable to play in, far too hot for even a reasonable summers day and visually spectacular with feather Bonnet, plaid, full tunic, cross belt, half-hose and white spats. Expect to always pay more if your piper is to wear No.1s.
Perhaps a wedding that touches someone’s culture is very common today. It makes them become more unique and be remembered. This is a great article especially for those who are yet planning for their Scottish wedding.
I’ve never sing bagpipes at a wedding especially here in the US, but you know after reading through your blog, on my next wedding I will definitely hire one.
thank you for sharing.