Hiring a Piper - for a Wedding

     Weddings are an incredible celebration of love and joy. Many couples choose to include bagpipes as a part of that celebration. Since we often receive phone calls about hiring a piper (or pipers) to include as part of the special day, this page is designed to help those considering the beauty of bagpipes as part of the festivities.

Can I have bagpipes as part of the ceremony / Mass, or can they only be played outside the church?

     It's your day- we can accommodate within reason to just about any request. We have arranged for pipers inside churches during the wedding, before and after the wedding outside the church, at the reception, and combinations of all three. We have arranged for pipers at weddings in Protestant churches, Catholic churches, and non-denominational churches. There are no restrictions on the use of bagpipes by any faith, to our knowledge.

How many bagpipers should I have at my wedding?

     That is entirely up to you. We have played for weddings where a single piper was more than adequate, up to 5 pipers for a large wedding (see the above picture). Most weddings have one or two pipers, though. The piper or pipers can also work with your organist.

What will the piper or pipers be wearing?

     Traditional highland kilt attire. For weddings, this is usually a Prince Charlie Jacket, although an Argyll jacket with vest can be worn if requested.

             Prince Charlie Jacket                                                                          Argyll Jacket

What does it cost to hire a piper for a wedding?

     It is important to keep in mind that when hiring a piper for a wedding, you are not only contracting for that person's time and talent, but the preparation required as well. Bagpipes must be tuned prior to the wedding. For this reason, a piper usually must arrive at the church about an hour before people are expected to arrive to allow for tuning time prior to your guests arriving. It also takes about a half hour to get dressed into formal highland attire. Add all this to travel time and there is significant time committment for each wedding. You may only see it as a 15 minute performance, but in reality it is 2 to 3 hours of the piper's time devoted to a spectacular performance.

     The average starting rate for a wedding is about $225, but may be more based on the number of performances requested or travel time.

Can you recommend someone for us?

     Usually we can. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware we recommend ProPiper.com (www.propiper.com), who is one of the owners of this website. This website also has sound samples to help make recommendations for your special day.

     If he is unavailble or if a piper is needed in a different area, please contact us directly and we will be glad to make a referral.