Top Tips: Hiring a Wedding Piper
Serving as a national and international centre of excellence for the Great Highland Bagpipe and its music, The National Piping Centre is also home to a Piper Hire service, supplying extremely professional, competent and expert pipers for a whole range of occasions â including weddings! Now, while weâre a little biased, we donât think thereâs anything thatâll add more occasion to an event than the presence of a piper, and in our experience, wedding guests will often comment that the piper was a highlight of the day. If youâd like to hire a piper for your own wedding day, here are some of our top tips to ensure that itâs a highlight of yours!
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Do hire a professional
This will help make sure that everything goes smoothly! Hiring a professional through an agency such as ours will mean that the piper is experienced in playing weddings, and having played the instrument for years, be able to deliver the best performance for you on the day.
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Donât ask for Chart Hits
Itâs a good idea to have a look on YouTube for some inspiration before asking your piper to play certain tunes. Weâd recommend avoiding chart hits â the range of popular wedding tunes from Westlife or Celine Dion is too wide to be played on pipes. Similarly, itâs best to avoid tunes thatâd require accompaniment â our piper was asked to play a Cascada song and, as the pipes are one instrument and the recorded version is multitrack, the end result didnât match the brideâs expectations. Itâs best to be realistic about what can and canât be played on the instrument, and a professional piper will be able to advise you.
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Do consider that it takes time to learn new music
When hiring a professional musician, they will do all they can to fulfil your wishes, so do feel free to ask for any particular tunes youâd like to hear played on your wedding day! However, consider that it may take them a little time to learn something theyâre unfamiliar with. Itâs best to ask for any special requests from the outset so that they have plenty of time to perfect the tune and deliver the best performance possible on the day.
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Donât offer your piper a drink
While there may be a toast for the piper, which is the notable exception for this rule, generally speaking, your piper is a professional and wonât want to drink on the job. While you may think it mannerly to offer your piper a drink, avoid causing any awkwardness by not insisting that they let you buy them a drink. Depending on the location of your venue, itâs worth considering that they may well be driving too!
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Donât haggle
When hiring a professional piper, you are paying for their expertise, and they will often have spent years learning their craft. Furthermore, not all of the payment you make to the piper will be profit â as with any other business, there are overheads involved, from the upkeep of their pipes, dress, the overall time spent at the wedding and travel costs. This is particularly relevant when hosting your big day in a rural location, so be sure to consider the costs involved when evaluating a quote.
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Do pay a deposit
Make sure you secure your booking with a deposit, as you would with any other wedding supplier, and ask for receipts! It may be worth considering paying the full amount in advance, so that you donât have to worry about making payments during your wedding day. If you do decide to pay the piper on the day, do it at the service or in the middle of the day. Perhaps designate the task to the best man or another responsible attendee, so that you donât have to worry about it and avoid any awkwardness when the piper has to ask for payment.
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And finallyâŠ
Donât ask for anything too out of the ordinary â unless youâre willing to pay for it! Weâve heard tales of pipers being asked to wear the groomâs tartan for a ceremony, and while this is a lovely idea, it would be a huge out of pocket expense for a piper. If youâre not willing to cover the costs involved, then itâs best to avoid such requests. On the other hand, if youâd be happy to pay for your special request to be fulfilled, then itâs worth asking early on! A professional piper will want to make your wedding day as special as youâve always dreamed it would be, and the more time you give them, the more likely theyâll be able to make it happen.
If you'd like to find out more about booking one of our world class pipers, you can read more about our Piper Hire service by clicking here. All weddings at The National Piping Centre include a red carpet welcome with a world class bagpiper. If you'd like to find our more about getting married at The National Piping Centre, contact us on 0141 353 5551 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.