Music or piper for walking down the aisle

I was going to be piped in, but then H decided he really wanted a string quartet, so they played for the service and then during the drinks reception. I still made my entrance to the Theme from Braveheart though ?

We then hired a piper to 'call our guests to dinner' (we couldn't get married in Scotland without a piper at some point during the day), he then piped us in and announced all the speeches. He was fab!

I think if I was Scottish or getting married in Scotland it would have to be a piper. My OH doesn't like them but who cares what he thinks!! ?

We had the organist at the Church. But the piper played outside the church as guests arrived and then afterwards he piped us around the church ( bit of a tradition at our church as there's an back and front entrance) and then again at the Hotel. We just got piped into the drinks reception rather than into dinner!

I was determined I wanted music but recently started to think I may as well make the most of having the piper.

Kitty do you mind me asking how much you paid for your piper? I've been quoted £170 and he would be there from 1.30pm until we were seated for dinner. Does that seem a fair price?

Lx

I was piped down the aisle to highland cathedral .... it was truly lovely and the song still makes me cry nearly 5 years on ?

We were originally planning on getting married in Edinburgh and I wanted Highland Cathedral to play me down the aisle... gives me goosebumps!

To me that seems a fair price. We paid £120 but that was only for an hour as all he did was call every one for dinner, pipe as the guests went in, piped us in and then announced each speech (which we had before dinner) he then gave a pipers toast and piped himself out!

Our piper was the last thing we booked as in all honesty, we had the string quartet (who were also brilliant) so we really didn't need anything else, but I wanted one and I am so glad we did! He was what I call my little luxury spend. He was also rather yummy to look at, according to all our female guests ?

I'll have a listen to highland cathedral, thanks.

As a guest do you think a piper would be more memorable than a song?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7tW3dqYmDo just had another little blub ?

hey PG - glad to hear all is well again!

We had a piper and drummer and it was just awesome. Had 'music' (snow patrol, naturally!) for the signing, then piped out again and later into dinner. It was a real talking point even tho' a lot of our guests were Scottish ... (the non-scots thought it was brilliant tho'!)

£170 seems a good price for, what, 2/3hrs? We won our 2 folk in an auction so what we paid is irrelevant.... but I had looked before at hiring a piper and I'd say £170 is pretty good. Does he/she have good testimonials? (I say she as we had a female piper which was quite cool actually!)

It had to be a piper for me. It was totally amazing - made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and the guests loved it as well.

Thanks Leigh. I'm glad it is sorted as well because I couldn't take much more.

I'd love a piper and drummer and remember you asked your piper is she was free on my date but wasn't sure because of the piping competitions happening around the same time. We were going to book Clanadonia, have a listen there are amazing https://www.clanadonia.co.uk/, but just can't justify spending so much on them.

Chasing Cars will be playing somewhere within the wedding because it is my favourite song.

We have been recommend these guys for piping http://www.strictly-piping.com/index.html and they have played for some big events including something to do with the QE2 so free pretty confident with them.

Think I'll go with a piper for me walking in, thanks girls.

Lx

Fab I'll listen to it tonight as youtube is blocked in work.

Hi Purrfect Gems ?

We paid £200 for a piper and a drummer from http://www.strictly-piping.com/

We had the choice of how they dressed and chose the full ceremonial as you already know, H and all his family are Northern Irish and we had guests coming from Canada.

BWC recommended them to us and they were fab. I really wanted piped down the aisle but our minister said no because the organ in the church is one of the top 5 in the country. We had them pipe for the arrival of the guests (which H family from Canada thought was amazing), pipe for wedding party arrival, pipe after the marriage while photo's were taken, pipe at the reception venue for us arriving and then pipe the wedding party into the meal and obviously then us. They were fantastic it was probably the best £200 spent!! We did get a quote from another company for £240 (the £40 was the agents booking fee and they wanted that up front) Strictly Piping asked for payment on the day.

HTH

Luv Victoria

xx

Hi Victoria,

Love your Christmas name, I can't think of one so got myself a new avatar instead.

Thanks so much for posting. It is Strictly Piping that we have been in touch with but they were recommended by someone else so I'm delighted to hear you loved them and the BWC recommended them. It was my h2b that spoke to Graham on the phone and had a really good feeling about him so I'm going to drop him an email and confirm the booking now.

Thanks again

Lynsey x

Haha, this is so bizarre! H2B and I were talking about this exact thing last night!

We thought we may like the piper to pipe 'You Raise Me Up' by Russell Watson as I walk down the aisle.

I'd have quite liked Highland Cathedral but my Mum wants it played at her funeral (morbid, I know, lol) so if I had it for my wedding I'd never be able to listen to it again if she then had it at her funeral! ?

Hi Jen,

Yeah probably best not to have the same thing played as your mum wants! See I don't really know much about pipers but can they play pretty much anything (within reason obviously)?

Glad you got it all sorted Lynsey! I'm glad I could help, as soon as I called them and spoke to them I knew we would book them. I just got a really good feeling about them and the 2 guys that came on the day were fab. The piper walked up to my mum and MIL and said "I take it you are the mum's, you both look stunning"! They were so pleased! It was a nice touch too.

Stephen and I didn't have much dealings with them on the day but we did have a wee chat with them both just before everyone got seated for the meal.

Good luck with the rest of your planning and its nice to see everything worked out and you're back on track with the planning! Its good that you've decided to get your stationary elsewhere and eased the pressure of yourself!

Lots of luv

Victoria

xx

p.s I didn't think my wee Christmas username was that good - it was the best I could come up with ?

I think pipers can play pretty much anything, yes. I'd suggest compiling a list of what you may like and then asking them what they can play.

They might have a standard list of 'wedding songs' that they normally play at weddings and may be thrilled to get asked to play something as bit different! ?

I can't play piper.

I am planning on getting piped down the aisle, either to Highland Cathedral or Sands of Kuwait-both give me goosebumps. Slightly worried tho, one of my flowergirls (H2Bs niece) who lives in England was in our car and we were playing the red hot chilli piper CD, she had her hands over her ears shouting no no switch it off-all I can imagine is her walking down the aisle behind me doing that ha ha

xxx