Bagpipes have been played at weddings since the Middle Ages when they were considered one of the most popular instruments throughout Europe and the Isles. The main reason for this is that one bagpiper could make enough sound for all to enjoy without any amplification!

Not only do bagpipers add great background music to an event, but a Bagpiper kitted out in full regalia turns heads in any environment and therefore is a valuable asset to any wedding photo collection.

Over the last 3 years alone I have performed at well over 100 weddings all over the North of England and Wales, as well as the East and West Midlands. I can therefore offer guidance and advice on the traditional role of a bagpiper at a wedding.

The Ceremony

Most people that book me to play the bagpipes for their wedding ceremony request me to be available up to an hour before the service begins so that I can be playing as their guests arrive. After all guests have entered the church / ceremony room I will generally stop playing until the bride arrives. When the bride arrives I will greet her with a pipe tune and pipe her up to the church / ceremony room door. Occasionally she will want to be piped down the aisle. I am also occasionally asked to perform during the signing of the register (sometimes the Scottish smallpipes are more appropriate as they are quiter than the highland pipes). As the service ends I will either lead the bride and groom out of the church / ceremony room and or be ready to perform as they take their first steps out of the church as a married couple. I will then play in the background as photos are being taken.

The Reception

If the wedding reception is at a different venue to where the ceremony has taken place I am often requested to be at the reception venue before the bride and groom arrive so that I can be there to greet them and pipe them into the drinks reception.

If the drinks reception is taking place outdoors I will generally be asked to perform in the background.

My final role at the wedding reception is generally to pipe the bride and groom to the top table. I will generally play a traditional upbeat march such as Scotland The Brave, Highland Laddie or the Black Bear to get guests clapping and cheering.

On the odd occasion I have been asked to perform at the end of the wedding reception to mark the end of the event and pipe out the bride and groom.

Music Repertoire

I will generally perform traditional Scottish marches before and after the wedding ceremony. Tunes may include:

• Scotland The Brave
• Maries Wedding
• Road To The Isles
• Silver Threads
• Barren Rocks of Aden
• The Rowan Tree
• Bonnie Lass of Fife
• My Home
• Skye Boat Song
• Westering Home
• Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon
• Green Hills of Tyrol
• When The Battles O'er
• Mull of Kintyre
• The Dark Island

Popular tunes for piping the bride into the ceremony / signing of the register include:

• Maries Wedding
• Highland Cathedral
• For The Love Of A Prince (Braveheart theme)
• Amazing Grace
• Flower of Scotland
• Skye Boat Song
• The Dark Island

During photos I generally play a mixture of traditional marches (including those listed above) and upbeat jigs, strathspeys, reels and hornpipes to keep guests entertained and feet tapping. Some of these include:-

• Cock Of The North
• Glasgow City Police Pipers
• Highland Wedding
• The Athol Highlanders
• Break Yer Bass Drone Again
• The Starloch Turkeys
• Itchy Fingers
• The Banjo Breakdown
• Orange and Blue
• The Mason's Apron
• Devil Among The Tailors
• The Black Bear
• Highland Laddie
• Pibroch of Donald Dhu
• The Mucking of Geordies Byyre
• Bonnie Dundee
• The Glendural Highlanders
• The Jack Daniels Reel
• The Pumpkins Fancy

Indian Weddings

I have performed at a number of Indian weddings which have always been great experiences for me. On most occasions my role is to pipe the bride and groom into the wedding reception. I will generally be accompanied by dhol drummers which make a superb addition to the highland bagpipes (or Highland Baja as they are known in India)..

Testimonials

'Just to say a heartfelt thank you for making my daughters wedding day on the 3rd July a very special day. I was so glad I booked you as you played beautifully all through the day.
Everyone commented how smart you looked and how friendly you where. I would certainly recommend you for any occasion and wish you all the very best for the future as you deserve to be fully booked for events.' - Margaret and Nigel Record (Sturton Le Steeple nr Retford)

'We would both like to say a great big thank you for piping at our wedding. All of the guests were very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed it. My dad was very impressed too! Phew! I will recommend you to anybody.' - Katrina Mackay (Wedding at the Langdale Chase, Windermere, The Lake Distrcit)

'We would also like to thank you so much for the way you conducted yourself through out our wedding, you are very professional, kind and you looked fantastic. Everyone commented on how well you played and performed. We cannot thank you enough especially as you played such a big part
walking down the aisle and playing us out the church. My children also loved you.
thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we would have no hesitaion in recommending you Ed xxx' - Amanda and Terry Hayes (Wedding at Sturton Le Steeple nr Retford)

'We had a wonderful day on Saturday, there were so many hi-lights and you playing the pipes was certainly one of them. Everyone was talking about you afterwards and saying how special you made it. I can honestly say it was one of the best days of our lives. Kate was over the moon with our "surprise".  Thank you so much Ed. I wish I could have chatted to you for a wee while but time just seemed to flash past and I didn't get chance. ' - Lynn Roberts (Wedding at St John's Church, Golcar, Huddersfield)

'Thankyou Ed for playing at our wedding reception 12th sep , it really brought something special to our night , and i would be glad to recommend you to friends and family. Thanks again'. - Joe O'neil (Bradford)

'Thank you so much for playing such a special role on our wedding day, you were absolutely fantastic. It made it so special for us having you playing at Bolsover Castle, it just made the hairs stand up on the back of our necks!All the guests said how great you were - once again thank you very much for everything'-Faye and Martin (Chesterfield)

'Sue and I just wanted to say thank you to Musicmakers for the part they played in our wedding.The piper was excellent; he turned up on time, played really well and absolutely looked the part for us and was equally well received by both our Scottish and non Scottish friends and family' -Feedback sent to the agency Musicmakers (Castle Donington)

'Just to say a big thank you for playing at our son's wedding yesterday - Whitley Hall Hotel -  Everyone enjoyed the bagpipes very much and I had many comments about how lovely they sounded.  Lee and his wife Rachel both loved having you there, you made their day even more special, once again thank you very much.'-Sue Nash (Sheffield)

'Just a quick e-mail to thank you for your services at our Wedding on the 9th November 2007 and can say you went down a storm, even to the critical Scottish ears which were in attendance. So thanks again and hope you remain busy in your work and we would have no hesitation in recommending your services to anyone concerned.'- Gary Kerr

'Thankyou so much for playing at my wedding on Sunday. I didn't get the opportunity to personally thankyou on sunday. When I arrived at church the look on my fathers face was a picture he was well surprised. My father explained the two pieces you played at church to my guests.
I loved the way in which you piped down to the church it was very moving and made our day very special.
At the reception many of the guests commented about you and your playing and how moving it was.
I thankyou for making my day very special also my fathers.
Many Thanks' - Fiona Lamming (Leeds)

'Please pass on our thanks to the piper for making it  a perfect day.' -Nicol Yost (Eagle, Lincolnshire)