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entertaining guests at weddings, banquets and parties for centuries. Your
guests will be quite surprised when they arrive at your wedding and hear
hauntingly romantic sounds of the Great Scottish Bagpipes.
Before the Ceremony: This is a good time to "set the mood" for your wedding.
As the guests are arriving the pipers play in an area near the entrance to the
service.
During the Wedding Ceremony typically, the pipers play for the mothers and
grandmothers to be seated. Then they play for the bridesmaids and grooms to
take their place The moment everyone has been waiting for, the pipers play that
grand traditional Scottish Wedding tune "Highland Cathedral" for the bride's walk
down the aisle. For some weddings, the pipers play a short tune, usually Amazing
Grace, during a special part of the ceremony, such as a candle lighting, or after a
special prayer blessing. At the end of the ceremony, when the minister introduces
the newly weds as Mr. and Mrs.... the pipers play "Scotland The Brave" as they
lead the wedding couple back up the aisle and outside. The pipers continue
playing as the rest of the bridal party exits the ceremony area.
At the Reception, the bagpipers start playing outside the reception area for
approximately 15 minutes while waiting for the newly weds to arrive. After the
photos are taken and the couple are ready, the pipers lead the pair into the
reception hall playing that proud and festive tune of celebration and honor...
"Scotland The Brave." If the bridal couple wish, the pipers will play a dedication
to the bride "The Rose of Kelvingrove" and perhaps offer a private toast to the
couple.
LAST NOTE:
This is your wedding.... you are in control, and you may customize the service to
suit your taste and priorities. You decide how much bagpiping will be
used, and when. The music choices are somewhat flexible, and pipers always have
quite a few tunes memorized and ready to play. See our Tune List on the "Tunes"
page link above. A waltz played while the bride and groom dance
by themselves is very popular and we suggest "Mrs. Isabella MacKenzie
Sutherland" for this special moment.
Wedding blessing
Mìle fàilte dhuit le d'bhréid,
Fad do ré gun robh thu slàn.
Móran làithean dhuit is sìth,
Le d'mhaitheas is le d'nì bhi fàs.
Translated as:
"A thousand welcomes to you with your marriage kerchief,
may you be healthy all your days.
May you be blessed with long life and peace,
may you grow old with goodness and with riches."
This is attributed to the Rev. Donald MacLeod, minister of Duirinish, Skye
Scotland c. 1760.
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