Ceremonial Songs

I have 2 possibilities in mind for our ceremony music. The first would be to have a musically talented family member or friend play something for our processional and recessional. This would pretty much limit us to guitar or viola. No offense to my violist friend but I'm a violinist and really can't stand the sound of the viola even when played well. My cousin and my uncle both play guitar very well, as do a few mutual friends of ours so that's a viable option.

I didn't think my other idea was feasible on our budget. In fact, it's really not unless I manage to push some funds around and DIY more stuff. Therefore, I'd really written it off as an option, but mentioned in passing to my parents that, "Gee, it sure would be nice if we could afford a bagpiper for our ceremony." A few months passed from when I mentioned it, and then my mom suggested that she and my dad might be willing to cover the cost of hiring a piper. oooOOOOooo!

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I can tell that I'm about 150% more excited about this possibility than my fiance. He hasn't gone so far as to say that he doesn't like the bagpipes (maybe that's just because he fears I might hit him) but he's said something along the lines that he thinks the music played on them is inappropriate in the setting of a wedding. I disagree! I think the pipes are wonderful for all sorts of occasions of great pomp & circumstance, whether it be weddings, funerals, parades, or what have you. I haven't given up on the idea yet despite his lack of enthusiasm, but I fear it might fall by the wayside yet since this is after all *our* wedding, not just mine.

I have requests for quotes out to a dozen or so local pipers. I've received price quotes back from about 4 of them, with $250 being the best rate so far. Even if it's not technically my own money being spent for the piper's services, I do admit that $250 seems pretty steep when I essentially only want them to play 2 songs.

Maybe I should look into local fiddlers while I'm at it. I think Opie would be much more gung ho about that idea and it'd still be a very nice nod to my own heritage and interests, seeing as I'm a fiddler and generally obsessed with Celtic music and crafts. I don't even want to think about the amount of time I'll spend obsesssing over the music to be played if we hire a fiddler. Egads. Does anyone around here play Cape Breton style? No? Maybe I should just play my own music to wed by.

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