Pipers! I need help once more

[oldsoldier]

Well, I am not a piper (yet), but I have alot of friends who are. They charge about $300 for a wedding, if they arent booked (obviously). It takes a couple years to be good enough on the pipes to be hired out, and some folks, thats their bread & butter. It may seem a little high, but, not outrageously so, in my opinion.

[haukehaien]

1) How many tunes is the piper playing?
2) Will he be there for the rehearsal?
3) Does he have to travel for the ceremony?

All of these things affect the price, as does your location. Bear in mind that while the ceremony may be less than an hour, the piper will have to allow time for tuning, warmup, getting dressed (I assume that he will be in Number 1 Dress or civilian equivalent) and depending on temperature/humidity and so forth, may have to have his doublet and kilt dry-cleaned afterwards. All of that gets built into the price. How is his playing? Will you be able to find another piper of the same caliber if you decide that $400 is too much?

Without more information, it's hard to know; but $400 is certainly not out of the ballpark for a wedding, especially if any travel is involved.