Bagipes Banned from Edinburgh Wedding !

[GreenDragon]

I would change the venue if it were my planned wedding.

this!

[Phil]

Surely the whole point here is that the minister is effectively the "host" in his own church and must be allowed to dictate his preferences according to his own views and preferences. If the wedding party (most of whom I have to say have probably not darkened the door of a church before in their lifetimes) don't agree then they are free to go elsewhere. Who here would turn up at a social occasion demanding that everything must be done their way and their host has no business disagreeing?
On a not unrelated subject who was it who said that a gentleman is someone who knows how to play the bagpipes - but doesn't!

[Jock Scot]

I do not profess to be any sort of expert on church matters and my only visits to them are for weddings and funerals-----all pipe playing opportunities. So after three score years and ten(plus a tad) I must have been to more than just a few of these ceremonies throughout Scotland and the UK in general and I cannot recall the pipes being played inside a church or cathedral. Outside? Most certainly.

[Duncanofcolorado]

Bagpipes at a funeral

As a piper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. played like I've never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Apparently I'm still lost.... it's a man thing.

WOW. Thanks for that.