Pipers! I need help once more

[Jack Daw]

I know thie question is now academic regarding the original poster's situation; but, for future reference for those that will be hiring pipers for similar events, it doesn't hurt to add my 2 cents worth.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't be shy about asking a surgeon where he went to medical school before he cuts into me. By the same token, if I'm paying $400 for a piper who's only playing at the wedding ceremony and not playing tunes at the reception, he'd better be a professional or a grade 2 competitor versus a grade 4 amateur, who's been playing only a couple of years. And, his outfit should be top-notch.

But, prices might be oddly skewed for Houston as we have a glut of pipers. The St. Thomas Episcopal School in Houston is a piper/drummer/Highland dancer mill.