Oregon Piper Plays @ Rustic Wedding in Silverton, OR
Some weddings aren’t held in churches- some are held in wooded forests a mile off the main road in Silverton, Oregon.
After finding the wedding location, I grabbed my bagpipe and headed towards a bustling crowd of family members and friends. Once there I met with my contact woman who held all the fine details and ironed out exactly what I would be doing:
- Start the bagpipe and march down the aisle playing Scotland the Brave, thus beginning the ceremony and queuing others (Groom,
Grooms men, flower girls, ect) to follow me. - Continue playing Scotland the Brave until the Bride is ready to traverse the aisle.
- Once the Bride is ready to walk, switch from Scotland the Brave to Highland Wedding (a slower, more reverent tune).
- Stop playing once the Bride has reached the end of the aisle, and disappear into the fauna of the forest until the end of the ceremony.
- Once the end of ceremony has arrived, reappear off the side of the altar, start the bagpipe and march the newlyweds back down the aisle.
Simple enough! From here I journeyed off a ways from the group and found a place to warm up my bagpipe for 5-10 minutes. The wedding site was a beautiful, family-owned hideaway, where moderate growth filtered sunlight into the patterns of leaves. The ambiance of the forest was quiet, and comfortable. The only tell-tale signs of a wedding were two square clusters of prominent white chairs, a flower-covered wooden altar, and white Christmas lights littered about the surrounding trees.
Hitching time came, and all went according to plan. After the wedding, the family graciously invited me to stay for the reception. I shared some food and conversation with several folks, and was asked if I would mind playing again, just for fun. “Sure!” I replied. I was having a great time. For about 20 minutes I played fun and upbeat tunes (such as jigs, hornpipes, and reels) from my repertoire, and a great time was had by all.
It may have been a bit off the beaten path, and it may have been a little different, but I believe it was the most fun I’ve ever had a at a wedding!
