Hi Piperpals,
So…I have this friend who is looking to play more weddings than he usually plays in a year (a couple at best). People often ask him what the fee is to be the piper at a wedding. I think he charges less than your ubiquitous Highland piper charges.
What is a reasonable rate to hire an uilleann piper these days? It should at least match the GHBer rate, no?
…my friend would like to know…
For my friend,
That would depend on the calibre of the piper.
In your case you should probably offer to play for free. Wait! No! Sorry!
In your case they would be getting (don’t blush) some of the finest piping available (depending on the weather of course).
So start at $300 and add travel. (This usually covers: play whatever while guests arrive ; processional ; optional Catholic thing–air after communion ; recessional ; play for guests leaving; graveside Oops, wrong event.)
Ask for more if they force you to play the theme from Braveheart or You Raise Me Up.
Do you mean Highland pipers actually get PAID?
It should match the prevailing GHB service rate,
allowing for the particulars of the uilleann pipe.
for ex:
situations such as uilleann pipes being heard in a big room with a large rowdy crowd,
or leading anyone anywhere,
or piping outside in the rain/cold, etc., for 30 min
all this is of course best left to the ghb,
so some alternative service must be substituted if using uilleann.
Often I’ll say, “sure I’ll give you a special tune during the course of your ceremony, play along with the piano” or whatever, just to cover things the ghb would normally do.
bottom line,
Its important uilleann services be priced so folks dont think theyre getting ‘less’.
as for charging more than the ghb rate,
it depends on how much the client really wants uilleann pipes.
and by the way tommykleen,
Ive watched a steady decline in all booked weddings;
from average highs like 208 in 2001,
down to 37 in 2006.
Things came back up a wee bit in 08,
but no matter how low I go,
or how long I play,
or far I go,
or how I dress up,
or what pipe I play,
or what tune I do for them,
recent stats are right back in the 06 gutbucket. 
we’ll see in 2012 how the matching biz goes. 
First of all and foremost check the social register.
The guy that works at Mac donals should pay Mac donals fees,
doctors and lawyers should pay doctor and lawyer fees.
I’ve played a few weddings but mostly for friends (or children of friends). I’ve never asked for payment because, to be frank, the outrageous costs of weddings disgusts me. So my suggestion is : Do you bit for the economic crisis and offer your services for free!!
I am afraid that is not an option, Peej. Gig and busking $ is an important supplement to the family income.
believe it or not, I ve never found a sliding price scale to be advantageous. It always comes back ta bite ya, somehow…
My thinking is: if people can spend several thousands on all sorts of things, why should I be the one who gets nothing?
Usually, people don’t get married too often, therefore they don’t spare on expenses - only the bride’s wedding dress was definitely much more expensive than any piper’s fee. Knowing how much the DJ is getting makes me feel like an eejit (which I probably am…), and he does nothing but shoving CDs into his machine - I see no reason whatsoever offering my services for free, for an event that can easily cost between 20,000 and 50,000 Euros, or Dollars, an amount far beyond my own year’s income.
But then, I am a full-time musician, I need to earn money, be it a wedding, a funeral or a concert.
And a friend’s wedding is a different story again - but none of my friends could afford a 20,000 € wedding anyway…
And ChasR is absolutely right about the sliding price scale.
Fair enough. I’ll probably change my mind when I need the $$ to fund a new set …
Is anyone going to actually suggest or report a “going rate”?
Among the highland pipers I know, rates vary from $200 to $400.
sounds about right.
How much do those DJ types get, by the way?
Don’t know any DJs, just PJs 
.
The going rate I charge is $300, minimum. If there is much travel time involved, the I charge more. If for some very odd reason the want to hear solo pipes for an extended period of time, more than 20mins, which would be HIGHLY unusual then the price goes up.
Essentially, it’s a $300 base, and as my work/hassle load increases, so does the cost.
Having heard the skills of Mr. Kleen (and his “friend”) $300.00 would be extremely reasonable, and might be considered a bargain. If I were him, I would hold out for limo service also. 
Very appropriate for family and friends. Anyone else should pay something.
Your investment of time alone is more than enough to warrant a fee not to
mention expense of the instrument etc. Music is usually the last consideration
for weddings and not to charge lessens the value of your talent and the music in general.
Bite them back. It’s no one else’s business what you happen to charge. I’m
just saying that if you deem it proper to cut someone a break so be it.
It’s always a nice thing that you can do.
My normal fee is 250 €, which corresponds to 330 $ at today’s rate.
If in the foregoing telephone conversation I get the impression there’s a LOT of money involved, I add travelling costs,which may vary, so I can keep my rate stable and still have a chance of charging a little bit more. BTW, the average rate for a DJ here is from 1,200 upwards, so I think my price is still very, very low.
To me, it does not matter if I play for 2 hours, if requested (which is most usually not the case, very much like Brazenkane’s experience), or only play Amazing Grace (or whatever has been asked for) and something else. Whatever I do and play, I can’t take another gig for that particular day, so the day has to be paid for. Also, weddings don’t happen every day, and hiring a piper for a wedding is by far not as common in Germany as it is in the US or the UK.
Also, it is no real fun to be nice and answer questions like “why are you not wearing a skirt?”, “can you play the Scottish National Anthem, or is it too difficult for you?”, or “can you play Pray-fart?”. A-ha, the forum censorship is active…
Basically, as I see it, I’m doing good work, which I want to be paid for. From three days’ gig money, I can afford a one-day car repair - I guess I’ve chosen the wrong job.
The going rate for, ahem, certain musicians in the area where I live tends to be $200.00 for the first hour plus $50.00 for each additional hour or portion thereof. This is for gigs around town. Playing further afield would add travel expenses.
I certainly know of musicians who charge more, and if they manage alright, then fair play to them, but among the people I know who tend to make all or most of their income from music gigs, they tend to play for less than the rate they like to quote on things like Internet forums more often than many of them would care to admit…
I agree with most of the points made.
It’s been a good few years since I’ve played weddings (other than for free for friends), but I used to do quite a lot of wedding gigs back home with a harper. I totally agree with the perils of a sliding pay scale. Your time is your time. So don’t undervalue it. You are worth what you are worth. Also I was advised early on by a senior musician (accurately as later experience showed) that if you play for nothing, you are likely to be treated as though you are worth nothing (again, playing for friends aside of course).
As others have mentioned, be aware of travel costs and time. Just because you aren’t playing during those hours, it should still be factored into the amount of time you are giving to do the job.
Also if someone wanted me to learn a specific piece of music for a wedding, I would charge additional fees. It takes time to learn a piece, and to feel confident enough with it to play at someone’s wedding.
And be aware of rehearsals, and expect to be paid for them. Often the couple would expect me to come to the rehearsal a couple of days before the wedding. This was fine, but was extra travel and time, and hence extra costs, that needed to be factored in.
Having paid for my own wedding, I can tell you that paying a piper a proper fee is only a footnote in the overall budget. People shell out big bucks for weddings, so don’t feel at all embarrassed for expecting to be paid for your time and talents.
As a rule, I always try to talk the potential client OUT of solo pipes. I think a harmony instrument accompanying pipes always sounds better in a wedding (processional). At this point, I’ve played so many weddings (on and off the pipes), I’ve come to the conclusion thatI solo pipes can sound “heavy,” and/or serious just as a solo instrument in that setting. Mind you, I’m saying this as if I were a listener/attendee at the wedding, knowing little to nothing about pipes. Guitar lightens things up (or Harp), and is 100xs more digestible to everyone else. Therefore, I always try to book as a duo. Usually, that happens…sometimes not.
I’m recalling a time when someone was insisting on solo pipes. I said, “let me send you an mp3 of solo pipes,” and they quickly called back and said, “wow…thanks… lets go for the duo.”
This is just my take on it…