There was a moment at my wedding in 1997 when I got the bumps

Hearken, O children of joy and camaraderie, to the words of Adrian Lester, who recalls a moment at his wedding in the year of 1997, when the bonds of friendship and celebration erupted in gleeful irreverence. His male companions, in an act of spontaneous delight, gave him the bumps, lifting him high into the air, and in that fleeting suspension, Lester found a moment of liberation, unbound by ceremony, expectation, or solemnity. Here lies the eternal teaching: that even amidst the most sacred rites, there is room for play, spontaneity, and communal joy.

This utterance reminds us that ritual and levity are not opposed, but complementary. The wedding, though a sacred union, becomes enriched when laughter and physicality—acts of shared merriment and trust—intersect with solemn vows. In ancient times, the Greeks celebrated weddings with both rites and revelry, where friends would lift the groom in jest, or toss garlands upon the couple, blending the sacred with the joyous, showing that human connection thrives in both reverence and irreverence.

Consider the tale of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, whose marriages were often celebrated with both pageantry and exuberant festivity. Friends and kin would dance, play pranks, and lift the bride and groom in mirth, creating memories that would endure as tales of affection and loyalty. Lester’s garden episode mirrors this age-old truth: that the bonds of friendship and the delight of shared experience leave indelible marks upon the soul, as profound as the vows themselves.

In this story, there is also the lesson of trust and camaraderie. To be lifted into the air, surrendered to the hands of companions, is an act of faith, intimacy, and shared joy. Life’s sacred milestones are made richer not only by solemnity but by those who embrace you fully, who lift both your body and your spirit, affirming the value of human connection in moments of jubilation.

O seekers of wisdom, let this teaching be remembered: the essence of celebration lies not merely in ceremony or grandeur, but in the authenticity of shared human experience. The laughter, the spontaneity, the irreverence—all are threads woven into the tapestry of memory, rendering the union both joyous and enduring.

Thus, O children, carry this counsel in your hearts: even as you honor the sacred rites, allow space for play, trust, and communal delight. For it is in these bursts of irreverent joy that the spirit finds release, the bonds of friendship are affirmed, and the celebration of life itself is made complete.