shotgun wedding
A wedding in which the bride is already pregnant.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Her parents insisted on a shotgun wedding.”
“When they found out she was pregnant, the families arranged a shotgun wedding within a month.”
“The novel opens with a tense shotgun wedding in a dusty chapel, the bride visibly pregnant and the groom's face set with grim resignation.”
From the late 19th century, referring to a marriage ceremony conducted under duress. The term rests upon the implication that the groom was forced to the altar by the bride's relatives, who reportedly found a shotgun to be an effective tool for securing his attendance.
- 01
penny wedding
A wedding at which the guests contribute payments in order to fund the event and to benefit the newly-married couple.
- 02
ride shotgun
To accompany the driver of a vehicle on a journey as an armed escort (originally with a shotgun); (by extension) to accompany someone in order to assist and protect.
- 03
shotgun approach
An approach in which the subject is indiscriminate and haphazard, using breadth, spread, or quantity in lieu of accuracy, planning, etc.
Last updated August 10, 2026