What is shotgun wedding?

A "shotgun wedding" is a colloquial term for a wedding that is hastily arranged, often due to an unplanned pregnancy. The implication is that the couple is getting married quickly to adhere to social or familial pressure, traditionally suggesting that the bride's father is "forcing" the marriage to preserve the family's honor—symbolized metaphorically as "pointing a shotgun" to ensure the groom marries his daughter.

While the term originated in a context that applied societal pressure to conform to traditional values, nowadays it may also refer more generally to any rushed wedding, regardless of the reason behind it. In contemporary settings, the pressure might come from different social expectations rather than familial coercion. Despite its origins, the stigmatization associated with shotgun weddings has lessened over time as social norms around relationships and family structures have evolved.