Shotgun Marriage Or Shotgun Wedding Meaning Definition Customs Laws

What Is The Meaning Or Definition Of Shotgun Marriage Or Shotgun Wedding:

Shotgun wedding means or is defined as a wedding that happens all of a sudden, mainly because the woman is pregnant, in which case the bride is pregnant, or due to some urgent circumstances, something that can’t wait. Such marriages are usually decided on the same day or the day before the actual wedding day and are generally short in terms of the actual wedding ceremonies.

Shotgun Wedding Is Used As A Figure Of Speech:

The term shotgun wedding is primarily an American idiom or colloquialism, termed on a melodramatic situation in which the pregnant wanna-be bride threatens the somewhat doubtful or reluctant groom with a shotgun so that he agrees to get married to her. In some cases, the father-in-law or one of the family members threatens both partners with a shotgun to get married before the child is born.

Shotgun Wedding Is All About Unwanted Pregnancy:

A shotgun wedding is a special type of wedding that is not pre-planned and is arranged in a rush in order to avoid any kind of public embarrassment due to premarital sex, which may have possibly led to unintended or unwarranted pregnancy, instead of a wishful desire of both the partners. All this gives rise to a strange situation of how to handle the unexpected pregnancy so that the future of the unborn child is secured.

Shotgun Wedding Reasons Or Purpose:

The main reason for a shotgun wedding is to try to make sure the unborn child will be happily raised by both parents as a family, not to mention, it also serves the purpose of restoring societal or social honor to the would-be mother. Another objective of such a wedding could be to get hold of the man responsible for impregnating the woman.

Shotgun Wedding Is Not Perfect:

Shotgun wedding, by no means, is the perfect solution, instead, it is a bandaid procedure to conceal the illegitimacy of the child or the fact that conception occurred prior to marriage. In some societies and cultures, there is an enormous stigma attached to getting pregnant without getting married.

Shotgun Wedding Are Arranged In A Rush:

Shotgun weddings are generally arranged without too much planning as everything is decided almost overnight. Such weddings are mostly simple with just a few close family and friends, but that may not always be the case, especially in today’s world.

Shotgun Wedding Moral Grounds:

As per most religious teachings, the man is morally responsible for marrying the woman that he impregnated in such a situation. The main idea is to maintain the bride’s honor in order to make sure that the unborn child will be adequately looked after by both parents.

Shotgun Wedding Has Undergone A Major Change:

The term shotgun marriage is used figuratively, and not literally. The times have changed, in today’s world, children born out of wedlock no longer carry the stigma they once were, and hence the entire concept of a shotgun wedding has been fading out at least in most modern societies.

Shotgun Wedding Or Shotgun Marriage Means Or Defined As A Rush Ceremony That Takes Place Urgently As The Would Be Bride Is Pregnant By The Would Be Groom Or Due To Some Other Urgent Situation