The Shotgun Blog

There are two extremes most couples picture when they Google “Seattle wedding officiant.”   The courthouse. Fluorescent lights, a number waiting to be called, no music, no personality. A ballroom or a church officiant. Timelines, RSVPs and a budget that makes your eye twitch.   Shotgun Ceremonies lives in the middle on purpose. Same legal paperwork, totally different experience. Pink chapel or outdoor gazebo . Music on cue. Personalized vows that sound like you. Witnesses i

If you’re planning a wedding in Seattle right now, you’ve probably noticed something. The traditional options don’t fit like they used to. On one end, there’s the courthous e : fast, legal and affordable, but often cold, rushed and impersonal (and bookings can be super hard to get!). On the other, there’s the big traditional wedding. Beautiful, but expensive, stressful and overwhelming. We work with so many couples who have realized they don’t actually want either. They want

There’s something about the last few weeks of the year that makes everything feel clearer. The noise quiets down. The pressure lifts. And the question gets simpler: Why wait? Every holiday season, couples find their way to Shotgun Ceremonies for the same reason. They want to make it official without turning it into a production. No seating charts. No family politics. No year-long planning cycle. Just the two of them, a legal ceremony and a moment that actually feels like it's

“Shotgun wedding” used to mean rumors, raised eyebrows and a dad polishing a twelve gauge on the porch. Old stigma, new story. At Shotgun Ceremonies, we took the name, emptied the baggage and kept the fun. Now it means a small legal wedding that is personal, inclusive and actually enjoyable. What is a shotgun wedding? Traditionally the term meant a rushed wedding people assumed was forced for “reasons.” The joke did the rounds, the couple got stuck with the label and everyone