How to Get Married in Stardew Valley: Marriage Guide

To get married in Stardew Valley, raise a marriage candidate to 8 hearts, give them a Bouquet, keep going to 10 hearts, upgrade your farmhouse once, then buy a Mermaid's Pendant from the Old Mariner on a rainy day and give it to them. The wedding takes place three days after they accept.

Last checked: November 9, 2026, for version 1.6.15.

Step by step: how to get married

Pierre only stocks the Bouquet once you have 8 hearts with at least one candidate. The Old Mariner stands on the far east side of the beach, past the small bridge you have to repair, and only appears when it rains. He will not sell the pendant until your house has had its first upgrade, and your partner will only accept it at 10 hearts.

Gender doesn't matter: every candidate can marry a farmer of any gender.

All 12 marriage candidates, birthdays and loved gifts

There are six bachelors and six bachelorettes. A loved gift is the fastest way to raise hearts, and a birthday gift counts for much more than a normal one.

Every villager also loves a short list of rare "universal" gifts: Golden Pumpkin, Magic Rock Candy, Pearl, Prismatic Shard, Rabbit's Foot and, since 1.6, Stardrop Tea. There are two notable exceptions. Haley hates Prismatic Shards, and Penny hates the Rabbit's Foot.

To look up any villager's loves and likes, use the gift finder.

How friendship hearts work

Each heart is 250 friendship points. The main ways to earn them:

• Talk every day. A daily chat adds 20 points.
• Loved gifts add 80 points, and liked gifts add 45.
• Birthday gifts are worth eight times the normal amount. A loved gift on a birthday is the biggest single boost you can give.
• Gift limit. You can give each villager two gifts per week, plus one extra on their birthday.
• Quests. Finishing a villager's request on the board in front of Pierre's also raises friendship with them.

Candidates are capped at 8 hearts until you give them a Bouquet. Dating unlocks hearts 9 and 10, and marriage raises the cap to 14.

Heart events are short cutscenes that play when you reach a heart level and walk into the right place. You don't need to see them to propose, but they are the best part of each romance. If you miss one, it usually triggers later when you return to the right spot.

Dating more than one person

You can give Bouquets to several candidates at once. The catch is a group event: if you reach 10 hearts while dating all six bachelors, or all six bachelorettes, they find out. The scene doesn't lower friendship, but they will refuse your gifts for a week afterwards.

To end a relationship, give your partner a Wilted Bouquet. You go back to being friends with fewer hearts.

Upgrading the farmhouse

Robin's first farmhouse upgrade costs 10,000g and 450 Wood. It adds a kitchen and a separate bedroom with a double bed, which is what the Old Mariner checks for. It takes Robin a few days, so order it before you plan to propose.

The second upgrade costs 65,000g and 100 Hardwood since 1.6 (it was 50,000g and 150 Hardwood before). It adds a nursery, which you need for children.

The proposal and wedding

Give the Mermaid's Pendant to your partner at 10 hearts. They accept and set a date three days later. On the wedding morning the ceremony plays out automatically in Pelican Town, and your spouse then moves into the farmhouse with their own room.

Pick a day without anything urgent planned: the wedding takes up the morning.

Life after marriage

Your spouse lives in the farmhouse, chats with you every day and sometimes does chores in the morning, such as watering crops or feeding animals. You can raise friendship with your spouse up to 14 hearts, which unlocks more heart events.

1.6 changed a few things:

• A seven-day honeymoon after the wedding stops your spouse from being upset and staying in bed.
• Friendship with a spouse rises 33% slower than before.
• Kissing your spouse and giving them a gift the day before both make an upset day less likely.

A spouse who is ignored loses friendship over time, so keep talking and gifting after the wedding.

Children

Once you have the second farmhouse upgrade and its nursery, your spouse may ask about having a child when you go to bed at night. Couples of the same gender adopt instead. You can have up to two children. If you don't want any more, Robin can remove the crib as a free renovation.

Krobus as a roommate

Krobus, the shadow person in the sewers, can't marry you but can move in as a roommate. At 10 hearts with him you can buy a Void Ghost Pendant from his shop and give it to him. Like marriage, it needs one farmhouse upgrade. A roommate fills the same spot as a spouse, so you can't have both.

Divorce and starting over

To divorce, use the book in Mayor Lewis's house and pay 50,000g. Your ex moves back home and their friendship drops sharply, and they will be cold toward you. If you want a clean slate, the Dark Shrine of Memory in the Witch's Hut erases every ex-spouse's memory of the marriage for 30,000g.

New marriage candidates in 1.7

ConcernedApe has confirmed that Clint and Sandy will become marriage candidates in the 1.7 update. As of November 9, 2026, 1.7 has no release date, so they can't be dated yet. See the 1.6 update guide for what the current version contains.

Frequently asked questions

Who can you marry in Stardew Valley?

You can marry 12 villagers: Alex, Elliott, Harvey, Sam, Sebastian, Shane, Abigail, Emily, Haley, Leah, Maru and Penny. Krobus can move in as a roommate, and Clint and Sandy are confirmed for the upcoming 1.7 update.

How do you get the Mermaid's Pendant in Stardew Valley?

Buy it from the Old Mariner for 5,000g. He appears on the far east side of the beach on rainy days, but only sells it once your farmhouse has its first upgrade.

How many hearts do you need to marry in Stardew Valley?

You need 10 hearts with the person you are dating. A Bouquet is required to go past 8 hearts, so you have to date them first.

When is the wedding after you propose?

The wedding takes place three days after your partner accepts the Mermaid's Pendant. It plays automatically that morning.

Can you get divorced in Stardew Valley?

Yes. Divorce costs 50,000g through the book in Mayor Lewis's house. You can marry someone else afterwards, but you have to build up hearts and date them first.

Can you marry another player in multiplayer?

Yes. Players on the same farm can marry each other. Our multiplayer guide covers how to set up a co-op farm.