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Despite being around for several years now, Stardew Valley still hasn't lost its charm as an adorable farming simulator. However, this game is about more than planting crops and caring for animals — it's also about building a new life in a new town. Part of that involves getting to know the villagers and becoming part of the community…and maybe even getting married and starting a family in Pelican Town.
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There are twelve candidates — six bachelors and six bachelorettes — that the player can choose to romance and potentially marry. Each is unique, and will appeal to different players. Romancing each individual requires accounting for each NPC's preferences and personality, but the overall process of building a relationship and getting married in Stardew Valley remains the same.
Updated March 20, 2024 by Mohsen Baqery: In the extensive March Update (V1.6), Stardew Valley underwent a significant overhaul, introducing a plethora of new content. Notably, the realm of romance and marital life has seen substantial changes in this latest version. With this in mind, we've revised this post to provide updated information on these aspects, focusing on the introduction of the honeymoon period, a new balance adjustment designed to mitigate rocky starts to marriages.
How To Increase Friendship in Stardew Valley
To win over a potential spouse, players must increase their relationship by t alking to them regularly, giving them gifts, performing quests, and more. There are plenty of ways to raise one's heart level with a character, but the easiest and fastest is through gifts. Click on a character in the Social tab (the tab with the heart) of the game's menu to see their gift preferences. Alternatively, check out this guide for suggestions on the best gifts in the game.
Players can give an NPC up to two gifts per week, plus an extra gift on their birthday, which can be found on the calendar outside Pierre's store. Birthday gifts will count for 8x the usual friendship points, so choose these presents extra carefully.
Starting A Relationship in Stardew Valley
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Once the player reaches eight hearts with at least one bachelor or bachelorette, they will receive a letter from Pierre. He will note that the player appears to be growing close to some of the townsfolk, and remark that it is a local tradition to give bouquets to indicate romantic interest. At that point, the player will be able to purchase a Bouquet from Pierre's shop for 600g.
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Upon gifting a bouquet to a marriage candidate, if they are at eight hearts with the player, they will react with delighted surprise and declare that they feel the same way. At this time, the final two grayed-out hearts in their social gauge will open up, and the player can build their relationship to ten hearts. In the social menu, that character will also be listed as the player's "boyfriend" or "girlfriend."
Before getting married, the player can have as many boyfriends and/or girlfriends as they wish (although dating all the bachelors or all the bachelorettes at once may lead to a cutscene calling the player out). However, once the player is married, giving a bouquet to another NPC will upset their spouse.
Proposal & Wedding
On rainy days, an NPC called the Old Mariner will appear on the eastern side of the Beach. If the player has reached ten hearts with one of the bachelors or bachelorettes and has upgraded the Farmhouse at least once, he will offer to sell them a 
Mermaid's Pendant. In the local tradition of Stardew Valley, this necklace is like an engagement ring: presenting it to one's beloved serves as a marriage proposal. Players can purchase it for 5,000 Gold.
To propose, players must have 10 hearts with their boyfriend or girlfriend, then give the Mermaid Pendant to their intended spouse as they would any other gift. Similar to the bouquet, the recipient will react joyfully and agree to marry the player. Three days after the proposal, as soon as the player wakes up, a cutscene will play of the marriage ceremony in the town square. Afterward, the player and their new spouse will appear on the farmhouse porch at 6am, ready to start the first day of their life together.
Honeymoon & Marital Heart Levels
In the 1.6 Update of Stardew Valley, couples now embark on a 7-day honeymoon upon getting married. During this honeymoon period, your spouse is less likely to spend the entire day in bed as a sign of sadness. Before this update, the initial days of marriage could be challenging for some players. Reports surfaced of newly married couples experiencing communication issues, with spouses often remaining in bed and inaccessible, preventing players from seeking their assistance.
In addition to the honeymoon period, another significant change has been implemented in Stardew Valley marriages: the minimum heart level threshold for depression is now adjustable through regular acts of affection, such as kissing your spouse and consistently giving them gifts. The updated heart level threshold operates on a points system tied to the previous day’s interactions. For instance, if you kissed your spouse yesterday, the minimum threshold for a day of bedridden sadness will be set at 11. If you both kissed them and presented them with a loved gift, the threshold will decrease to 10.
List of Changes to Marriage in V1.6
Here’s everything about marriage in Stardew Valley that’s changed with the 1.6 Update:
- After earning 14 hearts, you will be able to purchase your spouse’s portrait, a decorative item you can hang on the farmhouse’s wall.
- Your friendship gain with your spouse will be 33% slower.
- There is only a 5% chance for your spouse to say something negative in the afternoon.
- Some bugs relating to your spouse have been fixed. Your lover won’t water other player’s crops. They will no longer lie about doing the chores. And there will be no invisible spouses asking you for kids.
Stardew Valley
- Released
- February 26, 2016
