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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →To date a marriage candidate in Stardew Valley, raise their friendship to 8 hearts, give them a bouquet, then reach 10 hearts and propose with a Mermaid’s Pendant. The bouquet costs 200g at Pierre’s General Store; the Old Mariner sells the pendant for 5,000g on rainy days. After an accepted proposal, the wedding is normally three days later.
How to go from friendship to marriage
- Build friendship to 8 hearts. Give the character gifts they like or love, speak with them, and take part in relevant events. Before dating, the friendship meter is capped at 8 hearts.
- Give them a bouquet. The morning after a marriage candidate reaches 8 hearts, Pierre sends a letter and begins selling bouquets for 200g at his General Store. Giving one unlocks the last two hearts and marks the character as your boyfriend or girlfriend in the Social tab. You can give bouquets to candidates of any gender, including more than one at a time.
- Reach 10 hearts and propose. Give your intended partner a Mermaid’s Pendant. You must have upgraded the farmhouse at least once and be able to reach the Tide Pool area of the Beach. The Old Mariner sells the pendant for 5,000g on rainy days. In winter, he appears only if you use a Rain Totem.
- Attend the wedding. The wedding usually takes place in the morning, three days after the proposal. A town-square event or Green Rain can delay it.
Pierre describes the bouquet in the game as the way to show romantic interest: “If you want to show someone that you’re romantically interested, you’ve got to give them one of my beautiful flower bouquets.” Mayor Lewis explains the proposal item: “If there comes a day that you want to ask for someone’s hand in marriage, you’ll need to give them a ‘Mermaid’s Pendant’.” These are in-game character lines, reproduced on the Marriage page.
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How hearts and friendship points work
Each heart represents 250 friendship points. For a marriage candidate, the meter stops at 8 hearts until you give a bouquet; once dating, it can rise to 10. Friendship decay is limited by relationship status and heart caps:
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- Dating candidates generally lose 10 points per day, but do not decay once they reach 10 hearts.
- Spouses generally lose 20 points per day without contact. Their friendship can rise to 14 hearts.
A candidate at the pre-bouquet cap does not decay below that cap. For most non-spouse relationships, decay stops at the applicable full-heart cap. The Friendship page covers the underlying system.
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Gift strategy: use preferences, birthdays, and the Gift Log
Gift preference is character-specific, so there is no single best gift for every romance. Check each character’s Gift Log and schedule, then choose something they love or like and that you can reliably obtain.
- You can generally give each villager one gift per day and two gifts per week, plus an additional gift on their birthday. Spouses can receive one gift per day.
- A loved gift normally adds 80 friendship points and a liked gift 45. Birthday gifts multiply preference points by eight; gifts at the Feast of the Winter Star multiply them by five.
- Gift quality can increase the points gained for liked or loved gifts.
These are general rules; a character’s particular preferences determine whether an item is liked, loved, or disliked. Consult the Friendship page for gift mechanics and the individual character’s entry for their preferences.
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Choosing a candidate without an unsupported “best” ranking
The documented marriage roster lists twelve candidates: six bachelors and six bachelorettes. Choosing among them is personal; compare the story you enjoy, gift preferences, schedule and accessibility, and the conditions for heart events. The available roster and general mechanics do not establish that one candidate is objectively easiest or best for every player.
| Group | Documented candidates |
|---|---|
| Bachelors | Alex, Elliott, Harvey, Sam, Sebastian, Shane |
| Bachelorettes | Abigail, Emily, Haley, Leah, Maru, Penny |
Clint and Sandy were announced as version 1.7 marriage candidates in a February 26, 2026 post on the official Stardew Valley Forums. The reviewed Villagers and Marriage pages still place them outside the candidate roster. Treat them as announced for 1.7, not confirmed playable, unless a current release source verifies the update and roster.
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Dating multiple candidates: what changes and what does not
There is no friendship penalty simply for giving bouquets to multiple candidates. However, dating all six candidates of one gender can trigger a Group Heart event; the candidates may give you the cold shoulder for one week. A Wilted Bouquet ends a dating relationship and immediately drops that character’s meter to 5 hearts.
Marriage changes the consequences of gifts to other candidates. A spouse may become jealous if you give a non-hated gift to another marriage candidate of the same gender who previously received a bouquet. The documented chance is 20–40%, depending on daily luck; if jealousy occurs, friendship with your spouse falls by 30 points. Birthday gifts are exempt from this jealousy check, and delivery quests do not count as gifts.
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What married life adds
Your spouse moves into the farmhouse, gains a unique room and outdoor area, and may help with farm chores or give you food. These are possible spouse contributions, not chores performed by every spouse on a fixed schedule. Spouse friendship can reach 14 hearts.
After the farmhouse has been upgraded a second time to add the nursery, your spouse may ask whether you want to have or adopt a child. Opposite-gender couples have biological children; same-gender couples adopt.
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What changed in version 1.6
The developer’s version 1.6 changelog lists dialogue and event refinements, including custom gift reactions, dynamic dialogue, custom Flower Dance acceptance dialogue, and restored relationship-related lines for spouses and weddings. The reviewed changelog does not say the basic bouquet, pendant, and wedding sequence changed.
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