Stardew Valley is a popular farming game that allows you to live out a story and interact with local residents. You can marry one of 12 different bachelors or bachelorettes in the town, each with their own unique personalities and events.
This posts will go over how you can pick who to marry, give brief synopsis of each eligible resident, and explain how to woo them.
Who Can You Marry on Stardew Valley?
There are 12 characters in the game that you can marry regardless of your avatar’s gender. Each has their own unique story arc as you get to know them on the game and some are more interesting than others. Some of the Stardew Valley Residents are also more difficult to attract than the rest.
Stardew Valley is currently one of the best games to stream on Twitch. It has a very active following and a good viewer to streamer ratio. Even smaller streamers can often reach the top 2-3 rows and manage to pull in new viewers each stream.
One of the best things about the game is the story-telling element. While the game has a sandbox feel in a way, it is also very story-driven. Playing into the story as you build your farm is a great way to keep your audience entertained and engaged in your stream.
When it comes to choosing who to marry, you can either choose who you want to marry or have your audience take a poll.
Does it Matter Who you Marry Stardew Valley?
It doesn’t really matter who you marry in Stardew Valley. Some of the gifts they give you may change, but there are no long-term benefits that rank one player over another. Choose someone whos story resonates with you.
Stardew Valley Marriage Candidates
There are 12 Stardew Valley residents who are eligible to marry in the game:
Abigail
Abigail lives at Pierre’s General Store with her parents Pierre and Caroline. You can often find her (on Sunny days) on one of the bridges. She has purple hair.
In the game, you’ll find that Abigail has a fun personality that has interesting heart events. There is some speculation about her parentage (which you will discover along the way), she plays the flute and studies the occult, and she is relatively easy to woo.
Alex
Alex lives at 1 River Road with his grandparents, George and Evelyn. You will often find him near his house or at the Ice Cream stand. You can find him at the spa in the winter. He is typically working out.
When it comes to streaming, Alex is a bit of a boring potential boyfriend. Most of his interests and heart events are about working out with very little story progression. He is fairly easy to woo once you can make salmon dinners or complete breakfasts, making him a good candidate if you don’t want your Stardew marriage to be the focus of your game.
Elliott
Elliott lives at the beach who struggles to complete his novel, though you can help inspire him during the first heart event. In fact, whatever you tell him during the event will reflect in his finished product.
Elliott has some fun and interesting heart events and is a hopeless romantic. If your chat is also full or romantics (or enjoy reading cheesy one-liners), marrying Elliott will keep poetics compliments flowing day after day.
Emily
Emily lives at 2 Willow Lane with her sister Haley. Emily seems far more down to earth than her sister and is fairly easy to please (so long as you spend some time in the mines searching for gifts). She loves most of the gems in the game.
The character loves to craft and has new age beliefs. Her heart events are very unique and often surreal. She is one of the most entertaining residents to interact with and gives food and other items after marriage. She also has the best smile in the game.
Haley
Haley lives at 2 Willow Lane with her sister Emily. While Emily is sweet and amiable, Haley is harder to get to know. She is a bit of a snob when you first meet her and try to befriend her, though she does warm up to you over time.
Her favorite gifts are somewhat hard to come by in the early game (outside of the sunflower), so it is a good idea to plant several sunflowers that you can give to her each week throughout the rest of the year. With a little romance, you can win her heart.
Harvey
Did your parents push you to marry a doctor when you were younger? Well, now you can make them proud by marrying Harvey! Harvey lives at the Medical clinic where he treats people each Tuesday and Thursday.
As far as relationships go, he is very friendly and supportive, though his heart events aren’t as exciting as some of his neighbors’. Perhaps that is because all their spark is saved up for the tenth heart event, which your viewers will enjoy just as much as you will!
Leah
If you are a variety streamer who showcases both gameplay and art, look no further than Lia, Stardew Valley’s resident artist. She lives in a little cottage in Cindersap Forest and is often wandering through the woods looking for inspiration.
Leah has a couple entertaining heart events (including a run-in with her ex). She is clearly a free-spirit and her tastes reflect those. As far as popularity with viewers go, they either love her or hate her.
Maru
Maru lives on 24 Mountain Road with her parents, Robin and Demetrius, and her half-brother Sebastian. She works at the local clinic with Harvey and will wear a nursing uniform there.
Getting close to Maru may cause a little harm from time to time, but she will continually prove to you and your audience that she inherited her father’s intellect. She will even build a robot throughout her heart events.
Penny
Penny lives in the trailer in Pelican Town with her mother, Pam. She is a school teacher and is often seen walking around town with the two local children. She can also be seen in the museum or on the bridge quite often.
Penny is, hands down, the favorite of most Stardew Valley players. She is sweet, her heart events are moving, and her story is endearing. While you should definitely marry her at least once in your playthroughs, you may want to choose someone else to stream about as most people have seen her heart events multiple times. That being said, you could win over your viewer’s hearts by falling in love with her all over again.
Sam
Sam lives at 1 Willow Lane with his parents, Kent and Jodie, and his little brother Vincent. He is one of the more active residents in the town, frequently moving around getting things done. He works part time (at JojaMart, then at the Minerals Display) and loves music.
As he does so many different things in the game, he can be a very interesting person to watch, making him a good candidate for streamers. Many gamers also relate to his love of gaming. He does seem a little less mature than some of the other single people on this list.
Sebastian
Sebastian lives at 24 Mountain Road with his mother, Robin the carpenter, Demetrius (his step-father), and his half-sister Maru. He is difficult to get to know at first, but eventually will warm up to you.
Sebastian is one of the more popular choices for spouses as many gamers relate to him. He spends a lot of time at his computer and feels like a loner. If you enjoy role-playing games and celebrating nerd culture, Sebastian will steal your heart (so long as you can manage to get all his heart events).
Shane
Shane lives in Cindersap Forest and works at JojoMart. He is Marnie’s nephew. You can find him in JojaMart on the weekends (before the Community Center is finished) and at the Stardrop Saloon in the evenings.
Due to his alcoholism and depression, not many want to marry Shane. His heart events, however, are very interesting and entertaining, making him a good choice to marry on stream – especially is you are a natural story teller and can make additional jokes about your relationship with him.
How to Attract a Stardew Valley Spouse
To make friends in Stardew Valley (and to eventually get them to fall in love with you), you must interact with them and give them gifts. You can give each character 2 gifts per week as well as a gift on their birthday. If you give them on of their “love” gifts, they will care about you much faster, allowing you to get the hearts you need to get them to the wedding chapel.
Here are the gifts that each eligible Stardew resident loves
| Spouse | Birthday | Favorites |
|---|---|---|
| Abigail | Fall 13 | Amethyst, Blackberry Cobbler, Chocolate Cake, Pufferfish, Pumpkin, Spicy Eel |
| Alex | Summer 13 | Complete Breakfast, Salmon Dinner |
| Elliott | Fall 5 | Crab Cakes, Duck Feather, Lobster, Pomegranate, Tom Kha Soup |
| Emily | Spring 27 | Amethyst, Aquamarine, Cloth, Emerald, Jade, Ruby, Survival Burger, Topaz, Wool |
| Haley | Spring 14 | Coconut, Fruit Salad, Pink Cake, Sunflower |
| Harvey | Winter 14 | Coffee, Pickles, Super Meal, Truffle Oil, Wine |
| Leah | Winter 23 | Goat Cheese, Poppyseed Muffin, Salad, Stir Fry, Truffle, Vegetable Medley, Wine |
| Maru | Summer 10 | Battery Pack, Cauliflower, Cheese Cauliflower, Diamond, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Miner's Treat, Pepper Poppers, Rhubarb Pie, Strawberry |
| Penny | Fall 2 | Diamond, Emerald, Melon, Poppy, Poppyseed Muffin, Red Plate, Roots Platter, Sandfish, Tom Kha Soup |
| Sam | Summer 17 | Cactus Fruit, Maple Bar, Pizza, Tigerseye |
| Sebastian | Winter 10 | Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Pumpkin Soup, Sashimi, Void Egg |
| Shane | Spring 20 | Beer, Hot Pepper, Pepper Poppers, Pizza |
How to Get Married in Stardew Valley
To get married on Stardew Valley, you need to reach 10 heart events with one of the above candidates. You will then need to get a “Mermaid’s Pendant” from the Old Mariner that shows up near the tide pools when it rains. Your house must be updated and the pendant costs $5,000. You can then “propose” by giving it to your sweetheart.
You will be married 3 days after you propose, first thing in the morning. A cutscene will do all the work for you. The only exception is if there is another major event in Stardew Valley on that day, which means your wedding will be delayed to the following day.
After the wedding, your spouse will move in with you.
Spouse Benefits in Stardew Valley
After you’re married, your spouse will move into your house and add a room of their own. They will also set up an outside area for themselves. Occasionally, they may help you around the house or the farm by doing the following chores:
- Feed the animals
- Water the crops
- Fill the pet’s bowl
- Repair fences on the farm
- Give gifts
Stardew Valley Spouse Gifts
Don’t forget to continue to give your spouse gifts after you are married. You can now give them a gift everyday and eventually get to 14 hearts.
In addition to the benefits above, your spouse will occasionally give you gifts. Here are the gifts you may receive from your spouse in the game.
| Spouse | Favorites |
|---|---|
| Abigail | Solar Essence, Bat Wing, Void Essence, Amethyst, Fire Quartz, Parsnip Soup, Tom Kha Soup, Trout Soup, Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Bomb, Cherry Bomb, Fried Mushroom, Crab Cakes |
| Alex | Omelet, Hashbrowns, Pancakes, Survival Burger, Dish O' the Sea, Fried Eel, Crispy Bass, Baked Fish |
| Elliott | Coffee, Baked Fish, Fried Calamari, Chowder, Fish Stew, Wine |
| Emily | Rice Pudding, Cookie, Blueberry Tart, Chocolate Cake, Cloth, Duck Feather, Wool, Refined Quartz, Bean Hotpot, Coffee, Omni Geode, Refined Quartz, Bean Hotpot |
| Haley | Fried Egg, Omelet, Cookie, Hashbrowns, Pancakes, Bread, Blueberry Tart, Poppyseed Muffin, Maple Bar, Chowder, Egglant Parmesan, Parsnip Soup, Bean Hotpot |
| Harvey | Salmon Dinner, Complete Breakfast, Crispy Bass, Fried Eel, Vegetable Medley, Carp Surprise |
| Leah | Coffee, Wild Horseradish, Daffodil, Leek, Dandelion, Cactus Fruit, Fiddlehead Fern, Spice Berry, Chanterelle, Common Mushroom, Morel, Red Mushroom, Wine |
| Maru | Cherry Bomb, Bomb, Crab Cakes, Fried Mushrooms, Rice Pudding, Cookies, Blueberry Tart, Chocolate Cake, Quality Fertilizer, Farm Warp Totem, Refined Quartz, Gate |
| Penny | Omelet, Hashbrowns, Pancakes, Egg, Large Milk, Geode, Mixed Seeds, Crispy Bass, Salmon Dinner, Carp Surprise, Fried Eel, Vegetable Medley |
| Sam | Pizza, Pancakes, Coconut, Cactus Fruit, Geode, Earth Crystal |
| Sebastian | Obsidian, Void Essence, Coffee, Bat Wing, Frozen Tear, Amethyst, Cave Carrot, Beer |
| Shane | Omelet, Pizza, Pepper Poppers, Beer, Large Egg, Pale Ale, Void Egg, Pepper Poppers |
Choosing Your Spouse
You can choose your Stardew Spouse based on their looks, their stories, the difficulty of how to woo them, or the gifts they will give you after you are married. Ultimately, the choice is up to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Have a Wife and a Girlfriend on Stardew Valley?
You can have a wife and a girlfriend in Stardew Valley, but you can’t have two wives at the same time because you can only have one mermaid pennant.
Can You Divorce Your Wife in Stardew Valley?
You can divorce your spouse in Stardew Valley. You will need to go to the Mayor’s house and pay 50,000 gold. You won’t need to tell your spouse and they will have no memory of the marriage. You will get custody of any children in the marriage.
Can You Marry More Than One Person in Stardew Valley?
You cannot marry more than one person at a time in Stardew Valley. You can divorce your current spouse and marry another character in the game so long as you build up the required amount of hearts.
Conclusion
Whether you are playing Stardew Valley for yourself or your are streaming it for hundreds of viewers, getting to know the residents of the town is both exciting and entertaining. Remember to weave your own dialogue in the stories to give it a special flavor found nowhere else.
Luci
Luci is a novelist, freelance writer, and active blogger. A journalist at heart, she loves nothing more than interviewing the outliers of the gaming community who are blazing a trail with entertaining original content. When she’s not penning an article, coffee in hand, she can be found gearing her shieldmaiden or playing with her son at the beach.