Lonely hearts of Tamriel rejoice! Your days of wandering dragon-infested territory solo are at an end.
Even in Skyrim, you can find that special someone and settle down. Marriage has long been a part of this popular Bethesda title, but it isn’t always easy to woo your chosen partner. Plus, not everyone in Tamriel is available. If you’re looking to finally tie the knot, here’s how to seduce and wed your Skyrim character of choice.
Skyrim marriage options
There are dozens of marryable people wandering around Tamriel, but not every Skyrim character will be open to your seduction. Take a look at the expansive list of available characters before you start working toward tying the knot. If they can’t say yes, there’s really no point in spending all that time.
The list really is expansive, though. It contains male and female members of almost every race in Skyrim, though many will require quests to be completed before they are open to being wooed. There are no Khajiit or Bosmer Skyrim marriage options, unfortunately, nor any among male Redguards or Altmer. Keep in mind that politics can be messy in Skyrim, and it might take a bit of work to convince an Orc to marry your Nord character.
Oh, and homophobia is pretty lacking in Tamriel. So feel free to get with whatever gender you might prefer, regardless of your character’s biological sex.
How to propose marriage in Skyrim
Once you’ve selected your partner of choice, you’ll need to pop the question.
Amulet of Mara
The first step to any Skyrim marriage proposal is obtaining an Amulet of Mara. These symbols of the goddess of love, which reduce the cost of restoration spells by 10%, can be located in a few areas.
Sometimes, hold guards will have these handy necklaces on them. They can be pickpocketed or looted from a guard’s corpse. You’ll also get one as a reward upon completion of the quest “The Book Of Love.” To begin this quest, head down to the Temple of Mara in Riften.
Perhaps the easiest way to obtain an Amulet of Mara, however, is by merely purchasing one. Head over to Riften to track down Maramal—who you’ll need to speak with anyway—and skip the potential jail time or quest by shelling out 200 gold.
Maramal
Regardless of where you obtain your amulet, you’ll need to speak with a priest named Maramal before you can propose to anyone. He can be found in Riften, at either the Bee and Barb or the Temple of Mara. A few simple dialogue options will unlock the ability to marry.
Propose
Once you’ve spoken to Maramal and equipped your new amulet, a special dialogue option will become available. This only applies to certain characters, as noted before, and typically requires a task to be completed first. The quest depends on the character, but upon completion will usually ingratiate them to you.
This should provide the option to propose marriage. Once you’ve popped the question, you can head back over to Maramal to plan the ceremony.
Skyrim marriage: The ceremony
Now onto the wedding itself. It takes time to plan a wedding, so you’ll need to wait 24 hours after speaking to Maramal before the ceremony can begin. Once you’ve given him some time to set up, head back to the Temple of Mara for the proceedings. Make sure you don’t dally, either, or chance standing up your bride or groom-to-be. If you do miss your shot, you can ask your chosen partner for one more chance. They’ll allow it—bless them—and you can again request that Maramal officiate. I’d recommend getting there early this time around.
You’ll be given a final opportunity to confirm your marriage as the ceremony proceeds. Friends and housecarls of the Dragonborn might even show up to offer their support, along with friends and family members of your spouse.
Married life
Ah, newlywed bliss. After the ceremony concludes, you can chat with your better half about where the two of you will live. If your partner owns a home, you can choose to live with them. They will also happily join you at any of the homes you’ve acquired so far.
Once you’ve chosen a home, your spouse will relocate if need be. They can then be found at your shared home whenever you return. They’ll happily prepare you food once a day upon request—for a boost to stamina, health, and regeneration—and offer new dialogue options.
Sitting around all day while you’re off slaying dragons isn’t an overly thrilling life, so don’t be surprised if they ask for something to keep them occupied. Many spouses will ask to become shop owners in your absence, to keep busy. You even get a cut of the proceeds, which they will offer up whenever you inquire after their business.
Tying the knot means more than just shared income. Sleeping in the same home as your spouse will also grant the “Lover’s Comfort” perk, which boosts your rate of skill learning by 15% for the next eight hours. If only love paid off so well in real life.
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