Skyrim marriage: how it works and every candidate

How marriage works in Skyrim

Marriage runs through the Temple of Mara in Riften. Find Maramal, a priest of Mara who is either in the temple or at the Bee and Barb, and ask him about weddings. He sells the Amulet of Mara for 200 gold. Amulets can also turn up as loot or on Dinya Balu's quest, but buying one is the fast route.

1. Wear the Amulet of Mara and talk to a candidate whose requirement you have completed. A new dialogue line appears asking whether they are interested in you.
2. Accept, then return to Maramal to arrange the ceremony. This starts the quest The Bonds of Matrimony.
3. Go back to the Temple of Mara the next day between dawn and dusk. Your partner and a few guests are waiting; talk to Maramal to start the wedding.
4. After the vows, talk to your spouse and decide where the two of you will live: their home or any house you own.

If you miss the window, the wedding is cancelled and your partner is upset. Apologise to Maramal and he lets you try again the following day.

Benefits of getting married

• Lover's Comfort: sleeping in the same house as your spouse gives a 15 percent bonus to all skill learning for eight in-game hours.
• Home cooked meal: once a day your spouse hands you food that boosts health, magicka and stamina regeneration.
• A shop: most spouses open a store and hand you around 100 gold a day from the profits. They also act as a general merchant.
• Company: spouses who were followers keep following, and any spouse can move into a house you own, including Hearthfire homes.

You cannot divorce. If your spouse dies you cannot remarry in the unmodded game, so pick a candidate flagged essential such as Mjoll the Lioness if you want a spouse who cannot be killed.

Female marriage options

There are 30 female Skyrim marriage options in the table above. Nords are the most common with 14, including Aela, Njada, Lydia, Jordis, Iona, Mjoll, Uthgerd and Ysolda. Then come four Dark Elves (Brelyna, Jenassa, Avrusa, Dravynea), four Imperials (Camilla, Gilfre, Ria, Viola), two Orcs (Borgakh, Ghorza), two Bretons (Muiri, Senna), two Redguards (Anwen, Rayya), Shahvee the Argonian and Taarie the High Elf.

Popular picks and why:

• Mjoll the Lioness: essential, a strong two-handed follower, and she moves in with you rather than running a shop.
• Aela the Huntress: follower, Expert Archery trainer and part of the Companions, so she is easy to keep close in Whiterun.
• Ysolda: the quickest wedding in the game. One mammoth tusk, no quest, and she lives in Whiterun.
• Camilla Valerius: available after Bleak Falls Barrow, one of the first quests most players do.
• Lydia: only marriageable after you buy Breezehome, then she is both housecarl and spouse.

There are no Khajiit or Wood Elf women to marry, and Serana refuses even if you wear the amulet.

Male marriage options

The 36 male Skyrim marriage candidates lean heavily toward Nords again: four of the five Companions men, the housecarls Argis, Calder, Gregor and Valdimar, the hirelings Belrand, Stenvar and Vorstag, and the miners Roggi and Filnjar. Bretons fill in the Reach with Ainethach, Cosnach, Omluag and Perth. Farkas and Vilkas are the usual favourites because they are strong followers and Master trainers in Heavy Armor and Two-handed. Marcurio and Onmund are the options for a mage spouse. There are no male Redguard, High Elf, Khajiit or Wood Elf candidates.

Where to live after the wedding

Your spouse can move to any home you own, including player houses in the five cities and the three Hearthfire manors. If you adopt children with Hearthfire, the house needs a child's bedroom before the family will move in. See every house you can buy in Skyrim and the Hearthfire homestead guide. A spouse living in your house still runs a shop and still cooks, so the 100 gold a day keeps coming.