Who Can You Marry in Skyrim? All Marriage Candidates

Skyrim marriage is simpler than it sounds: buy an Amulet of Mara from Maramal in Riften, wear it while talking to someone whose favour you have earned, and book the wedding at the Temple of Mara. There are more than sixty possible spouses across the base game and the Hearthfire and Dragonborn add-ons, and below you will find every one of them, plus what married life actually gives you.

Think of it as Skyrim’s least dangerous side quest. Nobody breathes fire on you, and the reward is a hot meal, a daily cut of shop profits and a faster-levelling character. Not bad for 200 gold and a chat.

How Skyrim Marriage Works, Step by Step

1. Talk to Maramal first. The marriage dialogue does not show up with anyone until you have asked Maramal about marriage in Skyrim. He is a priest in Riften and can usually be found either in the Temple of Mara or at The Bee and Barb inn.
2. Get an Amulet of Mara. Maramal sells one for 200 gold. You can also find one in the Lover’s Tent on the beach north of Dawnstar, right behind the Dawnstar Sanctuary, receive one by finishing The Book of Love, or simply stumble on one as random loot.
3. Earn the person’s favour. Almost every candidate needs something from you first, usually a quest or a small favour. The full list is in the tables further down.
4. Wear the amulet and talk to them. With the amulet on and their requirement done, a new line of dialogue appears where you can say you are interested in them. Say yes, and you are engaged.
5. Book the wedding. Go back to Maramal at the Temple of Mara and ask him to arrange the ceremony. This starts the quest The Bonds of Matrimony.
6. Turn up on time. The ceremony takes place roughly 24 hours later. Maramal talks about it happening between dawn and dusk, though in practice it can start at any hour.

Raising disposition: what “favour” really means

Skyrim has a hidden relationship score for each character, and a potential spouse will only notice your Amulet of Mara once that score is high enough. You cannot see the number, and gifts or flattery do nothing for it. What raises it is the specific task tied to that person. The tasks fall into a few rough groups:

• Quests: finishing a questline or a personal quest, such as joining the Companions or retrieving a stolen item.
• Deliveries: bring them something they need, like Fire Salts, bear pelts or a Mammoth Tusk.
• Brawls: a few Nords and Bretons only respect you after you beat them in a fistfight.
• Housecarls: become Thane of a hold and your sworn bodyguard becomes eligible.
• Mercenaries: some hired swords become eligible once you pay them 500 gold to follow you.
• Orc strongholds: pay the dowry, or talk them into leaving the stronghold.

The Wedding at the Temple of Mara

The easiest way to get through the wait is to stand inside the temple and use the Wait menu for 24 hours. When the ceremony begins, Maramal gives a short speech and you get one last chance to say “I do” or back out. Accept, and Maramal declares the marriage official and hands you The Bond of Matrimony, a ring to remember the day by. Completing the wedding also unlocks the Married achievement/trophy (10 Gamerscore, bronze).

Guests drop by too. People you have done quests for, or who like you, may show up, along with any housecarls from houses you own. Your children are guaranteed to be there if you have adopted any, and some spouses bring along friends of their own.

What can go wrong at the wedding

• You miss it. Skyrim does not wait for latecomers. If you are not in the temple when the ceremony starts, the quest fails and your partner will be upset. Talk to them, ask for another chance, convince them you mean it, and Maramal will hold a new ceremony the next day.
• Your partner dies first. If a candidate dies before or after the wedding, you cannot remarry anyone without console commands. Keep your sweetheart away from dragons and giants.
• Quest events get in the way. Shahvee in Windhelm can die during the murder mystery Blood on the Ice, so marry her before you start it if she is your pick.
• Waiting in the temple overnight. Scripted characters looking for you after certain quests can come and talk to you there and pull you away from the ceremony. Keep your quest log quiet before the big day.

Benefits of Being Married in Skyrim

Once the ceremony is done your spouse changes. They call you “love” or “dear” (housecarls still stubbornly call you “my Thane”) and they offer several practical perks:

• A Homecooked Meal every day. Once per 24 hours you can ask your spouse to cook something. The meal boosts how fast you regain Health, Magicka and Stamina.
• Daily income. Every spouse acts as a merchant in the marital home, whether they ran a shop before or not. Former merchants keep selling what they always sold, everyone else sells general goods. Every 24 hours you can ask how business is going and collect a 100 gold share. If you skip it, the gold piles up until you come back.
• Lover’s Comfort. Sleep in a bed in the house you share and you wake up with Lover’s Comfort, which makes all skills improve 15% faster for 8 hours. Ideal right before a long smithing or enchanting session.
• A free follower. If your spouse was a follower, and especially a paid mercenary, they now come along for free. Note that a spouse only works as a merchant at home: while following you, they will only trade what is in their own inventory.

Lover’s Comfort has two catches. You cannot get it while The Lover Stone is your active standing stone, since that stone already gives a similar 15% boost, and you cannot get it after taking the Blood Ritual to become a Werewolf. If you want both the stone and your spouse’s buff, the Aetherial Crown from Dawnguard lets you carry two standing stone effects. For more on how skills level, see our Skyrim skills and perk trees guide.

Where You Live After the Wedding

The first time you talk to your new spouse, they ask where the two of you will live. If they own a home, it appears as an option, along with every house you already own. Nothing is permanent: you can ask them to move to another of your homes at any time. If your spouse is your housecarl, “their house” is the house they were guarding for you.

Player homes you can move into include Breezehome in Whiterun, Honeyside in Riften, Proudspire Manor in Solitude, Vlindrel Hall in Markarth and Hjerim in Windhelm. With Hearthfire you can also build Lakeview Manor, Windstad Manor or Heljarchen Hall, and with Dragonborn you can buy Severin Manor in Raven Rock. A spouse who moves to a new city may tell you they want to open a shop to keep busy while you are off adventuring.

Children: with Hearthfire installed you can adopt children, and your spouse adopts them too. Your spouse moves into the house where the children live, and you get extra dialogue asking how the kids are doing. We do not have a separate adoption guide yet, but marriage and adoption work fine in either order.

All Skyrim Marriage Candidates

Here is every marriage candidate in the game, sorted alphabetically. Remember: you always need to wear the Amulet of Mara when you talk to them. Candidates marked (HF) need Hearthfire and those marked (DB) need Dragonborn. There are no Khajiit or Bosmer candidates, and no male Redguard or male Altmer ones.

Female marriage candidates

Name	Race	Where to find	How to make them willing
Aela the Huntress	Nord	Jorrvaskr, Whiterun	Finish the Companions questline with Glory of the Dead
Aeri	Nord	Anga’s Mill, the Pale	Chop firewood for her
Anwen	Redguard	Temple of Dibella, Markarth	Complete The Heart of Dibella
Avrusa Sarethi	Dunmer	Sarethi Farm, the Rift	Bring her 20 Jazbay Grapes (Smooth Jazbay)
Borgakh the Steel Heart	Orc	Mor Khazgur, Haafingar	Pay her dowry or convince her to leave
Brelyna Maryon	Dunmer	College of Winterhold	Complete her quest, Brelyna’s Practice
Camilla Valerius	Imperial	Riverwood Trader, Riverwood	Complete The Golden Claw
Dravynea the Stoneweaver	Dunmer	Kynesgrove, Eastmarch	Give her Frost Salts
Ghorza gra-Bagol	Orc	Blacksmith shed, Markarth	Bring her the book The Last Scabbard of Akrash
Gilfre	Imperial	Mixwater Mill, Eastmarch	Chop firewood for her
Hilund (DB)	Nord	Bujold’s Retreat / Thirsk Mead Hall, Solstheim	Complete Retaking Thirsk, then bring her 50 Riekling Spears in Hilund’s Spears
Iona	Nord	Honeyside, Riften	Become Thane of the Rift (she is your housecarl)
Jenassa	Dunmer	The Drunken Huntsman, Whiterun	Hire her for 500 gold
Jordis the Sword-Maiden	Nord	Proudspire Manor, Solitude	Complete Thane of Haafingar
Lydia	Nord	Dragonsreach / Breezehome, Whiterun	Complete Dragon Rising and buy Breezehome
Mjoll the Lioness	Nord	Riften	Recover Grimsever from Mzinchaleft (Grimsever’s Return)
Morwen (DB)	Nord	Skaal Village, Solstheim	Free the Skaal, then deliver her mother’s necklace to Runil in Falkreath
Muiri	Breton	The Hag’s Cure, Markarth	Complete Mourning Never Comes and kill both targets
Njada Stonearm	Nord	Jorrvaskr, Whiterun	Complete Glory of the Dead
Orla	Nord	Temple of Dibella, Markarth	Complete The Heart of Dibella
Rayya (HF)	Redguard	Falkreath / Lakeview Manor	Complete Thane of Falkreath and buy the Lakeview Manor deed
Ria	Imperial	Jorrvaskr, Whiterun	Complete Glory of the Dead
Senna	Breton	Temple of Dibella, Markarth	Complete The Heart of Dibella
Shahvee	Argonian	Argonian Assemblage, Windhelm	Return her lost amulet (do it before Blood on the Ice)
Sylgja	Nord	Shor’s Stone, the Rift	Take her satchel to her father in Darkwater Crossing, then return to her
Taarie	Altmer	Radiant Raiment, Solitude	Complete Fit for a Jarl and invest in Radiant Raiment (needs the Investor Speech perk)
Temba Wide-Arm	Nord	Ivarstead, the Rift	Bring her 10 bear pelts
Uthgerd the Unbroken	Nord	The Bannered Mare, Whiterun	Beat her in a brawl
Viola Giordano	Imperial	Candlehearth Hall, Windhelm	Rat out Revyn Sadri to her during That Was Always There
Ysolda	Nord	Market, Whiterun	Give her a Mammoth Tusk

Male marriage candidates

Name	Race	Where to find	How to make them willing
Ainethach	Breton	Karthwasten, the Reach	Get the Silver-Blood thugs to leave his mine
Angrenor Once-Honored	Nord	Candlehearth Hall, Windhelm	Give him 1 gold
Argis the Bulwark	Nord	Vlindrel Hall, Markarth	Complete Thane of the Reach
Athis	Dunmer	Jorrvaskr, Whiterun	Complete Glory of the Dead
Balimund	Nord	The Scorched Hammer, Riften	Bring him 10 Fire Salts (Stoking the Flames)
Belrand	Nord	The Winking Skeever, Solitude	Hire him for 500 gold
Benor	Nord	Morthal	Beat him in a brawl
Calder	Nord	Hjerim, Windhelm	Complete Thane of Eastmarch
Cosnach	Breton	Silver-Blood Inn, Markarth	Beat him in a brawl
Derkeethus	Argonian	Darkwater Pass, then Darkwater Crossing	Rescue him from the Falmer
Farkas	Nord	Jorrvaskr, Whiterun	Complete Glory of the Dead
Filnjar	Nord	Shor’s Stone, the Rift	Complete Mine or Yours
Gat gro-Shargakh	Orc	Left Hand Mine / Kolskeggr Mine, the Reach	Clear Kolskeggr Mine for Pavo Attius (Kolskeggr Mine)
Ghorbash the Iron Hand	Orc	Burguk’s Longhouse, Dushnikh Yal	Pay his dowry or convince him to leave
Gregor (HF)	Nord	The White Hall, Dawnstar	Complete Thane of the Pale
Halbarn Iron-Fur (DB)	Nord	Bujold’s Retreat / Thirsk Mead Hall, Solstheim	Complete Retaking Thirsk and Halbarn’s Supplies (10 Stalhrim and 15 Ebony Ingots)
Marcurio	Imperial	The Bee and Barb, Riften	Hire him for 500 gold
Moth gro-Bagol	Orc	Understone Keep, Markarth	Give him a Daedra Heart
Octieve San	Breton	Solitude, often in and around the Winking Skeever	Convince Irnskar Ironhand to waive his gambling debts
Odfel	Nord	Shor’s Stone, the Rift	No task listed; just wear the amulet
Omluag	Breton	Smelter, Markarth	Talk to Mulush gro-Shugurz about the smelter workers
Onmund	Nord	Hall of Attainment, College of Winterhold	Get his amulet back from Enthir (Onmund’s Request)
Pavo Attius	Imperial	Left Hand Mine / Kolskeggr Mine, the Reach	Liberate Kolskeggr Mine for him
Perth	Breton	Soljund’s Sinkhole, the Reach	Clear the mine of draugr (Soljund’s Sinkhole)
Quintus Navale	Imperial	The White Phial, Windhelm	Complete Repairing the Phial
Revyn Sadri	Dunmer	Sadri’s Used Wares, Windhelm	Get back Viola’s Gold Ring
Roggi Knot-Beard	Nord	Steamscorch Mine, Kynesgrove	Recover his ancestral shield
Romlyn Dreth	Dunmer	Black-Briar Meadery, Riften	Deliver a Black-Briar Mead keg to Wilhelm in Ivarstead
Scouts-Many-Marshes	Argonian	Argonian Assemblage, Windhelm	Talk to Torbjorn Shatter-Shield about the Argonian dock workers
Sondas Drenim	Dunmer	Goldenrock Mine, Darkwater Crossing	Deliver his note to Quintus Navale
Sorex Vinius	Imperial	The Winking Skeever, Solitude	Deliver Stros M’Kai Rum to Falk Firebeard at the Blue Palace
Stenvar	Nord	Candlehearth Hall, Windhelm	Hire him for 500 gold
Torvar	Nord	Jorrvaskr, Whiterun	Complete Glory of the Dead
Valdimar (HF)	Nord	Highmoon Hall, Morthal	Complete Thane of Hjaalmarch
Vilkas	Nord	Jorrvaskr, Whiterun	Complete Glory of the Dead
Vorstag	Nord	Silver-Blood Inn, Markarth	Hire him for 500 gold
Wilhelm	Nord	Vilemyr Inn, Ivarstead	Complete Lifting the Shroud

DLC Marriage Candidates: Hearthfire, Dragonborn and Dawnguard

• Hearthfire adds three housecarls you can marry: Rayya (Falkreath), Gregor (Dawnstar) and Valdimar (Morthal). Each one becomes your housecarl when you are made Thane of their hold, and Rayya also requires the Lakeview Manor deed.
• Dragonborn adds three Solstheim locals: Hilund and Halbarn Iron-Fur from the Thirsk Mead Hall quests, and Morwen from Skaal Village. All three can move to your homes on the mainland.
• Dawnguard does not add a new spouse. You can propose to Serana, but she politely turns you down. Dawnguard does affect married life, though: during the radiant Dawnguard quest Rescue, the person kidnapped by vampires can be your spouse.

Tips for Choosing a Spouse

• Want a fighter? Pick a follower such as Aela, Lydia, Mjoll, Jenassa, Marcurio or one of the housecarls. They fight with you and still cook and earn money when you leave them at home. See our best followers in Skyrim list for who is worth bringing along.
• Want a shopkeeper? A spouse who already ran a shop keeps their stock. Quintus Navale is the only male spouse who is a dedicated apothecary, which is handy if you live in the alchemy lab.
• Want the quickest wedding? Angrenor wants a single gold coin, and Odfel has no requirement at all. Ysolda just wants a Mammoth Tusk.
• Want a mage? Brelyna, Onmund, Marcurio, Valdimar and Dravynea all use magic.
• Look before you leap. Use our character pages to read up on someone before you commit, and the Skyrim map to find them.

One dark note: a follower spouse can be sacrificed to Boethiah during Boethiah’s Calling, and it is permanent. You have been warned.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you divorce in Skyrim?

Not in normal play. There is no divorce option in the game. On PC you can force a break-up with console commands, but that resets several marriage quests and can cause problems, so save first. On console you are married for life.

Can you remarry if your spouse dies?

No. Once your spouse dies you cannot marry anyone else without console commands. That is a good reason to leave fragile spouses at home.

Can you marry a Khajiit or a Jarl?

Not without mods or console commands. There are no Khajiit candidates, and Jarls like Elisif or Ulfric are not on the list. Elisif’s marriage data was cut from the game.

Can you marry Serana?

You can ask, since she has a proposal option, but she always says no in a kind way. Serana stays a follower, never a spouse.

How much gold does a spouse make?

Your share is 100 gold per 24 in-game hours. If you do not collect it, it keeps piling up, so a spouse you have ignored for a week can hand over a nice stack.

Checked against the Skyrim game files and community wiki articles, written in our own words.