How to get married in Skyrim, Romance options, and where to find the Amulet of Mara

Getting married in Skyrim is simple compared to some of the game’s other systems, not to mention real life.

You’ll need to advertise your availability and undergo a marriage ritual, but the process is fairly simple. All it takes is a quest.

Skyrim marriage - Finding the Amulet of Mara

Your first task is obtaining the Amulet of Mara, which is Skyrim’s version of saying you’re single on a dating app. The only way you can woo a prospective partner is if you have the amulet equipped. Fortunately, it’s easy to find.

There’s one Amulet of Mara in the Lover’s Tent north of Dawnstar, but you can also just buy one from Marmal in Riften. He’s usually in Riften’s Temple of Mara, located in the city’s far right side you’re looking at the map, though sometimes pops up in the Bee and Barb Inn.

Speak with Marmal and express interest in Mara. Eventually, he’ll tell you about marriage ceremonies in the Temple of Mara, and you can ask to buy the Amulet of Mara for 200 gold.

Skyrim marriage - How to get married in Skyrim

Your next step is finding a partner. Skyrim is full of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, and there’s no race or gender restriction on who you can marry. A good many of Skyrim’s followers are open to marriage, including Aela the Huntress and Aranea from the Shrine of Azura.

Whether they follow you or not, you’ll have to complete a quest associated with the character before your relationship can move forward.

Once you’ve done that and they notice your Amulet, agree to marry. Head back to Riften and speak with Marmal again. You’ll trigger a new objective about arranging your wedding and have to wait until Marmal is ready, but it’s best to stay in the area. The quest proceeds at 6 a.m. (in-game time) though leaving sometimes causes an issue with moving it forward.

Proceed with the ceremony, and congratulations. You’re now Dragonborn and partner. You’ll move into your home, if you’ve got one, or their home and get a number of special benefits.

Skyrim marriage - Benefits of marriage in Skyrim

Each day, your spouse gives you 100 gold, and it stacks in case you forget to retrieve it from them. They can also cook you a meal that grants buffs, and if you sleep at home — or in their general vicinity, if you married a follower — you get an experience boost for that day.

You can’t divorce your partner, though. If you yearn for the single life again or have your eye on another candidate, the only way out is through murder.

Vampirism won’t affect your partner, unless you feed on them. Should the temptation become too great, curing vampirism takes hardly any time at all.

For more on how to round out your character, here are some of the best Skyrim builds for all races.

Or in general, here's our full list of Skyrim guides.