Stardew Valley’s Official New Marriage Candidates Divide Players

1 hour ago 3

Published Feb 8, 2026, 10:00 AM EST

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Stardew Valley has received several major overhauls over the years, but its upcoming 1.7 update is turning heads for all the right reasons. While a brand-new farm type, quality-of-life features, and more social interactions are great on their own, the recent announcement of two new marriage candidates on the way has ignited plenty of exciting debate in Stardew Valley's community.

With Reddit users like Renarde2Malade prompting speculation over the marriage candidates, most of the discussion comes from whether the life partners will come in the form of brand-new characters, existing single characters, or even separated characters from pre-established as couples within Pelican Town.

Stardew Valley’s New Marriage Candidates Are Coming

Adding Even More Options For Your Next Playthrough

Stardew Valley Abigail and Sebastian With Love Heart Emoticons

Overshadowing ConcernedApe's talks about Stardew Valley 2, the answer to who you'll be able to marry in the new 1.7 update can't seem to get a solid consensus from fans. While far from the only candidate, Sandy is definitely the most common answer for the new bachelorette, given her isolation and lack of character development. Reddit user SupahKoops cites the opportunity to "help her live in the valley she loves so much" as the perfect reason for expansion.

The new bachelor, on the other hand, is a bit trickier to figure out. Some fans say Willy would be great as a vendor with a heart of gold, while AquaAtia argues that "Clint has been overdue and there’s probably some good stories with the player".

Although Clint is far from the most popular NPC, a romance could finally help overcome his hated status in the community due to his obsession with Emily, redirecting his passion towards the farmer in a much healthier way.

Other players have proposed that new marriage candidates with vendors like Sandy and Clint could provide an interesting design challenge. NPCs like Marnie and Sandy could provide potential discounts, and Gilthwixst proposes that the latter could even set up "a stall in the valley somewhere" to offer lower prices.

Aside from the popular options, players have thrown around the idea of marrying Marlon, the Wizard, or even breaking up pre-existing couples like Marnie's love affair with Lewis or Robin and Demetrius. Even if the concept seems unlikely, ConcernedApe's original plan for Stardew Valley already had this messy concept in mind, allowing players to become their own homewrecking villain of Pelican Town.

Who Exactly Will We Be Able To Wed?

Stardew Valley Isn't Likely To Become It's Own Love Island

Stardew Valley wizard portrait with the wizard tower in the background

While being able to marry characters like Marnie, Demetrius, or Robin would certainly add some interesting reality TV-style drama to the town of Stardew Valley, it's still hard to imagine making such a sudden and controversial change. FlamingHorseRider makes the case that "this fandom at times downplays the weight of breaking up a married couple."

Given how far Stardew Valley has evolved since its initial inception, along with ConcernedApe's previous claim that he's "not really into adding new characters to the world" during an interview with IGN, it seems safe to assume the new marriage candidate will be pre-existing characters that you couldn't romance until now, rather than new or married ones.

Although you'll have to wait until Stardew Valley's official anniversary on February 26 for ConcernedApe to reveal who the two new marriage candidates will be, there are at least plenty of mods that add new relationships to Stardew Valley or change up pre-existing ones that you can enjoy in the meantime.