Marriage Options
One of the optional things you can do in this game is get married. Marriage does not affect the game's storyline or unlock any special blueprints or animals, but it does allow you to have someone to send out foraging for items. The two of you can also produce children after you've wed.
Marriage candidate choices will be determined based on your gender, and there are six available to choose from. While you can change the appearance characteristics of your playable character, you can't change its gender after you have selected it when beginning the game. If you want to marry a specific person, then you will want to select the opposite gender of the person you wish to marry when starting the game.
Agate
the animal ranger
Angela
the nurse
Elise
the wealthy farmer
Fritz
the novice farmer
Iris
the novelist
Kamil
the florest
Klaus
the perfumist
Licorice
the botanist
Lillie
the weathergirl
Mistel
the antique dealer
Nadi
the landscaper
Raeger
the chef
To marry a person, you will need to meet several requirements: be at a red flower friendship level, see the person's four flower events, upgrade your house size, and then give him or her the Blue Feather.
Red Flower Friendship Level
The available marriage candidates will typically have colored flowers on their character portraits when you talk to them. These colors will indicate your friendship level with the individual. Licorice and Kamil are the only marriage candidates that do not have friendship flowers, as they are meant to be more challenging. To determine their friendship level, you can stand next to them and press the Left Shoulder button on your 3DS. An emotion bubble will appear that reflects their Friendship Points:
- White flower = 0 to 9,999 FP. Left Shoulder = squiggly circle
- Purple flower = 10,000 to 19,999 FP. Left Shoulder = (...) thought bubble
- Blue flower = 20,000 to 29,999 FP. Left Shoulder = horizontal hash marks
- Green flower = 30,000 to 39,999 FP. Left Shoulder = vertical marks
- Yellow flower = 40,000 to 49,999 FP. Left Shoulder = music notes
- Pink flower = 50,000 to 59,999 FP. Left Shoulder = sparkles
- Red flower = 60,000 or more. Left Shoulder = floating hearts
To increase your friendship level you can talk to the person (+100 FP per day), wear an outfit the person likes and then talk to him or her (+100 FP), equip an accessory the person likes and then converse (+100 FP), participate in festivals and events (between +1000 and +3000 FP), show the person an animal he or she likes (+150 or +250 FP), and give gifts.
The better the gift you give the person, the more friendship you'll earn. Giving the person's special gift will earn a lot of friendship points, while giving something the person doesn't like will decrease your friendship points. If the person likes golden crops, you'll earn bonus friendship. You can also get a gift wrapping bench built inside of your house. Wrapping your gift in the person's favorite color of ribbon will get you bonus friendship.
Birthdays are a great chance to really boost your friendship with someone. A favorite gift given on the person's birthday will earn you +3000 FP instead of just +1000 FP. Wrapping the birthday gift can add another +350 FP, and selecting a wrapping ribbon in the person's favorite color is an additional +50. Wowzers for birthdays!
You will need to reach a red colored flower before you can propose marriage. Proposing when you are less than red will result in a rejected proposal.
Flower Events
At specific stages of a person's affection, you can trigger special interactive flower events. There will be four flower events that you must trigger as part of the marriage requirement. The first one will become available when you are midway through the white flower color, then again once you've reached purple, yellow, and pink flower colors. These flower events trigger when you are AT the required color for the event OR HIGHER, so for example you can see the purple flower event when you are at a pink flower friendship level.
Elise's events are the exception to this standard rule. You need to see her four Farm Inspection events before you can see her flower events at blue, green, and two more at the pink friendship level. The last Farm Inspection rivalry event is not available until you've seen the previous three and you have reached Winter of year two or later. This means you can't start to see Elise's flower events until late in your second year.
You can freely see a marriage candidate's first two flower events, but the last two events require you to exchange a going-steady promise ring.
Becoming Boyfriend and Girlfriend - The Commitment Ring
You must prove your dedication to the person you wish to marry by giving him or her a commitment Ring. Giving the Ring will link the two of you together as a couple and allows you to continue with triggering the person's last two flower events. After you have given your sweetie the Ring, you CANNOT see flower events for any of the other marriage candidates.
The Ring must be crafted by using the Accessory Bench inside of your Sewing Shed. To construct the shed you'll need to buy the blueprint from Ashe at the Silk Country for 40,000 G, then combine 10 Small Lumber, 15 Lumber, 5 Iron, and 5 sheep's Wool. Inside the Sewing Room you'll find the pattern for the commitment Ring in the list of jewelry found in the Accessory Bench, right above the list of eyeware and not in the list of rings. You will need a Silver ore and a Fluorite to construct the Ring for your sweetheart.
- Silver can be found at the mining point in the Safari or purchased from Mistel at his antique shop for 8000 G if you've reached Fall of year 2.
- Fluorite is found by diving in the rivers. Instead of catching a fish you might find this instead. If you have reached Summer of year 2, you can also buy it from Silk Country for 5000 G. It can also be found at the Safari mining node (along with the required Silver.)
You can make as many commitment Rings as you'd like, since it can be placed as a wearable item in your farmhouse closet or sold to the Trade Depot vendors for 11,960 G each (or more, depending on what your clothing brand is).
There are two ways to exchange the ring:
You do the exchange: Meet with your chosen marriage candidate on a sunny, non-holiday Saturday or Sunday and you give him or her the Ring as a gift. You must have seen the person's first two flower events and have him/her at a blue flower color (20,000 FP) or higher.
Your sweetie does the exchange (i.e., a reverse ring exchange): Talk with your chosen marriage candidate on a sunny, non-holiday Saturday or Sunday with the Ring in your rucksack. If you have given him or her 100 or more gifts and the person has 25,000 FP or more, then he or she will trigger the exchange. He or she will use the Ring in your bag and ask you to go steady. For Elise, the reverse ring exchange requires her to be at a yellow flower color (45,000 FP) or higher. For Raeger, he needs to be on the first floor of the Restaurant and not upstairs in his living area.
If you reject the person's affection, then all is not lost! You can still give the Ring but it requires you to give a total of 130 gifts (30 more than the 100 required for the initial reverse exchange) and be at least a week after your rejection. You won't trigger the reverse exchange a second time (that I know of), so you'll have to give the ring yourself.
The cut scene will take place at the bridge. The person will never reject your promise gift during the bridge scene. You will also be able to select a nickname you would like the person to call you or you can leave your name as is. The pet name you select can't be changed until you get married. The ring exchange event will last one hour, and you'll return to your farmhouse after the event is over.
The flower on your dear's portrait will also change. A small, white flower bud will appear next to the person's standard flower color that indicates he/she is now your sweetheart. Kamil or Licorice will also have a flower appear on their character portrait after the two of you begin to go steady. The remaining marriage candidates will still have their flower colors, but they will be missing the white flower bud that indicates your selected person's status.
You will also receive a visit from Dessie. Now that you have a sweetheart, she'll stops by your farmhouse to tell you the steps you need to get married. Though, if you're reading this then you already know what she's going to tell you! The villagers in Oak Tree Town will also comment on your recent commitment for the first week.
Now that you are a couple, your partner will give you cooked dishes once per day when you talk to him or her. Your stamina level will need to be at 2.5 hearts or less, and your sweetie needs to be at a green flower color (30,000 FP) or higher. The dishes that the candidates give are:
- Angela: Spinach Salad, Herb Salad, Mixed Salad, Potato Bread, and Yogurt Bread
- Agate: Basil Cheese Bread, Simmered Potato, Cucumber Namul, Shredded Radish, and Mushroom Pie
- Licorice: Chestnut Rice, Shredded Radish, Onion Salad, Mashed Potato, and Vegetable Bread
- Lillie: Aloe Yogurt, Bread, Chiffon Cake, Kimchi, and Yogurt Pie
- Iris: Blueberry Pie, Lemon Tart, Pancakes, Potato Bread, and Quice
- Elise: Cherry Pie, Fruit Gratin, Melon Bread, Pizza, and Yogurt Bread
- Kamil: Basil Cheese Bread, Herb Pie, Cucumber Roll, Potato Bread, and Vegetable Bread
- Nadi: Walnut Bread, Corn Bread, Croquette, Grass Drink, and Fried Onigiri
- Mistel: Apple Pie, Basil Cheese Bread, Blueberry Pie, Lemon Tart, and Potato Pancakes
- Raeger: Potato Bread, Oden, Roasted Mushroom, Samosa, and Soy Milk Cake
- Klaus: Cream Croquette, Melon Bread, Mushroom Salad, Potato Bread, and Terrine
- Fritz: Butter Roll, Corn Muffin, French Toast, Chiffon Cake, and Mixed Vegetable Rice
The two of you will also celebrate your birthdays. When it is your sweetheart's birthday, go into your house between 17:00 and 23:00 to start the event, where you'll cook some food and then travel to your sweetheart's house to have a dinner celebration. The same thing happens on your birthday when you walk into your farmhouse during the dinner period. If the two of you share the same birthday, the event will take place inside of your farmhouse. The two of you will share a nice meal and you'll earn +500 FP with your partner. You'll also get a cute little kiss.
Breaking Up
When you're tired of being strapped down and yern for freedom, you can break up with your girlfriend or boyfriend. To do this, you'll need to have his or her flower color at purple or less (19,999 FP or lower), which you can do by giving the person bad gifts. Once you've reached the required friendship level do not talk to the person for 31 days; this includes avoiding festivals and random events. After the required cold-shoulder time has elapsed, walk into your sweetie's house to trigger the break-up scene. If you decide not to break up, you'll lose 1000 FP but remain a couple. If you do decide to break up then you'll lose 3000 FP and be free to woo another marriage candidate.
Besides giving gifts, another way to quickly lower a marriage candidate's love level is to show the going-steady Ring to a different marriage candidate, then go back to talk to your sweetie. Your partner will object to you showing the ring to any free person available. Each time you do this it will lower the person's friendship points by 2000.
Wait! I Want You Back!
If you decide you want to get back together with your ex-partner, you can do so but it won't be easy! Your former partner will need to be at a red flower color (60,000 FP), and you must give him or her at least 10 of the person +1000 FP favorite gifts. After 62 days have gone by since you broke up, you can give him or her another commitment Ring on a sunny, non-festival Saturday or Sunday.
Upgrading Your House Size
To accomodate the person who may be living with you at some point, you will need to increase the size of your house to the Big Farm House. The blueprint for the house upgrade will be at Gunther's shop for 100,000 G after you build the Upgraded House (or 70,000 G if you are playing in Seedling mode). The Big Farm House requires 60 Lumber, 60 Stone, 10 Glass Stone, and 7 Emerald.
The house comes with a double bed inside of it. You can change the style of the double bed if you want, but you don't need to have a specific double bed style to get married.
Proposing Marriage
You will need to give your dear a Blue Feather to propose marriage. You can buy the Blue Feather at Otmar's general store for 150,000 G (105,000 G for Seedling) after Dessie gives you advice on how to marry. Dessie's marriage tutorial event will trigger after you give a going-steady ring AND if you have unlocked her! Dessie doesn't become available until Spring of year 2, which means you have to wait until at least year 2 to buy the Blue Feather, even though you can give the Ring in year 1.
You must see the four Nature Sprite Inspection events, one in each public field area, before you can unlock Dessie.
You can sell the Blue Feather to the Trade Depot for 10 G, and it is one of the items in the shipped items list. Otmar will sell one feather each day, so it is okay if you sell it.
You need to have all of the requirements in place before you can successfully offer the Blue Feather to your sweetheart. Wait until a sunny Saturday or Sunday when it is not a festival day, you have seen the yellow flower event and pink flower events (or both pink flower events if you're going out with Elise), you have a red flower color with your sweetie, you have upgraded your house to large or higher, and then give him or her the Blue Feather. For Raeger and Mistel, you have to wait until they are not working at their stores (e.g., not in shopkeeper mode) before you can prpose.
If your feather is rejected, then all of the marriage requirements have not been completed yet. Double check each one of the requirements, as the game won't allow you to marry with your chosen beloved until you've cleared them.
Reverse Marriage Proposal
You can have your partner propose to you by completing additional requirements. You will need to give him or her 150 total gifts or more, and 30 of the gifts must be the person's favorite +1000 FP gift. Once you're ready, walk into your sweetheart's house between 6:00 and 23:00 with the Blue Feather in your rucksack. If you've met the requirements, your partner will propose marriage to you with the feather you own. For Raeger, he needs to be in his restaurant area and not upstairs in his living quarters.
If you reject your sweetie's marriage proposal, you can still propose marriage to him or her, but you will need to meet more requirements. Now you'll need to give at least 200 gifts and seven days have to pass before you can give the Blue Feather to the one who you've rejected.
Scheduling the Wedding Plan
If your feather is accepted, you'll view a scene where your dear will take your feather. You'll even get a kiss! Afterwards, you'll gather at the Guild Hall to talk to Veronica, who will explain the three wedding plans you can choose from. You will NOT be required to chose your plan at that time. Veronica will explain the three plans, and then later you will talk to her at the counter within the Guild Hall to make your final decision. Veronica will set the date of the wedding to be a few days in the future, and you can't specifically tell her the date you want your wedding to be on.
After you have handed your beloved a Blue Feather and it has been accepted, he or she will not break up with you. Even if you happen to drop your fiance's flower color to lower than red before you schedule your wedding ceremony, you'll simply have a wedding with a non-red flower colored marriage candidate.
Your character will change into wedding clothes for the ceremony, but the style of clothes will be determined by the wedding plan you choose and not something you select individually. A western-style wedding will have the girl wearing a white wedding dress, and most of the boys will wear a white tuxedo; Klaus and Nadi wear black tuxedos during their western-style wedding. An eastern-style wedding will have the girls wearing a pink ceremonial kimino, and the boys will wear a white ceremonial kimono.
The plans cost different amounts of money and have different affects on friendship with the villagers who attend your wedding. The type of plan also affects how quickly the pregnancy event triggers. More expensive ceremonies result in faster baby mak'n.
The Simple Plan - This basic wedding only costs 100,000 G and will be a minimilist, western-style wedding with your fiance and Veronica. You will earn +1000 FP with your spouse, but you won't have anyone else witnessing the ceremony except for the guildmaster.
With this plan, the pregnancy event will trigger 30 days after your cremoney if you have build the two-story farmhouse.
The Deluxe Plan - The next level plan will cost 500,000 G and will allow you to chose whether you want an eastern-style wedding or a western-style wedding. You will have a few wedding guests to witness the ceremony, and you'll earn +1500 FP with the guests as well as +3000 FP with your partner.
As a wedding gift, 5 M. Daisy Pots and 5 Red Rose Pots will be added to the constructed objects inventory inside of your farm house. The pregnancy event will trigger 20 days after the ceremony if you've constructed the two-story farm house by then.
The Luxury Plan - The last plan is the most expensive at 1,000,000 G and you can select the western-style ceremony or the eastern-style ceremony. The guest list will be greatly expanded and includes most of the villagers. You'll earn +2000 FP with the villagers at your wedding and +5000 FP with your partner. You will have more congratulations speaches from the villagers than the Super Plan.
The wedding gift will be 5 M. Daisy Pots, 5 Red Rose Pots, and 5 Sunflower Flowerbeds. The pregnancy event will trigger 15 days after the ceremony if you have the required house upgrade.
Post-Marriage Stuff
After the wedding, you will gather back in your farm house with your new spouse. He or she will give you a Wedding Ring that you can wear if you add it to your clothing closet, and then select it as one of your accessories.
Your farm house bookshelf will now have the special art cards added to it if you have also unlocked all seven Trade Depot vendors. The art card for your new spouse appears on the top screen during the ending credits that appear after the marriage ceremony. Since you can't marry every available person, to see the other marriage candidate cards you can just go into your bookshelf and select the Special Cards option.
You will also be notified about your meal times. Breakfast is between 6am and 8am, lunch is between 12:00 and 14:00, and dinner is from 19:00 to 21:00. To eat with your spouse, stand next to the table inside of your farmhouse during the meal times and press A. You can choose whether you want to do the cooking or have help with the cooking. You do not have to attend each of the meal times every day
You will celebrate your own birthday and your spouse's birthday by walking into your farm house between 17:00 and 23:00. Additionally, walk into your farm house after 19:00 on the date of your wedding anniversary to have a meal with your spouse. The event isn't over though; afterward, you'll go on an evening date with your sweetie. After the date is over, you'll appear back at your farm house the next morning.
Your spouse can also go out and fetch wild items for you. If it is not a Sunday or festival day, in the morning talk to your spouse two times to receive a prompt for help. The next morning talk to your spouse again to learn what he/she collected. You'll receive between 1 and 10 of a wild item inside your rucksack. As long as your love slave remains above a green flower color, you can send him or her out to pick up stuff off the ground.
During stormy days, your spouse will stay inside the farm house. But if your spouse also runs a shop, such as Mistel and Raeger, the shop itself won't be closed. You can visit their shop and they will instantly appear to take your shop order, and then will instantly return back to the farm house once you've finished shopping.
You'll also get an annual couple's vacation that will pop up the same season as your wedding anniversary, your birthday, or your spouse's birthday; typically, whichever occurs first each year. Exit your house between 11:00 and 16:00 to be greeted by Walter the travel agent. He'll invite you and your spouse to go on a trip as long as your spouse is above a green flower color and your rucksack isn't full. The trip isn't free though! You will have to pay a travel fee between 100,000 G and 300,000 G depending on the trip that you take. Your kids will stay at home.
The trip will take you to one of the Trade Depot countries, where you'll do some sight-seeing and your spouse will display dailog about the country you're visiting. You don't get to wander around or do any shopping, but you will receive 10 of an item common to that country as a souvenier from your spouse; Cabin Country gets you cheese, Rose Country gets you flower bouquets, etc.
The location that Walter offers for the trip will be in sequential order:
- Silk Country: 100,000 G
- Cabin Country: 120,000 G
- Sakura Country: 150,000 G
- Komugi Country: 180,000 G
- Rose Country: 200,000 G
- Tropical Country: 250,000 G
- Ice Country: 300,000 G
The background music that plays during the trip will be from past Harvest Moon games (e.g., Cabin Country plays music from Island of Happiness). After the tour, you'll return to your house to receive your 10-item souvener, and then continue with the rest of your day.