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Sam is one of the six bachelors found in Stardew Valley. This blonde-haired skateboarder lives with his parents and plays in a band alongside Sebastian, another resident and bachelor in the game. If Sam has captured your heart, you're in luck.

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Here, we are going to go over everything you need to know about marrying Sam. This will set you on a fast track to moving in together and spending the rest of your farming years with him. First, let's look at some basic information about this bachelor.

Updated September 21, 2023 by Jacqueline Zalace: Still want to know how to marry Sam in Stardew Valley? We've updated the formatting of this marriage guide to help with readability. You can find all there is to know about Sam here, ranging from his schedule to what you should ideally give him as a gift.

Sam's Basic Info

Stardew Valley Split Image - Sam (left - closeup of face) (right - textbox of character talking)

Sam, like most characters in the game, will give you extra friendship points if he receives a gift on his birthday. He does have a job at the local JojaMart, but if you go with the Community Center route, he'll get a new one at the Museum.

  • Birthday: Summer 17
  • Home Location: 1 Willow Lane (Southwest Pelican Town)
  • Clinic Visit: Fall 11
  • Night Market Visit: Winter 17
  • Occupation: JojaMart Employee/Museum Employee

Sam's Schedule

Stardew Valley - Sam in the Saloon (left) and at home (right) 2

Completing the Community Center can change Sam's schedule, as can your friendship with Penny. Like his friend Sebastian, he spends a considerable amount of time in his room, but you won't be able to enter the room until you have two hearts with Sam. Below, you can find Sam's seasonal schedule.

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Deviations

The Best Places To Find Sam

A player visits Jodi's house in Stardew Valley

As you can see from his schedule, Sam is a busy man! If it is still your first Spring, you can swing by Joja Mart to find Sam working through the afternoon.

In general, Sam wakes up and leaves his house quite late. If you aren't at two friendship hearts with him, you can opt to wait inside his house. While there, you can speak with the rest of his family, and then wait for him to exit his room.

Gifting to Sam

Stardew Valley - Sam birthday gift

Sam is extremely easy to please when it comes to gifts. He likes inexpensive items and has quite a few loves and hates.

The Best Gifts To Give

As mentioned above, it's easy to give gifts to Sam. We recommend buying a few Pizzas from the Stardrop Saloon to gift him.

Additionally, he's the only character who likes Joja Cola. This can be purchased from Joja Mart or the Vending Machine (in the Saloon), as well as found in trashcans and fished from the water.

Dating Sam

Stardew Valley - Sam marriage

Sam's events are easy to trigger as you mainly just need to visit him while he is home. There also won't be many dialogue choices that alter your friendship with him.

Upon reaching eight hearts of friendship with Sam (or any romanceable NPC), you'll get a notice from Pierre indicating that he's selling a new item: Bouquets for 200g each.

To express an interest in dating Sam, just buy a Bouquet and give it to him as a gift! Assuming nothing has made his friendship level drop, he'll happily accept. Sam's title in the Social menu will change to "boyfriend" and you'll unlock the ability to reach ten hearts of friendship with him.

Marrying Sam

stardew valley - old mariner selling you a mermaid's pendant

Once you've reached ten hearts of friendship with your beloved, you can get married. Mayor Lewis will send you a letter to tip you off and let you know that people in Pelican Town propose using a special necklace: a Mermaid's Pendant. Unfortunately, these are a little hard to come by.

You can only purchase a Mermaid's Pendant from a special NPC (the Old Mariner) who shows up on the beach on rainy days. Keep in mind that he's on the far right side of the beach, so the wooden bridge needs to be repaired.

If you're at ten hearts of friendship with a romanceable NPC, and you've upgraded the farmhouse at least once, the Old Mariner will sell you the Mermaid's Pendant for 5,000g.

The only way to trigger the Old Mariner's appearance during the Winter is to use a rain totem.

Stardew Valley - Sam wedding (left) and Sam's halfpipe (right)

Present the Mermaid's Pendant to Sam as a gift and (assuming his friendship level hasn't dropped below ten hearts for some reason) he will happily accept. The wedding is scheduled for three days after you proposed (though, if there's an event happening in town that day, it's pushed back a day). No need to bring anything to this event except yourself.

After a lovely ceremony, Sam moves in with you on the farm. He adds a special spouse room to the right-hand side of the farmhouse and adds a half pipe outside where he can skateboard. On top of all this, you'll unlock the opportunity to increase his friendship level to 14 hearts.

Marriage Schedule

Stardew Valley - Sam in front of the fridge (left), in spouse room (right)

After the wedding, when a spouse moves in with you, they no longer stick to their usual schedule. Instead, Sam spends his time doing the following activities.

  • Watering crops
  • Feeding animals
  • Watering the animal bowl
  • Repairing broken fences
  • Giving you gifts
  • Decorating the house
  • In his unique outside area
  • In his unique indoor room

All marriage candidates leave the farm occasionally. For Sam, it's on Mondays and Fridays.

Sam's Fourteen Hearts Cutscene

Every marriage candidate has a 14-heart event. For Sam, it begins when you reach 14 hearts with him, upgrade the farmhouse at least twice, and enter sometime he is inside between 6:10 am and 5:00 pm. From here, there are three stages for the event.

  • After the initial cutscene, you'll need to wait three days and enter the farmhouse when you know Sam will be inside between 6:10 am and 5 pm.
  • Again, wait three days and enter the house between 6:10 am and 5 pm when Sam is there.
  • Finally, wait four days and, for the last time, go into the farmhouse any time between 6:10 am and 5 pm when Sam will be inside.

Maintaining Marriage Or Choosing Divorce

player interacting with divorce book in mayor lewis' house

Lastly, let's talk about the longevity of your marriage. To maintain your relationship, you do not have to give weekly gifts to Sam; that part is over. Now, all you need to do is talk to him. On most mornings, he will probably be standing in or around the farmhouse. Simply interact with him to maintain your love. If you interact enough times in a row, the two of you will kiss.

Regretting your marriage? Divorce is simple, it just requires a bit of money. To divorce Sam, head to the Mayor's house. Here, you will find a book to the left of his kitchen where you can file for divorce. Sam will resent you, but you can erase his memory at a Shrine that unlocks after completing a quest for the Wizard.

NEXT: Stardew Valley: A Complete Guide to Marrying Leah