How to Get Married in the Sims 3

Last Updated: November 5, 2020 References

Getting married in The Sims 3 is a joyous occasion for both you and your Sims! If you have two Sims that would be a perfect match for one another, read this article to learn how to join them in Holy Matrimony.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Becoming Romantic Interests

1
Choose a match. Some Sims are more compatible than others, based on their personalities and interests. Two Sims can still marry even if they have difficult traits or conflicts — but it might take a while, and the marriage might not necessarily be a happy one.
- Be strategic about where you look for possible dates. For example, if your Sim is interested in books, check at the bookstore or library.
- The romance will go faster if a Sim has one of these traits: Charismatic, Friendly, Flirty, or Hopeless Romantic.^{[1]
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  Research source} A Sim with Commitment Issues or Unflirty will be a difficult partner, but not impossible.
2
Learn about teen romance. If you want two Teens to start a relationship, there are a few things you should know first:
- Teens can start a romance with another Teen, but cannot get married until they both age up to Young Adult.
- When one teen ages to Young Adult, options for romantic interaction with the Teen will disappear. You can continue the romance once the Teen ages. However, they will still be listed as "Boyfriend", "Girlfriend" or "Romantic Interest".
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3
Improve your romantic skills (optional). To increase the odds of success and unlock new options, train your Sim's Charisma skill.^{[2]
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Research source} Also keep an eye out for lifetime rewards that can make romance easier, such as Attractive and Never Dull.^{[3]
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Research source}
4
Become friends with the other Sims. Select one of the Sims and have him or her interact with the other. The Sims 3 gives a large number of social options. Try starting with a few conversation topics, then move on to other positive Social interactions. You might have a few setbacks along the way, but it should only take a few meetings to become Acquaintances, then Friends.
- Whenever you can, choose conversation options based on the other Sim's traits. A Vehicle Enthusiast enjoys talking about cars, and a Technophobe will hate talking about electronics.
- Relationships decrease over time. Invite the Sim over the next day to keep your forward momentum.
5
Ask if the Sim is single. The "Ask if Single" option under the Romance option will have an effect even before you become friends. Try this early on so you know the other Sim's relationship status. A Sim that's already in a relationship is usually much harder to impress, but it will still be possible to woo them.
- If you do succeed in breaking up the Sim's relationship, both Sims will lose a massive amount of relationship with the former partner. Decide whether it's worth it before you continue.
6
Attempt romantic interactions. Most Romantic interactions will have no effect until your Sims are at least Friends (about 40% of the bar).^{[4]
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Research source} After this point, you can start making a move with these low-pressure options:^{[5]
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Research source}
- Compliment Personality
- Compliment Appearance
- Flirt
7
Watch the Sim's reaction. If the other Sim reacts positively, you'll see a message that he or she thinks you're being flirty. This is a good time to continue the Romantic interactions, but be careful. Going too fast can make the other Sim back out. Even if you move on to "alluring," you might want to stick to the basic options until it becomes "extremely irresistible."
8
Become a Romantic Interest. Once you've had a couple flirty interactions and your relationship bar has moved steadily upward, invite the Sim over again. This time, flirt until you get the "alluring" short-term context option. This unlocks new options:
- Try setting the stage by gazing into the other Sim's eyes, embracing, or whispering into the Sim's ear.^{[6]
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- If everything is going well, try a First Kiss, Confess Attraction, or Massage. If the Sims aren't Romantic Interests yet, they should be after one of these succeeds.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Getting Married

1
Continue advancing the relationship. Now you know the basics of flirty interaction, and probably have a sense of what the other Sim likes. Try to repeat this every day, without jumping ahead too quickly.
2
Get the context to irresistible. After a couple meet-ups, keep flirting until the context changes to irresistible. This will unlock new options that advance the relationship toward marriage.
3
Propose going steady. This "irresistible" option will make the Sim your Boyfriend or Girlfriend. Romantic interactions will be easier after this point, and you won't need to jump through as many hoops to unlock them.
- After this point you should avoid flirting with other Sims, as it will hurt your relationship with your steady date.
4
Continue advancing the relationship. If you haven't already, start choosing options like "Make Out" and "Leap into Arms". If you're near a bed or certain other objects, you can select Woohoo as well. Some Sims will Woohoo right away, while others are reluctant. It is not required to start a marriage.
5
Propose marriage. Eventually, this option will unlock during an "irresistible" context. You can propose as many times as you like, but spend some time building up the relationship between attempts.
6
Hold the wedding. To get married instantly, select Romantic → Have Private Wedding. For a big celebration, have the engaged Sim use a cell phone to Throw a Party and select wedding.^{[7]
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Research source} Once married, you can move the other Sim into your household.
- T Generations expansion pack adds many marriage-related options and items. This includes wedding arches, wedding cake, and bachelor/bachelorette parties.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Using Cheats

1
Know the risks. This method doesn't just use cheats. It enables a special mode the developers use to test the game. This mode enables many extra interaction options, but using them incorrectly can break the game. You also risk accidentally destroying your save file.
2
Know the benefits. There are two reasons to use this cheat:
- You can make any two Sims Best Friends so you can get straight to the romance.
- If you encounter the "moving bug" that freezes the game when you try to move a Sim into the house, this bug will get around that.
3
Open the cheat console. Press Control + ⇧ Shift + C at the same time to open the cheat console at the top of the screen.
- Windows Vista users may need to hold down the Windows key as well.^{[8]
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4
Enable testing cheats. In the cheat console, type in TestingCheatsEnabled true. Hit ↵ Enter.
5
Click and drag the relationship level upward. Now you can immediately make two Sims Best Friends. This should unlock early Romance options.
6
Add a Sim to your house. If you're trying to get around the "moving bug," hold down ⇧ Shift and click on the Sim you want to add. You should see new options appear in the menu. Select "Add to active household."
- The other Sim must be in the house and not already married.
7
Disable the testing cheats. As mentioned above, the testing cheats unlock options that can seriously mess up the game. Open the cheat console again (Control + ⇧ Shift + C) and type TestingCheatsEnabled false, then hit ↵ Enter.

Community Q&A

Question

If my Sims are having a divorce, is it possible to get back to their normal relationship?

Community Answer

Yes. You will have to start from the beginning again, but they can get back together.
Question

No matter what I do, two sims are at max relationship, girlfriend/boyfriend. Is there any way for me to speed it up?

Sweet.Potato

Community Answer

Basically, you have to click the the tab 'Propose Marriage'. Make sure to make your things do romantic things like kissing and hugging before you do so. If you don't, the other sim will get creeped out and refuse.
Question

Can my Sims have a baby before marriage?

Community Answer

Yes, they can have it in the “romantic interest” stage. Get them at the point where it’s at “extremely irresistible” and then select “try for a baby."

Warnings

By being in a romantic relationship, the Sims swear to their partners they will not commit infidelity. If, at any time, a Sim catches another Sim in an affair, their relationship can drastically suffer. If your Sim cheats on their partner, they risk becoming enemies.

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If you have the Generations expansion, your romantic actions earn you a reputation in the town. A Sim will have a hard time getting married with a reputation for cheating or being sleazy.^{[10]
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